USA, RI: Narragansett Beer planning new Providence brewery by spring 2020

This time next year, if all goes according to plan, we might be sipping beers outdoors on picnic tables at Narragansett’s new Providence brewery, located near India Point Park’s waterfront. On May 8 the Providence zoning board approved Narragansett Beer’s variance to brew beer at the site, a building that is currently owned by Brown University next to the Hilton Garden Inn, the Rhode Island Monthly reported on May 9.

“Last night was a major milestone is getting the zoning board to approve that,” says Narragansett Beer President and CEO Mark Hellendrung. The next step is that the approval stays open for a twenty-day public comment period. “Then it’s officially official and we can move onto closing on the building.”

Narragansett Beer plans to continue brewing many of its mainstream beers at the Guild in Pawtucket, while keeping the flagship lager brewing operations in New York. The Providence location will mainly be the brewing site for its boutique beers, like the popular Lovecraft series, and it will give them a chance to bring back and tweak old favorites, like the Bock and Oktoberfest, as well as produce innovative new beers. “We’ll have our own space and be able to tell our story and innovate on all those beers we’ve brewed in the past and continue to build on,” Hellendrung says.

The opening is targeted for spring 2020. The team is working hard to speck out equipment and line up contractors and builders. Hellendrung is really excited about the development that is happening in the city right now. “The park is beautiful, and it would be really nice for the community to come over that footbridge, walk to the park or ride their bike and have a beer,” Hellendrung says. “We’d love to capture that season. It’s a ton of work and we’ll have to get after it.”

The Providence brewery location will also allow Narragansett to have a real home, offering space to showcase the beer brand’s history and memorabilia, like old Narragansett Beer signs, Curt Gowdy ads and Dr. Seuss artwork. “It’s easy to forget, we might be getting older, but many people in their twenties don’t know anything about our story,” Hellendrung says. “To have a physical place where we can tell it for generations to come will be awesome.”

12 May, 2019