NARRAGANSETT BEER RELEASES LIMITED-EDITION 1975 RETRO CAN ‘Gansett Fans “Crush It Like Quint!” with Classic Can Design Featured in the Film ‘Jaws’ July 18, 2012; Providence, RI – Narragansett Beer today announces the debut of a specialty retro Lager can that harkens back to the 1970s, ‘Gansett’s glory days when the brewer was producing 1.7 million barrels of beer per year. For a limited time, all 18-packs of 12oz. cans of Lager will feature the same design and logo that fans enjoyed in 1975. This retro imagery is nostalgic to the millions of beer-drinking baby boomers who came of age at the time, and it also became permanently ingrained in American culture with the 1975 release of Jaws. In the film, Captain Sam Quint, played by Oscar-nominated actor Robert Shaw, famously crushes a can of Narragansett Lager to intimidate Richard Dreyfuss’ character, Hooper. This iconic scene solidified the brand’s reputation as the beer of choice for everyday New Englanders and continues to captivate viewers today. While this classic can design may recall memories of the good ol’ days, the quality of its contents also speaks to the brand’s rich heritage. Narragansett Lager is the brewer’s flagship beer, its original recipe tracked down by former Brewmaster Bill Anderson when the company was revived in 2005 by CEO Mark Hellendrung. Since then, it has been recognized by BeerAdvocate.com as #1 rated domestic premium lager and awarded the gold medal for best lager by the Great International Beer Festival in 2010. The limited-edition retro can is available for purchase throughout New England where 18-packs are sold (SRP: $13.99-$14.99). Follow @GansettBeer and #crushitlikequint on Twitter for the latest news and photos. ABOUT NARRAGANSETT BEER: Narragansett Beer…Brewed since 1890. ‘Gansett is a straightforward, quality beer that has been a New England tradition for generations, producing a classic family of award-winning American lagers & ales. Today, ‘Gansett is produced at top-rated breweries in Providence, RI, Pawcatuck, CT, Rochester, NY, and Latrobe, PA. Narragansett is available for purchase in local restaurants, bars, and liquor stores throughout New England, Eastern Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Florida. Thirsty for more? Visit http://www.gansett.com ###
"Glory Days"? I thought the Narragansett history that the current owners of the label spin is that the glory days were before the purchase of the brewery by Falstaff in mid-60's and then the take-over of Falstaff by Kalmanovitz' S&P in the mid-'70's. And that is certainly borne out looking at the stats. 'Gansett's market share in Rhode Island went from an amazing 67% in the early '60's to 25% in 1975. Similar losses were experienced in New Hampshire (18% down to 7%) Mass. (27% down to 9%) and Maine (26% down to 11%) - and those latter figures include the Ballantine and Falstaff brands that were by then being brewed in RI. Haven't seen the film since it's release (that summer, in Kennebunkport IIRC) but I always thought the use of the Quint character drinking the local "cheap beer" Narragansett was another way to emphasis his "blue collar" status. I don't know, did the Dreyfuss, Schneider or other characters drink it, too, or did they drink Bud, Heineken or wine
I don't remember if the others were drinking it too. They do drink some bottled booze (whiskey?) in another scene. Someone should photoshop one of 'Gansett's baby-blue Summer Ale cans over the old can in a picture of Quint. That would be cool (but probably only to me...).
