Narragansett Fest - Narragansett Brewing Co.

thespaceman

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 16oz can into a pint glass:

Appearance: Holy shit the beer is beautiful! Deep copper orange in color - excellent clarity! Bubbles streaming up the glass left and right! Nice frothy head builds, slowly disspates leaving behind excellent amounts of lacing!

Smell: I get alot of pleasant aromas here, some hop florals kick in off the bat giving off a nice citrus aroma followed by a deep malt backbone with some toasted bread aromas. Nice balance between the both in the nose, very subtly yet each aroma can be picked out.

Taste: Up front you get that kick from the hops, it's a bit of citrus/orange that follows nicely into a toasted backdrop. A hint of malt sweetness follows through here. Finish consists of a blast of bread like malt flavors and a spicy overture from the hops.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and clean on the tongue, great balance here as you can tell this beer is not too light and not too heavy on the tongue. Slight bitterness here from the hops.

Overall: I really liked this beer, what impressed me more is that a marzen in a can is hard to come by, yet Narragansett nailed this one on the nose. A very nice balance overall between the hops and those crisp, autumnal malt notes that make this beer perfect for a cold autumn night in New England. At 5.5% it's very sessionabble & I only paid $7.99 for 6 16oz cans - how can you beat that?

Serving type: nitro-can

10-28-2011 00:18:59 | More by thespaceman

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to angrybabboon for picking up the 12 tall boy pack.

Appearance: Burnt/dark orange that brightens toward the bottom. Head is white, creamy, and rocky. Decent retention, but the head ultimately drops to a persistent small cap with a creamy thick collar. Nice splotches of lacing mark the glass.

Smell: Grassy. Some nice caramel malts. Bready and slightly earthy. Vaguely floral and sweet. Lager yeast. A bit dirty.

Taste: Sweet grains. Pale malts up front. Finishes with a bit of malty sweetness. Slightly caramelized sugars. Floral and grassy. Relatively clean with a mild dirty/earthy finish. Some bready notes as well. Vague fruitiness on the back. Some toasted grains.

Mouthfeel: Relatively light, but never falls that far. Ends up with a lighter medium body with a moderate carbonation. Nicely clean with a bit of a wet feel overall.

Overall: Prost bitches.

Not being a huge fan of the style, I find this drinkable when cold and not undrinkable as it warms. A bit too grassy and lacking some crispness, but good nonetheless.

Serving type: can

03-19-2013 00:33:32 | More by Goblinmunkey7

ToasterChef

Maine

3.88/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A cold can is poured into a pint glass.

A: Translucent orange liquid with a tan foam head. Good lacing. A fair amount of clinging and rising carbonation bubbles.

S: Big malty aroma that comes across a little sweet. Some hops in the background provide mild bitter aromas. There is an overall toasted caramel feel to the scent.

T: Nice malty flavor—caramel and honey. Hops are grassy and work well with the malts. Not too sweet. A graham cracker flavor lingers on after swallowing.

M: Medium body with a good amount of carbonation. Leaves a coat on my lips and within my mouth that is a little sticky.

O: This is an enjoyable enough oktoberfest lager. There are better examples of the style, but when you want your German malts in a 16oz can, look no further.

Serving type: can

02-08-2013 02:19:13 | More by ToasterChef

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Thanks to johnyb for this can!

I want one of those beastly tankards Gambrinus is sportin' on the can. X-Mas ideas, folks! Anyway, this stuff pours a clear copper topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises banana, buttery biscuit, and a vague sense of some sort of citrus rind. The taste focuses on a slightly less blurry version of the citrus, and everything else comes through watered-down and whatnot. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda drying finish. Overall, an okay beer at best, one that seems like a severely weakened version of the classic German style. It's not bad, really, but I wouldn't buy another if presented with the opportunity.

Serving type: can

01-19-2013 04:11:44 | More by TMoney2591

NilocRellim

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured cold from the can.

This beer poured a dark amber colour with virtually no head. The smell was that of typical Oktoberfest beers. There are sweet, matly notes with a hint of citrus and hops. The taste was light and slightly sweet. A little hops and malt come through in this pretty balanced beer.

Would I buy it again? Yes.

