Narragansett is the latest company to put a craft beer in a can.
by John Chesto
With Narragansett deciding to roll out craft beers in cans, starting with the Fest beer this fall, it kind of makes you 
wonder: Has it finally become socially acceptable for craft beers to be sold in a metal can?
South Boston’s Harpoon already gave this a try earlier this year, by selling beers in cans for the first time in its 24-year history. Both its flagship India Pale Ale and its seasonal Summer Beer were distributed in cans. The idea was to make the beer more transportable for outdoor activities during the summer.
Now, Rhode Island’s Narragansett is stepping up to the bar. The Fest, Narragansett’s fall seasonal beer (short for Oktoberfest), is available in a 16-ounce can for the first time since the Narragansett brand was revived by its current ownership in 2005. The beers were first shipped out the week before Labor Day, although they primarily hit the Boston market after Labor Day. Other seasonals - a porter, a bock, and a secret flavor that’s under development for next summer - are also expected to ship in cans. Of course, cans aren’t unusual for the folks at ’Gansett, whose flagship lager has long been readily available in cans in many parts of New England.
President Mark Hellendrung tells me that the advantage of a can over a bottle is its portability. It’s easier to take cans to the beach, on a boat, to a concert or to a tailgate party. "A can can get you into a lot of different venues and drinking occasions," he says.
Of course, I had to check with Hellendrung about his quest to open a Narragansett brewery (Hellendrung currently contracts with other brewers - such as North American Breweries in Rochester, N.Y. - to make his beer). He still hasn’t found a site yet, but he expects serious site selection to begin in January and he hopes to break ground on construction a year from now.