Monday, March 10, 2008
“Have a ‘Gansett, a Narragansett lager beer”
What goes better with punk rock than cheap beer? Free beer? Well any beer will do really, but cheap beer is a must. Narragansett beer is just one of those beers. Founded sometime in the mid 1800’s Narragansett started brewing lager beer. It became the largest brewing company in New England. Sometime in the late 20th century the brewery was bought by Falstaff brewing and basically fell out of favor and almost out of production. The biggest brand of beer in New England was for intents and purposes dead. Then right at the turn of the 21st century two guys bought the name, got some money together, hired a brew master and got the brew back on the market. They are making good Punk Rock beer. I prefer the tall boy cans; they are the traditional way to drink a ‘Gansett. It is just as good as the original and just as cheap too. If you are paying more than a couple of bucks for a draft you are being shafted! Narragansett has been preserved! These guys deserve some sort of an award for keeping a vital part of punk rock society alive. Cheap beer rules. Cosmos and Manhattans are not punk rock, beer is. That is all there is to it. Shots are great, they’re punk rock too, but beer really is king. Mickey’s and Burgie! are the closest things to Narragansett on the west coast. Narragansett’s other major brew is Haffenreffer. That’s good malt liquor! Equally as punk rock. Malt Liquor can hold its own in. There was a day when every city and area had its own local brew. Girls like Lavern and Shirley really did exist. Times have changed and become more corporate that why it is great to see companies like Narragansett making a come back. Drink the local beer, eat the local food, and see local bands. Don’t let corporate top 40 and homogenization win. Fight the man! Have a “Gansett!
Liquor Liquor Liquor
I love liquor stores. What’s not to love really? They are stores and they sell liquor what more can you want? Cigarettes? They’ve got those too! Providence has an abundance of great liquor stores. It has been a personal goal to go to as many of them as I can. I’ve always got an eye out for a new one. I am not a liquor store snob. I like a dive sometimes more than your swanker establishments. I like everything about liquor stores except one thing, the lottery. The lines always bug me and I just don’t get it. You’re not gonna win! I also don’t get the term Package store. The “packy”, I just don’t get it? I know it’s some Rhode Island expression that I just don’t get but that’s a whole other story. As I said I am always on the look out for a new store, so if you know of any please let me know!
One of my favorite liquor stores is luckily right by my apartment. Tropical Liquors on Cranston St is always a good time. Packed from opening to closing Tropical stocks as various a mix of products as their mix of clientele. You can find an excellent priced ½ 12 pack of Becks or Bass right next to the Olde English. Just across the isle from the boxed wine one can find a decent cabernet at a decent price. The place is always hopping, but nothing bad goes down ever. They don’t go for that kinda crap at Tropical Liquors.
I’m also a big fan of ENO Downtown on Westminster. It’s rather toney for my everyday usage but I do enjoy their selection. I went to a very nice beer tasting there once. I didn’t particularly care for the beer they were showcasing but it was fun and I did find a beer that I love and is hard to find. I am on the constant hunt for a Czech beer called Staropramen and I think they may have a handle on getting some. They have an excellent wine collection at moderate to high prices and a very amicable and knowledgeable staff. They don’t sell cigarettes though and that is a negative for me.
Nikki’s Liquors out on Admiral Street is the place you want to go if you are looking for interesting beer. It’s in a horrible location, an ugly shopping plaza, but the beer collection is outstanding. The prices aren’t cheap and it’s a pain in the ass to get to but I highly recommend it. They have a mixed case deal that is great. If you like craft or import beer this place is for you.
There are two liquor stores off the top of my head I love to go to just because they look great. Swan Liquors on Hope Street is the first. The old coolers and shelves are beautiful and they have a pretty good mix of stock. I used to live in the most boring place in the world, Wayland Square. The only liquor store there is beautiful as well. The coolers are gorgeous; too bad the help is so unpleasant.
I am obsessed with going to the liquor store on Douglas Ave that was in the news recently for serving underage kids. Not that I agree with serving underage kids but I am glad to know that there are still stores like that around. It’s pure nostalgia on my part. “Rinute on ice how nice.”
Campus Liquor on Hope near Wickenden is another favorite of mine. The staff is always nice and they have a great selection. It’s a store I go to if I need to buy a bottle of wine as a gift and don’t want to get screwed on the price. Where the campus its name alludes to isn’t clear to me as it’s an actual bus ride from the Brown campus but whatever. Practically on the Brown campus is an excellent liquor store Spriritus Fermenti. It wins hands down for the most pretentious name but it has a good selection and decent prices. The winner for me in the neon sign category it Nocera’s on Smith St. That is one fine sign and a good little liquor store to boot! There are lots of little liquor store around but few big ones. Gasparros on Atwells is pretty big and their wine collection is legendary. There was a liquor store called Peoples Liquor in the Brewery Parkade that I loved. It was huge. Peoples Liquor, how more egalitarian can you get? It has had a closed for renovations sign in the window for nearly a year. A liquor store with shopping carts, that’s real liquor shopping!
So do yourself a favor and go check out one of these little gems. If there is one that you think I really should see please let me know as I will make a concerted effort to check it out!
