Narragansett Brewing Company

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Narragansett Brewing Company

Location	Providence, Rhode Island
Owner	Mark Hellendrung
Year opened	1888
Active Beers
Narragansett	Pilsener

The Narragansett Brewing Company was founded in Cranston, Rhode Island in 1888. It was closed on July 31, 1981, and then re-established in 2005.

Formerly the number one selling brand in New England, Narrangansett now occupies a relatively narrow segment of the market. Originally brewed in the city of Cranston, it was famous for its drinkability and the advertising slogan, "Hi, Neighbor, have a 'Gansett!", most famously uttered by Boston Red Sox announcer Curt Gowdy.

1 History
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Narragansett Brewing Company was founded in 1888 with $150,000 in capital and a brick brewing house was built in Cranston, Rhode Island. In December of 1890, the first beer was produced, and the following year, the company officially incorporated.

The grounds of the Narragansett Brewing Company included a barn, a stable, a blacksmith, seventy-five horses, forty-five wagons, gas-powered trucks, electric trucks, twenty-five refrigerated train cars and its own ice plant.

By 1891 the Narragansett Brewing Company brewed almost 28,000 barrels of beer under the company’s promise of the purest ingredients, uncompromised cleanliness of manufacturing and absolute perfection of brew.

In 1914, when the company built the most modern bottling plant in the region, it became official: Narragansett Brewing Company was the largest lager beer brewery in New England.

Rudolf F. Haffenreffer, would eventually become president and chairman of Narragansett Brewing Company and remain involved until his death in 1954. The Haffenreffer brewery in Boston survived until 1965, at which time brands like Haffenreffer Lager Beer, Pickwick Ale and Pickwick Bock Beer became the property of the Narragansett Brewing Company.

Falstaff Brewing Company purchased Narragansett Brewing Company on July 15, 1965 for $17 million in cash and $2 million in Falstaff common stock. The plan was for the brewery to continue operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Falstaff, under Haffenreffer management, and that the Narragansett brand would be retained and actively promoted.

In October 1974, nine years after they had first agreed to purchase the company, Falstaff completed the acquisition.

Multi-millionaire Paul Kalmanovitz obtained majority control of Narragansett's parent corporation, the Falstaff Brewing Co., on April 28, 1975. The San Francisco brewer and businessman bought the brewery for an undisclosed amount. Soon after the purchase Falstaff's corporate headquarters moved from St. Louis, Missouri to San Francisco, California.

The brewery officially closed on July 31, 1981. When production of the beer moved to the Falstaff plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1982, many felt that the quality of the beer was not the same, and sales declines accelerated.

After changing hands several times, the brand was bought in 2005 by a team of local investors led by former juice executive Mark D. Hellendrung, who announced plans to expand its market share and reinvigorate the Narragansett brand identity.

Since the purchase, the brand has indeed been revitalized with the help of former brewmaster Bill Anderson, and some sharp new packaging. Narragansett beer, now contract brewed by High Falls Brewing Company, has been available again throughout Southern New England since spring of 2006.