Posted on 11/29/2008 6:07:51 AM PST by PJ-Comix
There are a million ways to slight a rival's manhood, but to suggest that he enjoys Zima is one of the worst. Zima was the original "malternative"—a family of alcoholic beverages that eventually came to include such abominations as Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Silver—and it has long been considered the very opposite of macho: a drink that fragile coeds swill while giving each other pedicures.
That stereotype has persisted despite the fact that Zima's brief heyday came nearly 15 years ago. The brand was then hailed as a marketing coup, an ingenious way to sell beer—or rather, a clear, beerlike solution—to consumers who eschewed traditional suds. But virtually overnight, Zima was done in by its medicinal taste and girly-man rep: After selling an astounding 1.3 million barrels in 1994, the year it went national, Zima's sales fell to just 403,000 barrels in 1996.
Many drinkers assume that Zima vanished shortly thereafter and has since existed solely as a punch line. But Zima actually survived for more than another decade, until MillerCoors pulled the plug on Oct. 10. Rarely has such a famously maligned product enjoyed such a lengthy run—a testament to its brewers' Madonna-like knack for reinvention. The Zima that died a quiet death last month bore little resemblance to the malternative that swept the nation during President Clinton's first term.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
The Schlitz decision was a case study in one of the business courses I took.
If I remember Schlitz put in an additive to cut brewing time and costs. It also cut the taste and their customer base. It’s amazing now to think that at one time Schlitz was the TOP selling beer in the country. BTW, what happened to Ballantine? It used to be a big selling beer but is now barely noticed.
I hope MORE of their product go under. I have refused to drink a single drop of Miller's swill since the infamous "Gay Last Supper" controversy.
Miller Brewing Co. is dead to me.
If I had I would not admit to it.
I drank stuff like Schlitz, Schaffer, Pabst, Lowenbrau, Bud, Miller and Coors back when I was a kid, but would prefer water to any of these brews.
Lots of folks here at FR seem to have an affinity for that stuff ~ not my cup of tea ~ but good for them if they like it!
The company flourished through the 1970s, being ranked as the No. 2 brewery in America as late as 1976. But problems with its production, specifically its attempt to cut costs in the brewing process by using a high-temperature fermentation, which produced a product that the public deemed inferior, combined with a crippling 1981 strike by workers at the Milwaukee plant, led to serious financial difficulties. On June 10, 1982, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. was acquired by Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit, Michigan. The regular beer is still produced, though in relatively small quantities, by the Pabst Brewing Company, along with four malt liquors (Schlitz Malt Liquor, Schlitz Red Bull, Schlitz Bull Ice and Schlitz Very Smooth Lager).
So what kind of brew do you drink now? One big change in American beer tastes over the past 20 years is that foreign beers are much more popular now. We used to have a place called Lum’s in Florida where you could eat steamed hot dogs along with a wide variety of foreign beers offered. This was before many foreign beers were on the market here.
I tried Zima the year it launched. I thought it was a refreshing change, but beer was much cheaper. LOL. I’m a chick, so that won’t dispel its girly-man image.
In there was an equivalent to Zima, called “Clayton’s”.
Its actual presence in the marketplace was short; however it gained immortality in the New Zealand English Dialect.
To describe something as being “Claytons” is to describe it as being cheap and fake.
For example, Obama is your Claytons President because he has only ever been able to produce a Claytons Certificate of Live Birth.
Fantastic news. The only question is why the heck did it take so long? That crap never should have made it to the market in the first place.
I can still remember when Schlitz was ‘nectar’ and $1.25 per six pack. Ah,,,when I was young and healthy.
1993 to 1994 was the heyday of the “clear” brands. I remember drinking clear Pepsi and using clear toothpaste. Lots of clear products back then. I guess it was just a phase we went through.
I always thought Zima tasted like Alka Seltzer
We used to have a place called Lum’s in Florida where you could eat steamed hot dogs along with a wide variety of foreign beers offered. This was before many foreign beers were on the market here.
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LUMS was a national chain (though sread pretty thin) ,, they not only had beer as a beverage choice but the dogs were steamed in beer ... not a bad idea really... could be revived by A&W or a similar chain perhaps..
I went from Schooner to Alpine to Moose Dry and now I drink the king of beers... Budweiser! Alexander Keiths is acceptable when Bud is unavailable, but it is rarely unavailable.
I like my beer brewed in vats the size of Rhode Island, that’s why I drink my Bud.
Remember California Coolers? The folks who started that company sold it for a hefty process and, in perfect timing, the product immediately lost its popularity right after the sale.
DUHHHHHH. Should read:
In New Zealand there was an equivalent to Zima, called “Clayton’s”.
Past my bedtime!
I’m VERY allergic to something in beer. Every time I’ve tried to drink it, I start throwing up after a few sips. Type doesn’t matter, cheap or expensive, the same thing happens
I used to like Zima. Nice for picnics & weekend afternoons when you didn’t want wine or hard liquor. Much nicer than wine coolers that are just too sweet!!
Sigh, I’m probably the only person on the planet who drank it, but I liked it.
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