Background
Narragansett Beer was the idea of six German American businessmen in 1890. Most likely, Narragansett got its name from the bay or the Narragansett tribe of Indians. At start up, a major product to bring in money was “Artificial Ice” By 1912 Narragansett became the largest brewery in New England.
1919 brought in the era of Prohibition. Production moved to a variety of soda pop. Maintaining the production of ice also helped weather the storm. Lastly, when some doctors were convinced that beer could be used medicinally, Narragansett began brewing beer to fill prescriptions. In 1933 with the repeal of Prohibition, they were off and running again.
In the 1940s, Jack Haley hired as advertising Manager coined a new phrase. He and his family had a cottage outside of town where he and his neighbor would often go out to retrieve their newspaper at the same time. They would always greet each other as “Hi Neighbor!” a slogan which ended up being printed on beers ever since.
In the late 60s many large brewing competitors began having an impact on Narragansett sales and rather than fight the larger breweries, ownership decided to sell to Falstaff. Falstaff took over operations in 1975.
Around 1982, with the original operations falling into disrepair, brewing was moved to Ft. Wayne Indiana.
In 2005, long time Rhode Islander, Mark Hellendrung, along with a group of investors purchased Narragansett and made it independently owned. In 2021, the new brewery and tasting room opened in Providence Rhode Island.
Experience
We arrived on a Thursday afternoon to a pretty packed house. You may need to be a bit patient waiting for a parking spot. They have a very expansive patio area, a good sized bar inside along with many tables. We were lucky enough to grab a table near the bar. Ordering your beers occurs at the bar at least when we were there.
We were surprised at the variety of beer offered. We tried several and enjoyed them all. I really enjoyed the NEIPA, Musik Express! They do offer beer to go and of course we participated in that service. In addition, the tasting room offers a variety of food ranging from flatbreads, sandwiches, chowder and pretzels.
A very fun and lively brewpub with friendly and helpful beer tenders. The tasting room is accessible. There is a Hilton Garden Inn Providence very close. When in Rhode Island, also check out Coddington Brewing!