Serving type: can

12-17-2012 03:40:24 | More by NilocRellim

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tall boy can.

Big fizzy 2 finger head fades at a med pace light lacing, crystal clear amber orange color.

Nose light amber malts, little toasty, light sweet caramel like malts, little nutty toffee, slightest hint of grassy hops. All light.

Taste starts light and crisp, light malty sweetness, light caramel and nutty toffee, some grassy slightly herbal hops, nutty, touch of lager yeast that was a little too hot with touch of esters. Finish is dry and fairly crisp, light lingering watered down malts and light herbal hops.

Mouth is lighter bodied, decent carb.

Overall not bad, not great but not as bad as I thought for a somewhat macro like style lager.

Serving type: can

11-26-2012 02:30:53 | More by jlindros

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16oz can poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

A: Clear caramel color, pillowy off-white head. highly effervescent, great retention. Thin rings of lacing.

S: Sweet grainy scent, grainy, slight bread, light fruitiness. Slight hay and a hint of herbal hops.

T: Lots of hay and dry grain character up front. A wash of caramel sweetness comes next. Slight fig-like fruitiness. More dried grass and a hint of herbal hop in the background. Drying finish of hay and grain.

M: Medium bodied, firm malt texture flexes a little muscle and takes the body to the heftier side of the spectrum for the style. Creamy. Ample seltzery carbonation helps to lift the body just enough to keep it from feeling too weighty.

O: This is a pretty decent Octoberfest. Not mind blowing, and not the most authentic, but it's an easy quaff that certainly hits the spot. This beer is on par with pretty much all the other Narragansett beers I've had; it isn't style-topping stuff, but you feel happy as a consumer because you certainly got what you paid for. It is of perfectly sound quality for a beer that comes in the tall boy can format at $8 a 6-pack.

Serving type: can

11-21-2012 00:58:50 | More by ryan1788a5

NiceTaps

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tallboy can poured into a room temp pint glass.

A- pours a clean copper color with amber hue. A fluffy off-white 2finger head with some retention before fading to a thin film. Some lacing also. This beer pours nicely and looks good in the glass.

S- bready malts with a touch of caramel sweetness. There's a bit of hop spice back there, too.

T- those bready malts drive the flavors. The caramel sweetness and slight hop snap balance those dry bready malts for a nice round Marzen flavor.

M- This beer has good, medium body. It wants to finish dry but those 22ibus offer just enough to balance the sweet, dry, and slightly bitter. Drinkable.

O- Another rock solid American take on the Ocktoberfest style beer.

Serving type: can

11-17-2012 21:27:04 | More by NiceTaps

plaid75

New York

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a bright amber hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was Goid retention and lacing.

The smell featured soft sweet malts and a touch of herbal hops.

The taste consisted of a round caramel, and earthy hop snd a slight metallic flavor.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a well rounded Octoberfest.

Serving type: can

11-15-2012 04:28:54 | More by plaid75

Strix

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright clear orange, good initial head that vanishes to nothing.

Typical malt and o-fest hops, a slight corny note has me worried.

Bready malt, spices - clove?, light fruits - melon?, sweet finish. Flavor was not bad, light and crisp.

Smooth, medium carbonation, feels crisp.

I'm spoiled because my go-to Oktoberfest is now Staghorn, but this was nice with good flavors and a clean finish, nothing wrong here.

Serving type: can

11-13-2012 05:18:22 | More by Strix

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

2.78/5  rDev -24%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Narragansett Fest Lager has a thick, soapy, cream-colored head and a clear, minimally bubbly, amber appearance, with significant lacing left on the glass. The aroma is of sweet & sour malt, and the flavor is of metal, the sweet, somewhat sour brown bread taste, no bitterness, and indistinguishable grain. Mouthfeel is low medium, and Narragansett Fest Lager finishes crisp, fairly refreshing, mostly dry, and metallic. Overall, this is an inferior fall beer.

RJT

Serving type: can

11-11-2012 14:14:54 | More by RonaldTheriot

jucifer1818

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

I had this beer at Tallahassee brewfest

I was very excited to try another brew from this company after long loving their Standard Lagger, but sadly I felt like this one dissipoitned.

