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I visited the Carling Black Label brewery in Natick several times. They also had Red Cap ale which wasn't too bad.
Best brewery story I heard was from an old reformed street bum. He was a true bum , sleeping on the streets etc. He used to talk about a brewery in New Haven right next to Yale. He said there was a tap coming out the side of the brewery wall so that the truckers delivering the beer could fill up a mug on the way out from the loading docks. He said that the security guard had a deal with all the local bums. To keep them away when the bosses were around the deal was they could go to the truckers tap and drink all they wanted after like 4:30 PM for about a half hour. If he caught any near there during the day he would shut the tap off to them after work. He said the bums watched the place like hawks to be sure nobody went near it during the day.
Also , when the Narracansett Brewery was in RI , in addition to an hourly wage and some other benefits , every employee was allowed a certain number of beers each day free WHILE THEY WERE WORKING!!! They also got to take home a certain number each night. Apparently it was one of the most valued benefits of working in a brewery.
Some know that I am a long time brewer and almost opened a Microbrewery locally in 1987. I went to many breweries all over New England. Some tours were the best with every inch of the brewery covered and then a long time in the guests lounge for "tasting". Some were just a quick sweep through and into the lounge for just one or two tastes. Eventually some breweries started charging for a brewery tour. What a rip off!
Gansett had a strong larger taste. A larger is made with different yeast than an ale and to optimize the health of the yeast it is fermented about 10 degrees lower (or even much cooler sometime) than an ale. It imparts a very distinct taste. If you got gansett fresh and did not allow it to cycle warm then cold then warm , it had that distinct lager taste. I liked a Gansett ice cold after working in the summer heat or after golfing on a summer afternoon (at one point in my life I played golf several times each week) . I would pound one ice cold one down then nurse another.
Gansett was better when brewed in Cranston. Like almost all beers , its better fresh and the local brewery helped insure it was fresher than something coming in from Wisconson.
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