Your favorite regional AALs

I don't know how much this is distributed nationally, but in Michigan we now have Stroh's Bohemian-Style Pilsner, which is different from the more common Stroh's American Lager. The pilsner recipe is an authentic Stroh's recipe, provided by a brewer that worked at Stroh's when it was still in the Stroh family. It sells for around $8 and has no adjuncts, so I don't know if you want to count it.

On a somewhat related note, I just found 24 oz Genesee Cream Ales selling for $1.10 a can! Can't beat that value. It looked like a tornado had hit the beer shelf. The cans flew out of the store.

 

I would recommend that you review the BJCP style guidelines for the two categories of:

· 1B. American Lager

· Historical Beer: Pre-Prohibition Lager

Some snippets from the BJCP style guidelines (with emphasis in bold by me):

American Lager

“Style Comparison: Stronger, more flavor and body than a Light American Lager. Less bitterness and flavor than an International Lager. Significantly less flavor, hops, and bitterness than traditional European Pilsners.”

Pre-Prohibition Lager

Style Comparison: Similar balance and bitterness as modern Czech Premium Pale Lagers, but exhibiting native American grains and hops from the era before US Prohibition. More robust, bitter, and flavorful than modern American pale lagers, and often with higher alcohol.

If you can find it I would recommend Straubs 1872 Lager to you. I discussed this beer in a past thread:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-678.559974/#post-5884158

Cheers!

 

"You can" but only if you're in a very small distribution region for the returnables (even smaller IIRC, that their small to begin with PA + NE Ohio market). Not that I blame 'em, some folks from out of the area buy the deposit bottles but can never find a PA distributor that'll take them back and wind up having to keep them for decades.

Used to buy the T/A "greenies" when I drove through NE PA on my way to the Finger Lakes but even those disappeared for awhile (an newer employee a the Scranton-region distributor I used to get it at swore they never carried it ) These days, I can find it in the Phila. region sometimes, but almost never fresh.

Well, any brewer in business for a century obviously had numerous recipes but Stroh's flagship beer was an adjunct lager for most (if not all) of the Repeal era. Up to the 1960s, they used rice but by the 1970s, they switched to corn (in some form)... "Processed corn is then added..." according to a circa 1970 promo book. They did brew an all-malt bock beer right up to the "craft" era, one of the few in the US by that time.

Ha. Unlike many famous brewing families, the Strohs were right there up to end, driving their historic brewing company into the ground. Many other families got out just in time while the gettin' was good, only to watch the new owners take the fall...

The Heurich brewing company was already "revived" once, in the late 80s, in the wake of the success of Boston Beer Co's Samuel Adams, even using Pittsburgh Brewing Co. as their contract brewery. Jim Koch accused a number of those PBC contract-brewers with making "Samuel Adams clones":

That beer was called Olde Heurich Amber Lager (IIRC they made no claim as far as authenticity of the recipe) and IIRC later the brand was renamed Foggy Bottom.

 

Typical DC, making a shameless copy of an idea from somewhere else and calling it original and authentic. Was there anything else in this portfolio?

From what I understand, this plan with Senate Beer is seemingly less ambitious than entirely reviving the Heurich brand. We will have to see how it plays out though.

 

This is the best one I have had in a while.

 

Looks like the "brewery" was revived by Gary Heurich, Christian's grandson,and, as noted, he eventually move the contract to F X Matt before throwing in the bar towel in 2006 - they also brewed an ale (as did the original in DC).

Does Washington Lack Hometown Spirit?

 

They seem to be on the same decline as imports available locally.

I remember drinking Old Style, Schaefer, Schlitz, Olympia, Strohs, Genesee(Cream Ale), Falstaff and I'm probably forgetting some. All were around when I first moved to Casper. All I see now is Hamms, Rainier, and 1 store has Lone Star.

 

The quote from Point's brewmaster seems to indicate that Point Special was switched to all-malt during the "craft beer boom." Huh.

 

Because the majority of beer customers who purchase AAL beers prefer to purchase macro AAL beers (e.g., BMC)?

Cheers!

 

I didn't list a non macro AAL.

 

I've had the opportunity to travel a bit this year and so far:

Narragansett is pretty nice, I'd certainly buy it if I could get it in Michigan.

Yuengling is flavorless and I don't understand the appeal.

Natty Boh is downright gross. Shame on you, Baltimore

 

I didn't know the whole story about this so your post made me look it up. I had no idea they were owned by a Costa Rican company.

 

Where I live most are national but there is Life Coach Lager out of a tiny brewery in a tiny Town Washington KS that is a cheap 30 pack and good. I love Grain Belt whenever I go to Minnesota and August Schells Deer Brand is probably my favorite AAL but not available locally for me.

 

I can’t think of a regional AAL brewed here, but it’s tough to beat Gansett pounders for $5.99. Hamms if I can find it. Pa has a slew of beers I used to drink, Reading, Gibbons, Valley Forge, all very inexpensive all decent enough for what it is. I’d be lying if I said I preferred one over all others, but there’s a few I won’t buy, but the rest are all about equal.

 

Dale, you may be interested in knowing that Sly Fox is 'reviving' Reading beer:

https://www.readingeagle.com/weekend/article/first-draft-sly-fox-to-revive-reading-premium-beer

Maybe on your next visit back home you might be able to try it?

Cheers!

 

Back in the day a case of NR 16oz bottles under $4. Lol, a long time ago, but even prorated to today’s economy it was cheap.

 

And my first bottle of Valley Forge beer was from a case purchased by my brother's best friend (Tim) and it cost him less than 4 bucks for a case of 16 ounce bottles (Brewer's Outlet - Woodlyn, PA). I was helping Tim out on a business venture and he 'rewarded' me with this bottle of inexpensive beer even though I was waaay underage.

Cheers!

 

The beer tasted pretty good back then as I remember it.