Its body was far too light for my liking and wasn't as flavorful as I was expecting

Still not a bad beer by any means, just sadly average
Might make a good lawnmower beer, but not my typical purchase

Serving type: can

11-05-2012 02:43:28 | More by jucifer1818

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Lumpy, egg-shell white head. Settles to a single layer of bubbles but leaves some chunky, spotty lace. The liquid is dark gold and clear.

Warm caramelized malt wafts to the nose easily.

Thin and spritzy, but the flavor is rich. Malty with a bit of biscuit, brown sugar and dark cherry. Low hop presence; shows up on the swallow but doesn't stay for long in the aftertaste.

Serving type: can

11-03-2012 20:08:34 | More by smcolw

Kooz

New York

3.6/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sorry for the stunted review, but until there's an app, it's going to be hard to review beers from bars and restaurants...

Pours orange with a white head that stays around to the end. Not bad looking, but maybe a little artificial.

Not much going on in the nose. I'd have liked to smell something--anything.

Sweet on the first sip, with the sweetness continuing throughout. It's nice and mellow.

There's a lot of body and creaminess to it. It's got a slightly bitter aftertaste, but it's good.

It's overall very nice. I'd be happy to drink this a lot.

Serving type: can

10-15-2012 16:15:22 | More by Kooz

metter98

New York

3.68/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear amber in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense off white head that died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering both the surface and running down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of caramel malts in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of caramel malts and some hints of malty sweetness. Although no bitterness is detectable, the hops seem to mostly keep the malty sweetness in check. There are some lingering hints of spices in the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and relatively smooth on the palate and with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is pleasantly smooth and is a good representation of the style. It wouldn’t be a bad choice to throw some of these cans into a cooler for a fall football tailgate party.

Serving type: can

09-28-2012 01:48:38 | More by metter98

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Fest opens to a smooth, light citrus and fresh wheat aroma. The nose especially focuses on fresh grains, with wet wheat, hay, toast crust, biscuit, yeasty baguette, and floury bread dough dominating, made sweeter by touches of wildflower honey, brown sugar, and a few fruit esters, including apricot and berry. Faint hints of pine and lemon come from the hops, adding body and nuance. As a whole, the nose is very nicely balanced and aromatic, and the emphasis on grains is perfect for the style and the season. The aromas could be a bit stronger, but even as they are they provide a nice sensation.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a grainy base of toast crust, floury bread dough, wheat, hay, and Grape Nuts cereal, followed only marginally in terms of strength by a healthy brown sugar, honey, apricot and berry sweetness. Touches of pine come from the hops. There’s also a hint of toasted nut. The flavors last throughout the mouthful and into the aftertaste, though the sugars do die off here, revealing a strong bready, grainy base that lingers for a good while. Mouthfeel is medium-light to medium, and carbonation is medium to medium-high, slightly burning the soft palate.

Overall, this is decent fare, and surprisingly flavorful for a beer that only clocks in at 5.5% ABV. A few extra doses of grain and sugar would have made for a more potent drinking experience, but if you’re looking for a good lunchtime brew that won’t get you hammered before the afternoon shift, this is a good candidate.

Serving type: can

09-26-2012 20:45:47 | More by jondeelee

horshack7

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Apperance: Clear and copper with a very thick off white head.

Aroma: Orange cream, grapefruit, subtle notes of bready malts, hints of light spice, tropical fruits here and there.

Taste: Quite fruity in the front much like orange cream. Bready, grapefruit, lots of sweet fruits with a yeasty texture. Bits of allspice and some cinnamon with a little bit of a dry finish.

Notes: Well it's drinkable but very unique for a Marzen. Cheers.

Serving type: can

09-24-2012 03:40:12 | More by horshack7

IronLover

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reddish-orange in color with a slight chill haze. Poured with a thick, rocky white foam that slowly reduced to a wispy cap. Toasted malt and herbal hop aromas with a hint of tart fruit in the background. Medium bodied with pleasant carbonation and a semi-dry finish. Sweet bready and grainy malt flavors up front that quickly segue to spicy/herbal hoppiness through the middle to the end. Sweet malty flavors continue beneath. Finishes with a lingering bitter hop aftertaste. A little hoppier than most marzens but a good beer nonetheless.

Serving type: can

09-20-2012 02:29:07 | More by IronLover

alexgash

Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cool 16 oz. can.

