Narragansett Beer history

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, a Rhode Island industrialist and philanthropist with Massachusetts brewing interests, would eventually become president and chairman of Narragansett Brewing Company and remain involved until his death in 1954.

Falstaff Brewing Company purchased Narragansett Brewing Company on July 15, 1965 for $17 million in cash and $2 million in Falstaff common stock.

Falstaff Brewing Corp. (1973), but the company never recovered.

Multi-millionaire leveraged buyout specialist Paul Kalmanovitz obtained majority control of Narragansett's parent corporation, the Falstaff Brewing Co., on April 28, 1975.

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 the decline in sales accelerated.

After sitting abandoned for over a decade, demolition began on the main brewery buildings on October 27, 1998.

In a large lot south of the former brewery grounds is the Cranston Parkade, originally opened in 2000 as the Brewery Parkade, a retail plaza anchored by a Kmart, a Lowe's and a Stop & Shop.

The brewery's Trolley Barn located across the street was spared for redevelopment, but eventually succumbed to the wrecking ball in June 2005.

Narragansett beer, now contract brewed by Genesee Brewing Company, has been available again throughout Southern New England since spring of 2006.

On April 3, 2016, it was announced that the Narragansett Beer brewery would be relocating to Pawtucket, Rhode Island.