Narragansett Beer is working on our first year-round craft beer style to be introduced in 2012, and we want YOU (our fans) to help us determine what that style will be.  Standing toe-to toe in this competition are two distinctly different styles of beer, CREAM & RYE. Please vote for which beer you think we should brew year round and leave your answers in the comments section below. We’ll be announcing the winning style just after Thanksgiving. We’ll also randomly select 12 lucky fans who vote below to receive one of the first six packs of the winning style. Here’s more on both beers:

Rye is a traditional Bavarian style of beer (Roggenbier) where up to 60% of the malt is made from rye rather than barley.  This style of beer was commonplace until the 15th Century, when after a series of bad rye harvests, the German law known as the Reinheitsgebot was implemented stating that beer could only be brewed with barley malt.  The modern version of rye beer is typically about 5% ABV and is fairly dark in color. The flavor is grainy, often having a hearty taste similar to pumpernickel bread.  This style started making a comeback in Germany in the 1980’s, and would be a “tip of the cap” to the original six German founders of Narragansett.

A cream ale is related to pale lager. They are generally brewed to be light and refreshing with a straw to pale golden color. Hop and malt flavor is fairly subdued. While cream ales are top-fermented ales, they typically undergo an extended period of cold-conditioning or lagering after primary fermentation is complete. This reduces fruity esters and gives the beer a clean, smooth flavor. Narragansett made a tasty Cream Ale throughout the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, and it would be great to bring a craftier version of such an easy drinking (but hard to find) ale style back to today’s craft beer enthusiasts.

Let the competition commence!  Let us know what you think!

The Narragansett Beer Team

CREAM ALE:
SOME PEOPLE LOOK FONDLY BACK ON THE AGE OF THE MILKMAN. FOR US, IT’S THE BEER WAGON. From the late 1800′s to the 1970′s, no Rhode Island parade was complete without the ‘Gansett beer wagon, carrying styles from Lager to Porter —to a Cream Ale like this one, an easy-drinking ale with a smooth malt character. It’s a deliciously simple pleasure that reminds us of days gone by when the beer wagon and ‘Gansett Cream Ale were both so popular ‘round here. Taste & Enjoy!

RYE:
AMERICA WAS FOUNDED ON THE IDEA OF FREEDOM, BUT RYE HAD A LOT TO DO WITH IT, TOO. Rye was pretty much the main whisky people drank here in the day of our founding fathers. So we thought it was high time to make a Rye Ale. The way we see it, Rhode Islanders were among the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, so we deserve to enjoy a true Rye spirit. Ours has a bittersweet edge and it’s a tad peppery, in a good way. Taste & Enjoy!