The Famous Narragansett Beer has announced the release of our Oktoberfest brew, Narragansett Fest, our first canned craft beer offering. Available throughout the 2010 fall season, Fest is available at package stores, restaurants, and bars throughout New England in 16 oz. cans and on draft.

This is the perfect beer to enjoy on a relaxing Fall afternoon. After raking leaves in the crisp air, reward yourself with a tall boy of Fest. Or celebrate the harvest season with a pint of Fest draft. Sunday dinner watching the Pats at ma’s house? Gansett Fest pairs great with smoked meats, fish and cheeses. The fresh-hearty aroma and spicieness from the hops are an awesome companion to a delicious roasted meal or New England style boiled dinner.

Brewed under the supervision of award-winning Brew Master Sean Larkin at Cottrell Brewery in Pawcatuck, CT and the award-winning High Falls Brewery in Rochester, NY, Narragansett Fest is a traditional amber-brown German Oktoberfest style beer, perfectly balanced with four varieties of malts and two styles of hops.  Pilsner, Vienna, and Light & Dark Munich malts make up the backbone of the Fest, creating a rich taste profile, and Northern Brewer and Tettnanger hops give it a crisp, subtly balanced flavor. Narragansett Fest is 5.5% Alcohol by Volume and 22 IBUs.

Narragansett Fest echoes the brand’s rich heritage. Founded by a group of eight German immigrants, Narragansett’s Cranston Rhode Island brewery held elaborate annual events to celebrate Oktoberfest up until the 1970s. Further, King Gambrinus, the Patron Saint of Beer – who is featured on the 1940s-style classic Fest packaging – also stood as a statue welcoming guests to the Narragansett brewery for decades.

It’s already on tap at a few bars in RI including the Wild Colonial. The Haxtons in Warwick and High Spirits in Providence are scheduled to receive shipments this week! In fact, Mark went to Boston with some samples and the Boston Herald wrote this review, click here to read what they had to say. If you don’t see Fest in your local package store or favorite bar, then make sure you ask them. This is going to go fast!

This is totally going to rock. Coheed and Cambria just put out their latest record, Year Of The Black Rainbow and hits like “World Of Lines” and “We Are Juggernaut” are tearing up the airwaves on 95.5 WBRU. So to end this Summer’s outdoor concert series, BRU is bringing us one epic line-up. Coheed with Boston’s own The Dear Hunter and Manchester Orchestra. Get out! All three of those bands could headline their own show. And it all takes place right here in downtown Providence at the Skating Center this Saturday. Narragansett beer couldn’t let this pass without our famous lager flowing from the taps at the rinks. Looks like this is Coheed’s only New England appearance for quite some time. So get your tickets now before it’s too late. More info below.

The WBRU Dunkin’ Donuts Summer Concert Series with Coheed and Cambria

Dunkin’ Donuts Summer Concert Series Presents:

Coheed and Cambria
with The Dear Hunter
and Manchester Orchestra

September 4th at the Bank of America City Center in downtown Providence
Doors 6:00pm
Show starts 7:00pm

Tickets on sale starting 7/15
Tickets available on Etix, at FYE locations in South NE, and Lupos box office
Tickets $25

Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers, Study Finds
By John Cloud

One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption  has been the consistent finding that those who don’t drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.

But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that – for reasons that aren’t entirely clear – abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one’s risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers’ mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers. (See pictures of booze under a microscope.)

That said, the new study provides the strongest evidence yet that moderate drinking is not only fun but good for you. So make mine a double.

Photo by Krista Handfield Photography

Name: Alexa
Nickname: Lex
Hometown: Queens, NY
College: URI
High School: Garden School
Height: 5′5″
Eye Color: Grey
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Favorite Style of Gansett: Light!
Favorite Gansett bar: Rhody Joes!
Favorite things: I love to sing, go to the gym, and I absolutely looooove animals :)

Photo by Krista Handfield Photography

August Haffenreffer, 94; concocted potent ‘Green Death’ beer

August Haffenreffer was proud of the beer produced at his family’s Boston brewery.

By J.M. Lawrence

Globe Correspondent / August 30, 2010

Microbiologist August H. Haffenreffer Jr. marveled at the longstanding popularity of the beer he helped concoct decades ago at the brewery his grandfather founded in the 1880s in Jamaica Plain.

Haffenreffer Private Stock Malt Liquor, nicknamed Green Death and Haffenwrecker by young beer drinkers for its potency and sale in 40-ounce green bottles, was hawked by Wilt Chamberlain in the 1970s and heralded in a song by the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. in the ’90s.

Mr. Haffenreffer, a longtime resident of Wellesley who worked for Millipore Corp. for 27 years after his family sold the brewery in the 1960s, died Aug. 14 at age 94 in South Dartmouth. He had suffered a heart attack while visiting his sister, according to his family.

Known as Augie to his family and friends, Mr. Haffenreffer “would talk about the beauty of the [beer’s] label and how successful it was,’’ said his daughter, Joan Haffenreffer Bartsch of Bronxville, N.Y.

