Give me your shittiest beer," I said to Nicole, the bartender at Laser Wolf who was lamenting a Wednesday night in the off-season, this one especially quiet sans vinyl. The bar is among my favorites of the six I've been to in the week I've lived here.
Ordering the shit beer at a bar can tell you a lot about a place. If Budweiser and Miller are on tap, it's probably a mainstream place; nothing new to see here. But if the bartender offers you a NattyBoh (Natural Bohemian) from Baltimore, or a PBR and its sibling, Schlitz, this could be your new neighborhood hangout.
Laser Wolf has none of the above. "Do you want something in a can?" asked Nicole. She then pulled from her fridge a majestic tall boy of Narragansett Lager, which I had never seen before. Usually a jaded skeptic, I'm occasionally a sucker for marketing, especially when the logo is old-school, like Narragansett's varsity-inspired lettering. Its tag as "The Official Beer of the Clam" made me giggle.
Narragansett may be light and refreshing, yet it's hardly a shit beer. Having won some awards, the beer gets a thumbs up from folks who are actually beer aficionados as opposed to a suds dilettante like me. I found it crisp and more flavorful than a Bud. And for less than $3 a pop, it's cheap to boot.
Have any other suggestions for easy-drinkin' beers for this heat? And where can we find them? I'm talking to you, beer geeks.
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