Locked inside of a deserted mausoleum, Randolph Carter and Rhode Island artist Jarrett McPhee stood under candlelight with two cans of The Unnamable Black Lager in their hands. There, immersed in darkness at the request of Narragansett Beer, the pair wondered why they had agreed to go to such great lengths in order to illustrate the label for Narragansett’s fifth chapter and sixth release in its Lovecraft Series.
For previous beer commissions, Jarrett simply had to draw and submit a few designs to the ‘Gansett team, but Mark Hellendrung, President of Narragansett Beer, impressed upon him that this particular brew was darkly different and could only truly be illustrated once experienced. After all, Narragansett even partnered with Providence, Rhode Island’s historic Swan Point Cemetery – burial site of H.P. Lovecraft – to grow The Unnamable’s hops over the author’s grave.
“Those orthodox, sun-dwelling New Englanders remain deaf to my pleas,” said Carter. “For months I have argued the ramifications of growing elements for this potation in such a place as Swan Point Cemetery – with ingredients nourishing themselves from such unmentionable and noxious earth. O, though I may have been mocked or called mad, those who are not blind to history’s warnings will understand these words to be what they truly are: the implicit truth! Save yourself, Jarrett, don’t open that can!”
Knowing that he would see no remittance for his designs until he faced The Unnamable, Jarrett dismissed Carter’s childish warning and cracked open a can. Immediately, the crypt filled with an earthy, dank stench that made him lurch. Struggling to see through a fog of sticky green smoke, Jarrett took a sip of the beer and saw the outline of something down the hall. Calling out for Carter, it wasn’t until he was nearly face to face with the ultimate abomination that he realized it wasn’t Carter he saw at all.
A split second later, Jarrett lost consciousness and woke up a week later in Rhode Island Hospital.
“I’m not sure what I saw back there in that mausoleum; for one second I was looking for Carter and the next I’m here, shackled to this hospital bed,” he proclaimed. “Whatever came out when I opened that can of beer was the most terrifying and indescribable thing I have ever seen – but it tasted damn good.”
Souls brave enough to face The Unnamable can pick up a six-pack of The Unnamable Black Lager starting on January 19, the birthday of Edgar Allen Poe, one of Lovecraft’s most significant literary influences. As they never did find Carter back in the mausoleum, Narragansett is releasing The Unnamable on this day as an offering to the Great Old One to make the stars right.
For just $11.99-$12.99 per six-pack of 16-ounce tallboy cans, drinkers can explore The Unnamable for themselves. Brewed with Chocolate Rye, Cara Red, Carafa Special 1 and Pilsner malts, The Unnamable Black Lager is a roasty brew that has hints of toffee, caramel, coffee and dark chocolate. It’s completed with citra hops to give the 7.5 percent ABV beer a fruity finish and 76 IBUs.
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