The first image displayed on the Narragansett Brewery website is a huge pop-up reading, “We turned 21 in 1911, how about you?” as a clever way to check virtual ID. The intensely red and green site is littered with images spanning the company’s 126-year history. At the bottom are several cartoon mascots, including a hilariously unattractive beer fairy hauling his “Sack-O-Gansett”. Endearingly garish, the Narragansett Brewery site reflects the company’s fun nature.
Whalers Brewing Company’s website is painted in the colors of the sea. Beautiful, soothing blues contrast black and white text. Their social media links are prominent and linkable. The layout is simple and easy to navigate, with very little scrolling required. Everything you need is right in front of you. The presentation is sleek, sharp, and elegant.
One brewery opened its doors over a century ago with funds from sales of Butterine (a predecessor to margarine) and commissioned an original logo design from Dr. Seuss. The other features brewers with engineering degrees and military backgrounds. Whalers was named the Rhode Island Brewery of the Year for 2018 at the New York International Beer Competition. Narragansett has been the Official Beer of the Clam since 1890.
These two Rhode Island breweries couldn’t be more disparate if they tried. Yet the have the same exact mission - to brew the best beer possible and make thirsty patrons happy.
In the southern town of Wakefield, Whalers Brewing Company was formed in 2011 by Josh Dunlap after a career in the Marine Corps and a subsequent stint as a commercial fisherman. A lifelong dream of operating his own brewery drove him to create Whalers. Wesley Staschke joined the brewing team in 2013 after completing his engineering degree.
Since then, all they’ve done is win recognition for their recipes. They won the People’s Choice award for best brewery at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition in 2015. In 2017 their flagship ale, Rise, took Best Pale Ale in the United States at the World Beer Awards. With over a dozen awards to their name, they are clearly on to something.
The accolades keep coming, and with good reason. From the floral and complex East Coast IPA to the zesty Blockstar seasonal wheat ale, every beer they make is well-crafted and thoughtful. And, yep, absolutely delicious. Whalers Brewing Company is young and hungry, turning their passion into can after can of awesome suds. Grab a plate of clam fritters, a local specialty, and let the sun shine on.
Whalers - 1174 Kingstown Rd., Wakefield, 401-552-0002, whalers.com
Narragansett beer has been “made on honor, sold on merit” for over a century. Formed by a group of men including beer magnate Jacob Wirth, Narragansett Brewing originally operated in Cranston and was the largest beer brewery in New England in 1914.
Much of their early success came from their famous slogan, “Hi, neighbor! Have a ‘Gansett.” As an official sponsor of the Red Sox in their early days, fans could hear announcer Curt Gowdy utter the phrase. Years later, their legend status would grow when Jaws skipper Quint crushes a can of their lager with one hand, leading to the catchphrase (and modern hashtag), “Crush it like Quint.”
After a period of economic and corporate trouble, Narragansett Brewing closed its doors on July 31, 1981. Twenty-five years later private investors brought the brand back to life, using contract brewers in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to produce their products. Wanting their beer to be brewed in Rhode Island, Narragansett turned to the fans for help raising funds with a 2011 campaign asking them to “Drink their part” to raise enough capital. In 2016, they announced the brewery would be moving to its current home in Pawtucket.
Beyond the classic (and totally quaffable) lager, Narragansett offers a wide range of beers including their citrusy Fresh Catch blonde ale, award-winning porter, and a light lager that is remarkably at home with a big plate of Rhode Island-style calamari (forget the sweeter Thai version. It’s all about the spicy here.)
They also offer different collaborative recipes, including the incredibly thirst-quenching shandy made with equally-famous Del’s lemonade. (They once offered a black cherry version that I cannot find anywhere. A handsome reward for anyone who can help me out here. Not kidding.) A partnership with coffee syrup maker Autocrat yielded a rich and smooth coffee milk stout, an homage to the state’s official drink, coffee milk. (Which is brilliant alongside a few Stuffies.)
Drinking a Narragansett is looking back at the history of one of Rhode Island’s oldest beverage companies. Cracking open a Whalers is enjoying one of the Ocean State’s great future-thinking breweries. Both are making a lot of New Englanders very, very happy.
Narragansett - 461 Main St., Pawtucket, 401-437-8970,
narragansettbeer.com
