Posted on 09/08/2006 3:33:40 PM PDT by toddlintown
Beer historian explores what happened to famous brews like Schlitz, Rainier, Schmidt and National.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) September 8, 2006 -- Using Chicago as a backdrop, leading beer historian Bob Skilnik delves into the reasons why once favorite national and regional beer brands have faded in popularity, some banished to obscurity. BEER: A History of Brewing in Chicago ($24.95, Hardcover, 416 pages, Barricade Books, ISBN 1569803129), proves to be more than a regional history book as it also details the downfall of national breweries like Schlitz and Pabst, to once powerhouse regionals with their flagship brands such as Seattle’s Rainier, Detroit’s Stroh, Baltimore’s National Bohemian and G. Heileman’s Old Style, once anointed as "Chicago’s Beer."
"When it came to gaining favor with the Windy City’s thirsty beer drinkers after the local industry went flat in the 1970s," notes Skilnik, "a lot of out-of-town brands tried -- and a lot of brands died. Chicago’s stature as a financial center, as a hub of advertising agencies, and as a convention and hotel stronghold, however, made it the stage for a number of behind-the-scene maneuverings of brewery takeovers and consolidations which also affected the national beer market, and still does."
As the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have reported on several recent occasions, when it comes to beer, retro is in, whether the beer served is Miller High Life, "The Champagne of Bottled Beers," Schlitz as "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous," or young Pabst Blue Ribbon drinkers telling bartenders to "PBR Me!"
(Excerpt) Read more at prweb.com ...
Schmidt 'Big Mouth' beer - not Schlitz. I still have a few of those bottles around. Schmidt was brewed here in St. Paul. I drank most of them all at one time or another. What really killed the well known regionals was the loss of their honest, original identities with the post-war rise of food and beverage chemistry and the simultaneous business climate that sought market strategy over perfected substance in the manufacture of any product. Micro brews, luxury sedan brands, artisan breads, etc., etc., etc. will go through the same de-evolution if they are attractive enough for the mass producing conglomerates to buy.
In the end, all beer is reduced to piss. Brew your own and save money on the input end.
I remember Miller 7oz.
I use to hide them in the snow in the backyard so my parents wouldn't find them.
The first beer I ever tasted was Schaefer.
Schaefer...the one beer to have when you're having more than one.
You mean Mickey Big Mouth? I drank those. Grampa drank Lucky Lager, Olyimpia or Coors. Argh.
""Hey, Mabel..."
Hey, Mable, get off the table. This quarter's for Black Label.
At least, that was the joke back in those days, and it followed me throughout my service days.
Mickey's still bottles those jobs. Haven't even sniffed on in over 25 years.
"Falstaff"
AKA Foulstuff, or Fallflat to some...
We called them 'Grenades'.
Jax beer, on the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf coast, had the funniest commercials ever. In fact, due to Political Correctness, they could not be shown now.
La cerveza, Schaefer, es el mejor cuando se toma mas de uno.
The power of advertising. I haven't drunk or heard of Schaefer since 1974 but that old jingle in Spanish came right back.
Oh yeah! Falstaff and Hamm's. LOL. I nominate Falstaff and Lucky Lager as the worst. I never had the pleasure of pounding a 6 pack, but you can just tell they sucked.
The cheap beers rotted out all the beer guts and just drained away.
I never met a case of beer I didn't like, until I sobered up.
FYI PING
"National Boh, national boh, who likes the taste of national boh, "and while I'm at it I'd like to say, It's brewed on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay."
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