By Kate Bernot
Narragansett Brewing Company is a survivor. Its fate could easily have mirrored that of many other once-prominent regional breweries from the same era. Some of those brands disappeared altogether, while others survived only as labels, brewed and sold far from their original ownership and hometown roots.
Narragansett is the exception. It remains independently owned with an expansive taproom in its home state of Rhode Island, where fans can not only enjoy a pint of “Gansett” but can peruse a museum’s worth of history and memorabilia affixed to the building’s walls. Its owners, while not the 136-year-old brewery’s original founders, are stewards of its legacy, as enthralled with its history as they are eager for its future. In an era when lager brands – old and new alike – want to tout their authenticity, provenance, and tradition, Narragansett has always had them in spades.
“It’s a glass of nostalgia for most people,” says Andy Thompson, Director of Beer and Wine with Wine & Spirits Retail Marketing Inc. in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. “Narragansett has that heritage about them that people love. They were an old- school brewery that’s really evolved into this century, which has been great to see.”
Straddling the line between tradition and modernity isn’t the brewery’s only balancing act. It also benefits from an identity that’s equal parts domestic lager brand and craft brewery, with a portfolio and pricing strategy that reflects both sides of the coin. If the brewery didn’t have more than a century of history to back this up, such duality might come off muddled or disingenuous. But whenever a question presents itself to Narragansett leadership, they’re able to draw on lessons of the past to inform the path forward.
“We’ve managed to survive some pretty tough things, like Prohibition and being sold a couple of times,” says Jim Crooks, Co-owner and Vice President of Sales at Narragansett. “We’re almost like the Forrest Gump of New England.”
Just as impressive, the brewery continues to beat the odds. During a year when overall craft production was down 5%, Narragansett eked out growth in 2025 to become the U.S.’s number 20 craft brewery by volume, with sales in 27 states. It did so largely on the back of its flagship product, Narragansett Lager, which makes up three quarters of the brewery’s output. As Americans reach for easy-drinking, reliable beers with a sense of place and identity, a 136-year-old brand is surprisingly well poised to meet the moment.
As one of the country’s oldest breweries, founded in 1890, Narragansett leaned into its long American history this summer by reintroducing a Liberty Bell can design that was originally used for the nation’s Bicentennial in 1976. The 2026 edition essentially revives that patriotic artwork 50 years later to mark the Semiquincentennial. Beyond the limited-edition cans, Narragansett released an “America’s 250th” collection of merchandise, including T-shirts, glassware, koozies, cornhole boards, and other commemorative items.
“Hi-Neighbor!”
Narragansett is embedded in the cultural fabric of Rhode Island, and coastal New England more broadly, in a way that only comes from decades of partnerships and community outreach. Of course, there’s the memorable scene in 1975’s Jaws in which Captain Quint crushes – literally and figuratively – a can of Narragansett, a pop-culture touchstone that the brewery spotlights every summer. Last year was the film’s 50th anniversary, which Narragansett celebrated with a limited- time shark can design, an exclusive line of merchandise, a “Crush It Like Quint” contest, a mechanical shark at the brewery taproom, and special events at bars and movie theaters across the region. Even during non-anniversary summers, the brewery revives its association with the film through specially wrapped packages and retail displays featuring the original movie art. (The artist who designed the Jaws poster never sold the rights to Universal Studios, so Narragansett is able to pay him a royalty fee for continued use.) Thompson says the Jaws displays make for excellent summertime point-of-sale that really grabs attention.
“People love the Jaws tie-in,” he says. “It demands floor space in the summer.” A giant cardboard shark isn’t just eye- catching; fans also have an emotional connection to the movie and the beer brand’s role in it.
“People come up to me and roll up their pant leg and have a Jaws tattoo or a tattoo of a crushed can of Gansett from the movie,” Crooks says. “It’s hard to top in terms of how excited people get for it.”