One of my favorite liquor stores is luckily right by my apartment. Tropical Liquors on Cranston St is always a good time. Packed from opening to closing Tropical stocks as various a mix of products as their mix of clientele. You can find an excellent priced ½ 12 pack of Becks or Bass right next to the Olde English. Just across the isle from the boxed wine one can find a decent cabernet at a decent price. The place is always hopping, but nothing bad goes down ever. They don’t go for that kinda crap at Tropical Liquors.
I’m also a big fan of ENO Downtown on Westminster. It’s rather toney for my everyday usage but I do enjoy their selection. I went to a very nice beer tasting there once. I didn’t particularly care for the beer they were showcasing but it was fun and I did find a beer that I love and is hard to find. I am on the constant hunt for a Czech beer called Staropramen and I think they may have a handle on getting some. They have an excellent wine collection at moderate to high prices and a very amicable and knowledgeable staff. They don’t sell cigarettes though and that is a negative for me.
Nikki’s Liquors out on Admiral Street is the place you want to go if you are looking for interesting beer. It’s in a horrible location, an ugly shopping plaza, but the beer collection is outstanding. The prices aren’t cheap and it’s a pain in the ass to get to but I highly recommend it. They have a mixed case deal that is great. If you like craft or import beer this place is for you.
There are two liquor stores off the top of my head I love to go to just because they look great. Swan Liquors on Hope Street is the first. The old coolers and shelves are beautiful and they have a pretty good mix of stock. I used to live in the most boring place in the world, Wayland Square. The only liquor store there is beautiful as well. The coolers are gorgeous; too bad the help is so unpleasant.
I am obsessed with going to the liquor store on Douglas Ave that was in the news recently for serving underage kids. Not that I agree with serving underage kids but I am glad to know that there are still stores like that around. It’s pure nostalgia on my part. “Rinute on ice how nice.”
Campus Liquor on Hope near Wickenden is another favorite of mine. The staff is always nice and they have a great selection. It’s a store I go to if I need to buy a bottle of wine as a gift and don’t want to get screwed on the price. Where the campus its name alludes to isn’t clear to me as it’s an actual bus ride from the Brown campus but whatever. Practically on the Brown campus is an excellent liquor store Spriritus Fermenti. It wins hands down for the most pretentious name but it has a good selection and decent prices. The winner for me in the neon sign category it Nocera’s on Smith St. That is one fine sign and a good little liquor store to boot! There are lots of little liquor store around but few big ones. Gasparros on Atwells is pretty big and their wine collection is legendary. There was a liquor store called Peoples Liquor in the Brewery Parkade that I loved. It was huge. Peoples Liquor, how more egalitarian can you get? It has had a closed for renovations sign in the window for nearly a year. A liquor store with shopping carts, that’s real liquor shopping!
So do yourself a favor and go check out one of these little gems. If there is one that you think I really should see please let me know as I will make a concerted effort to check it out!
The Green Bar
Hands down the Green Bar was one of the weirdest bars in Providence. It was also famous. How many other bars in this town have been on prime time television? I was always frankly scared of it. Sure I went there but I was still always scared. I don’t know why, everyone was actually very nice. You just never knew; it had a sketchy feeling, like something was up or about to happen. That was part of its charm. This was old school Providence. Several court cases and a sale later it recently has changed hands. I wasn’t too sure about the place but I figured what the hell and one night and went in. Exactly the same; except the sketchy feeling was gone and there was decent beer on tap. There were still some crazy people there. Case in point: a very drunk “lady” quacked at me off and on and her boyfriend (?) mumbled something sounding like “steal my coat” into my ear.
One of the reasons I didn’t go to the Green Bar more often was beer. I like beer. I will drink Bud but only in a pinch. That was about it for draught beer at the Green Bar. The first time I went to the Green Bar upon entering I was met to by two ladies sharing a pitcher by the door. “You’re a han-some man. Wanna drink?” There is now a wide selection of draught beer on tap.
The juke box at the Green Bar was eclectic. I guess that would be the word for it. 70’s power metal, hip hop, punk rock, pop you name it. It had it all. I walked to the juke box with trepidation the other night. What would I find? Ta Da, it was all the same only better! Good music, cheap beer and interesting people what more can you ask for in a dive bar?
Oh yeah, the place is called Westminster Public house now.
One of the reasons I didn’t go to the Green Bar more often was beer. I like beer. I will drink Bud but only in a pinch. That was about it for draught beer at the Green Bar. The first time I went to the Green Bar upon entering I was met to by two ladies sharing a pitcher by the door. “You’re a han-some man. Wanna drink?” There is now a wide selection of draught beer on tap.
The juke box at the Green Bar was eclectic. I guess that would be the word for it. 70’s power metal, hip hop, punk rock, pop you name it. It had it all. I walked to the juke box with trepidation the other night. What would I find? Ta Da, it was all the same only better! Good music, cheap beer and interesting people what more can you ask for in a dive bar?
Oh yeah, the place is called Westminster Public house now.
The Eye of Providence
The eye of Providence is the all seeing eye. Look on the back of your dollars bills its there.
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