Narragansett Lager

The fifth beer to get reviewed is a beer that claims to be "Made on Honor" & "Sold on Merit!" It also claims to be "famous!"  These are some BIG phrases for a beer that I drank out of a can!  Which is actually why I chose this beer....the can...talk about genius marketing! For me, the can evokes happy thoughts of summertime outdoor activities, when a cold can in your hand is the icing on the cake, whether it be by the pool, the lake, playing bocce ball, a competitive round of Beirut, a pig roast etc...the can = good times in the warmer months and that is why I went for it, admist all the other beers in my vision at the store.

According to this tall, slender yet attractive pint can, the Narragansett Brewery dates back to 1890 and has been brewing, "award-winning classic lager for more than a century."  Furthermore, the can sold me on the catchy phrase, "Hi-Neighbor!" Isn't there some truth to that neighborly phrase when you drink out of can?  It's as if you're at a tailgate wandering around and people keep calling you over, offering you a can from their cooler--yes, we know how to tailgate @ Boston College :)

Additionally, the can boasts, "If you're not drinking Narragansett, you're not from New England!"  Interestingly, in all the years I've lived in NE, I've never heard of this beer.  Moreover, the Narragansett Lager is NOT brewed in New England, but rather in Rochester, NY. The beers that are produced in Providence, Rhode Island are their Porter and their Bock.  If you're into those types of brewery details their website has a lengthy historical biography which, if I had more time, I would share more details with you, but since I don't, it's an interesting read and can be found under Mom's Malt Barley Resources. 

However, I will share a few facts about lagers and specifically their lager:

• Lagers ferment at the bottom as opposed to ales that ferment on the top.
• They take one to three months to ferment at a much colder temperature than ales. 
• There are various styles of lager (which in German means, storage) such as a Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Marzen.
• The Narragansett Lager was the first beer brewed by “The Original Six” back in 1890; was the bestselling beer in New England from the 1930s to the 1970s; and was the official beer of the Boston Red Sox from 1944-1975.

Beyond just being a sucker for the can, I found the beer at Trader Joe's, which came highly recommended to me from a fellow mom, as a place to find beer on the cheap side of life.  For $5.99, I came home with six sixteen-ounce cans.  Do the math, that's a good deal! And, here is the crux of the issue that I had with the beer.  It was a good deal but it felt like I was back in college buying cheap beer to either tailgate with or chug for fun beer drinking games & that I was not drinking the beer for taste.  Don't get me wrong, the beer isn't bad, it's just not very flavorful.  However, that didn't stop me from trying to pair the lager with our various dinner choices throughout the week (I did purchase a six-pack) in an attempt to find a winning combination.  The night we had Thai food was probably the best in terms of balancing the spicy cuisine with a cold frosty beer. 

Taste: a light to mild flavor with a refreshing finish
*contained a slightly metallic taste too but that's the can (I hope!)

Color: gold like a bale of hay on a warm summer's day


Thickness: very light body & when poured into a glass yields a plethora of bubbles & head

Will It Help Me Sleep Better: I would need more than one as it only has a 5% ABV

Mom Factoid:  According to the history section on the brewery's website, a young artist by the name of Theodore Geisel aka Dr. Seuss, ("Green Eggs & Ham" anyone), was hired to design an icon for the Narragansett Brewing Company- Geisel designed Chief Gansett!