Rich, deep copper body with lighter edges. Fat finger of thick, creamy, light beige head. Nice lacing. Nose of sweetbread, caramel, sight metallic notes, toasted grains, and some spicy, vegetal hops.

Toasted grains quickly yield to caramelly, bready malt sweetness. Cookie dough mid palate. Lightly bitter, spicy hop bite in the finish. Lots of lingering caramelly malt goodness. Moderate body, with a smooth feel. A tasty, nicely made Ofest.

Serving type: can

09-15-2012 00:52:38 | More by alexgash

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 oz can into a nonic tumbler- pours a clear amber/mahogany color with twi fingers of head, mild retention, some nice circles of lacing.

Smell is very mild-pretty even balance between some caramel and roasted malts (more of the caramel) and some piney hops.

Taste is pretty good- good caramel flavor all around. Some bitterness up front, followed by an earthy roasted malt flavor, quickly taken over by the caramel malt. This is more or less what an oktoberfest should taste like (other Americans have gone pretty far astray). Nothing special about it but at least accurate to style.

Mouthfeel is also very nice- medium body, light to moderate prickly carbonation, a nice long finish with sweetness and a little hop presence. I like it- it tastes better and is better priced than many of the American oktoberfests out there.

Serving type: can

09-13-2012 02:15:57 | More by Hopdaemon39

robertdrinks

4.73/5  rDev +29.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I tried this just for the hell of it and was really surprised.

16 oz can - pint glass

amber with one finger white head

slight hop smell of spice

easy drinking but tons of flavor. a little sweetness on the front , malty with spicey hop finish

medium body very nice

overall this is one of my fav seasonals

Serving type: can

09-12-2012 12:08:28 | More by robertdrinks

markh814

4.73/5  rDev +29.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

i finally found this on tap at a local bar and i liked it a lot. out of the can it is great and on tap it's fantastic!

appearance - copper/bronze is the best way to describe it. deep color clear through

smell - slightly spicy, nice malt with hop backround

taste - clean malt with a nice seasonal hop finish (think Samual Adams Oktoberfest but better in my opinion) a little more to it

mouthfeel - medium body, very drinkable

overall - probably my my favorite oktoberfest beer right behing Ayinger. easy to find but only sold by the 6 pack (tallboy cans). Love this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2012 11:49:40 | More by markh814

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crystal clear dark copper to amber in color with some light to moderate amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall creamy light beige head that slowly reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer and a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of bready malts with some hints of caramel sweetness and a light amount of spicy hops.

T: Similar to the smell, there is a moderate strength body of toasted bready malts with some lighter amounts of caramel malt sweetness. There are light amounts of spicy and herbal hop flavors towards the finish. Some light hints of bitterness but the finish is slightly sweet.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Crisp and smooth. Light dryness in the finish.

O: Very easy to drink and enjoyable, could easily be sessionable and it was very easy to drink the 16 oz can of this one. A solid example of the style from a brewery that I have enjoyed all the beers I have tried (and all available at very reasonable prices in cans).

Serving type: can

09-08-2012 20:16:18 | More by dbrauneis

washburnkid

New York

3.7/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark copper with a big white head that quickly rises in the glass. Aromas are bready malt with a bit of sweet caramel. Flavor profile is mostly toasted bread but enough of an herbal character to call this beer balanced. Mouthfeel is medium and good carbonation. At roughly $8.99 for a 6er of tall cans, and considering the fact that I can sit here and drink this all day, I'll definitely be reaching for this one again. Awesome brew.

Serving type: can

09-08-2012 19:50:05 | More by washburnkid

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

3.88/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Into a pint glass:

A: golden red body that yields a one finger white foamy head that has no carbonation rising. Minimal lacing is lefft around the sides of the pint glass. The head slowly dies concavely into the body.

S: toffee and caramel up front with a sort of subdued light apple flavoring along with some toasted grains.

T: very good combination of hops and the previously mentioned flavorings.

M: light to medium with a light bitter finish. I would say this is a very drinkable beer.

O: this is a good Oktoberfest beer for the style and for me. I definitely would have this again.

Serving type: can

09-04-2012 23:24:30 | More by kangarooAdam59