His grandfather Rudolph founded Haffenreffer & Co. when competition was fierce among small breweries in the city. With its trademark smokestack, the Haffenreffer & Co. brewery sat on Washington Street and used cold filtered water pulled from nearby Stony Brook. The Boston Beer Co., which produces Samuel Adams Beer, now operates a small research brewery and gift shop on the site.

Mr. Haffenreffer’s father worked in the brewery and was a Jamaica Plain pharmacist. His mother Ruth (Hardy) was a nurse at Faulkner Hospital. She was a direct descendent of Stephen Hopkins, a Plymouth Colony settler and merchant who was a passenger on the Mayflower, said Mr. Haffenreffer’s family.

The oldest of three siblings, Mr. Haffenreffer graduated in the early 1930s from Roxbury Latin School, where he won a prize for his Latin studies and gave the class address at graduation.

“You never wanted to be up against him in Scrabble or a spelling bee,’’ said his daughter, who is chief administrative officer for Citigroup Global Public Affairs.

In 1938, Mr. Haffenreffer earned a degree in biochemistry from Harvard. Two years ago, he enjoyed attending his 70th class reunion, his family said.

After the family sold the brewery to cousins who owned the Narragansett Brewing Co. in Rhode Island, Mr. Haffenreffer worked in the engineering and sales departments at Millipore in Billerica. He traveled the world consulting with companies interested in the advanced filtration technology he pioneered at the family brewery.

He was married 45 years to his college sweetheart, Marion (Gibby), whose brother was his roommate at Harvard. She died in 1986 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The couple spent most of their lives together in Wellesley, where they raised their daughter and son.

Mr. Haffenreffer had an enduring spirit of optimism, his family said. He could “make a good story out of anything,’’ said his sister Elizabeth Haffenreffer Monrad, who has a home in South Dartmouth.

After the death of his wife, Mr. Haffenreffer moved to Marion for a decade. He later moved to North Hill, a retirement community in Needham, where he made new friends and was always ready to discuss history, science or politics, his family said.

“At no point did he take anything for granted,’’ said his son Mark of Dedham, an orthopedic surgeon at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “He appreciated everything around him, and boredom never entered his life.’’

His daughter recalled how her father shared his love of history during a family vacation in Europe when she was a young girl. “We saw 13 countries in three weeks,’’ she said. “He had it all planned from morning to night. He was a walking history book.’’

Mr. Haffenreffer loved and played tennis into his 80s. He built a tennis court at his home in Wellesley, using his own car to pull out dozens of trees to clear the land over several years.

“He was a truly wonderful father whose personal example and commitment to family values has inspired me throughout my life,’’ his daughter said.

In addition to his sister, daughter, and son, he leaves four grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 18 at the Lutheran Church of the Newtons in Newton Centre. Burial was in Walnut Hills Cemetery in Brookline.
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Enjoy!!

This is pretty cool. A working radio that lights up and can hold 2 beers on top and it’s the shape of a keg. Win! Just imagine how many Sox games were heard on this. Perfect spot to let that Gansett rest too. We actually saw this on eBay today. They are hard to come by and can be costly. This one is in working condition too. Click here to place a bid before it’s gone. Here’s what the owner had to say about it. One of the most unique pieces I have ever seen.This is in working condition and all original.It is a Narragansett beer keg that is a radio and lights up under the beer bottles.The condition is excellant considering the age.The top of the keg looks like ice to hold the bottles and the bottles are original.The bottles are the one”s that were in the keg although I am not sure if they are as old as the keg and may have been replaced due to old ones can not be found but the bottles are old.If you have a bar or mancave then this is something you may never see again.It belonged to my father and he said it dates back to the 1950″s.My understanding is that Narragansett Lager Beer is no longer made although I believe that were bought out and are coming back.The height is 16 inches without the bottles and 11 inches wide.The bottles add 6 more inches.The condition is excellant except for 1 tiny piece of plastic missing on front and slight discoloration to front plate.Has original cord to plug in.Considering age this is terrific.Quite heavy it weighs 15 pounds.My father loved this and I know a collector will to as this is a very hard to find item.Good luck and happy bidding.

4 Beer Companies with Social Media On Tap

by. Terry Lozzoff

For smaller breweries without the resources of its larger counterparts, the ability to activate and harness a local, grassroots movement can be the key to finding growth. With new technology and readily available social media tools, the process of engaging and empowering fans has become much easier. Narragansett is a shining example of a brand that is showing success using these methods.

In the late 1800s, and throughout much of the 20th Century, Narragansett was considered the New England beer. At its peak, the brand had a 65% market share and was the official beer of the Boston Red Sox franchise. The fame and fortune of Narragansett, however, quickly disappeared when the brewery was purchased in the 1970s and moved to Indiana.

In an industry where smaller breweries can be overshadowed by big brands and flashy campaigns, Narragansett is showing how effective beer marketing doesn’t have to be about the big bucks. More importantly, they are showing how embracing tradition and empowering fans locally through digital media can start moving a lot of cases.

Click here to read the full story.