When I mentioned to my father-in-law a while back that I’d be receiving a sample from freshly revived Narragansett Brewing, he gave a quick chuckle and mentioned that he enjoyed a few of them while living in Rhode Island back in the day. “Have a ‘Gansett,” he would say. He didn’t really expound on the quality of the American adjunct lager, but his chuckle was more than enough to let me know what I was in store for.

I don’t recall any specifics to the round-about way these cans made it to my door step, but I do know it involves a friend of my wife who knows someone at the brewery. Apparently, she mentioned to her friend that she had another friend who had a beer blog… and, well… At any rate, the samples showed up, were put in the fridge and a few days ago I finally gave in and tried one out.

Appearance

The lager pours a pale amber with a large head that faded to nothing.

Aroma

It sure smells like a macro lager. It’s got a bit more hop presence with a decent grain/grassy character.

Taste

Ok. This is weird. While, Narragansett aren’t even nudging the boundaries of the style, this lager was actually not too bad. It’s light with a hint of hops and resulting bitterness. For a macro lager, it actually has something to it more than just water.

Overall

Like I said, for a macro lager, this wasn’t half bad. Kept cold, the brew actually went down smoothly and quickly. It’s got a more quality taste than the big boys. After sharing a couple of cans with a coworker, we both agreed that the lager is pretty standard, yet surprisingly better than expected.

Rating: 2.5/5