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Shake off frets about structural or cyclical headwinds. At Narragansett, "we're rockin' and rollin'," prexy Mark Hellendrung told Craft Brew News. Nabbing a double-digit gain in Jan, it's "good to be off to a good start," he commented. With depletions up about 8% thru mid-Feb and shipments up much stronger, "I'm bullish," he said. The small Rhode Island-based brewery with a long history that straddles regional American lagers and modern craft finished 2025 with depletions up about 1%, Mark reported. But shipments dipped a slight 0.5% or so, loss of less than a thousand bbls, we estimate, to around 112K bbls. Part of that was timing, Mark surmised, as cautious outlooks led to some inventory pullback. Co left the first trimester of 2025 down mid-singles, "really unsettling" for a brand that cruised thru tougher periods without as many blemishes as most. Then, as if someone "flipped a switch on Memorial Day weekend,"'Gansett had an "awesome summer," up double-digits. That "momentum has just carried forward" into early 2026, Mark told us, tho stock up for the winter storm and the Patriots playing in the Super Bowl certainly helped.Lager STRs +3%, On-Prem Lager +4% in 2025 Co's flagship Lager sailed steady as she goes, last yr, STRs up 3%, with the on-premise a tick better, +4%, Mark reported. Softness showed up elsewhere in the portfolio, including shandy brand Del's, which "lost a little distribution." But existing accounts saw rate of sale increase and it's "picking up some chain authorization" for 2026. The co's low-ABV session ale Fresh Catch "suffered with craft" and a lack of attention, Mark said, down about 12%. Plan is to put some "new focus on it this year" to flip that trend positive."Maniacal" and "Obsessed" with Core Biz "We're just focused. And I think that focus is paying off," Mark observed. "We don't spend one minute of a day talking about non-alcs" or hemp-derived THC, for instance. Co remains "maniacal about Lager" and "obsessed with the on premise," he said. "That's how I was taught," he commented about the on-premise attention, seeing it as "an extension of the old Narragansett beer" before he acquired the brand a couple decades ago. It had a "reputation as just a bar brand." The industry "inched its way away from that" over the yrs, but it's "slowly coming back," Mark thinks.He personally pays plenty of "attention to distributor engagement." And to aid execution in the on premise, brewers have "to make it simple for" wholesale partners. 'Gansett gives 'em "three legs of the stool" to build: 1) craft beer bars, where it can be the consistent "macro-style" option; 2) neighborhood or "dive bars," where the "urban brand" is a go-to; and 3) "seafood joints," which often intuitively understand "obvious interaction" and "coastal provenance.""Rock Solid" On-Premise and Building Chain Biz; Making the Most of Moments Grown up in the indie-heavy Northeast mkt, the modern Narragansett was built by knocking on a lot of retailer doors, Mark noted. Those indie accounts drive the co's on-premise biz, which was "hard to build," but now offers more "stability" and continues to be "just rock-solid," he commented. Co will also celebrate the 5th anniversary of its Providence taproom opening in early April. That biz also grew last yr and co keeps building its capabilities as well, slowly adding a larger food program to help attract and keep guests there longer.On the off-premise side, Narragansett is still "building our chain capabilities," a very different kind of work as co expands south and west. Yet it's "picking up some PODs" in chain resets, Mark told us, getting more 2nd placements. Like some larger brewers, he's hoping to take advantage of some of the additional drinking occasions that 2026 brings, including the Olympics and especially "America 250." Co went "back into the archives," dug out and revamped the brand's 1976 bicentennial can, currently in mkt. Seeing clear oppys for such events and activations to help co cycle its big summer last yr, count Mark among those feeling good about the prospects to deliver a stronger year for both his brand and the whole beer category.

Narragansett Sails into 2026, Up Strong YTD After Steady 1% STR Gain in 2025; Positive Signs for Beer?

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