Another thing fans love to tell Crooks? “Hi-Neighbor!” The catchphrase was the work of Curt Gowdy, a legendary sportscaster and the voice of the Boston Red Sox for 15 seasons. As part of Narragansett’s sponsorship of the Red Sox f rom 1944 to 1975 – believed to be the first beer partnership with a pro sports team that included radio and TV – Gowdy would toast fans with “Hi-Neighbor! Have a ’Gansett.” The phrase stuck, and to this day, it’s emblazoned on Narragansett shirts, magnets, bumper stickers, and even doormats.
Whether speaking about baseball or Jaws or Dr. Seuss, Crooks is a veritable encyclopedia of Narragansett history. Yes, Dr. Seuss: As it turns out, Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) was college roommates with the son of Rudolph Haffenreffer, the owner of Narragansett brewery at the time, at Dartmouth. Hard up for work upon graduation, Geisel – whose family owned a brewery themselves – agreed to do some illustration work for Narragansett. Some old-timers still own those branded coasters or trays.
More Than Memories
A vaguely defined “nostalgia” has been a catch-all explanation for the continued relevance of brands like Narragansett, Coors Banquet, and Yuengling, as well as consumers’ affinity for new-but-designed- to-look-retro upstarts.
Yes, Narragansett has a rich and relevant heritage that connects it authentically to Rhode Island. But its deep local roots also make for a tangibly better product and closely aligned business relationships.
“Quality and freshness are second to none because they really cater to this market. You’re not going to see anything brewed six months ago,” he says. “They have local people who meet me out in the stores and assist with anything we need. It’s the local touch not only in the product but the people who work there as well.”
Despite its ubiquity, the brand has to continually reintroduce itself to a new generation of legal-age drinkers who may not have any personal connection to Narragansett. Patrick McGuire, the brewery’s Director of Marketing, says on-premise activations and memorable events are part of creating those ties for new fans. Last year, the brewery resurrected its tallboy imagery in the form of a mascot-type costume worn by Community Manager Hope Huban. This spring, the tallboy served hot dogs at the Red Sox opening day, danced with runners at the Boston Marathon, and met fans at Washington D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival.
“These bigger events have the feel of a whole city and embody the culture in that city,” McGuire says. “We’re trying to bring a little ‘Hi-Neighbor!’ cheer to those who are partaking in it.”
He says it’s important that Narragansett not just try to tell its own historic story, but make new memories with new drinkers to continue the legacy. To that end, the brewery is making an effort to solicit stories from customers about how they’ve enjoyed Narragansett, and spotlighting those stories in social media and email newsletters.
Building a bridge between its identities as a historic regional beer and a modern, craft-adjacent mainstream brand is no small task, but Narragansett continues to thread the needle. An accessible price point, disciplined portfolio, and consistent marketing support help keep it top of mind with retailers. It’s hard to stick to those fundamentals, Crooks says, but it turns out time tested and trusted brands like Narragansett never go out of style.
“We like to say that what your dad did isn’t cool, but what your grandpa did was cool,” Crooks says. “I think a lot of 20-somethings feel that way as they’re coming of age to drink.”
Narragansett is part of a wave of legacy beer brands whose tried-and-true reputations make them low-risk choices for today’s drinkers. Others include:
Coors Banquet, which has highlighted the brand’s 150-year history on “Heritage Collection” cans and in promotional materials.
Yuengling, America’s oldest continually operating brewery, which spotlights that history on this year’s specially designed American semiquincentennial cans.
Guinness, a standout brand over the past few years thanks to its 260-year legacy combined with contemporary appeal, particularly in the on-premise.
About the Author: You may know her as the director of the North American Guild of Beer Writers, but Kate Bernot wears many hats. The work of this celebrated journalist and BJCP Certified Beer Judge routinely appears in The New York Times, Washington Post and the online publication Good Beer Hunting – to name a few. Ms. Bernot resides in Missoula, Montana where she enjoys the great outdoors and a good pint of beer made by the area’s skilled local brewers.