Premium beer back in the day?

That's the one!

 

I definitely remember how much I enjoyed that beer and thought it was nectar of the gods.
I would also drink Heineken or Moosehead and some would think I was snooty

 

I’m sure that @JessKiden will explain all this. In 1972 Michelob was considered a Super Premium beer, Budweiser was a Premium. Most brands were called popular. It had to do with the price charged.

 

Michelob definitely seemed like fancy beer back when I first started out. Especially those cool little "pony" sized bottles.

But what we thought was the *real* premium shit was going up over the Canadian border to bring back some Molson Brador. Funny to think its 6% ABV was a big selling point back then!

 

According to industry terminology at the time, Michelob was a "Super-Premium" beer (based on the brewery's suggest retail price). Take, for example, this mid-western store's sale prices by segment 40 years ago.


Particular brands, especially once sold to another brewer (such as Ballantine and Pfeiffer above) might change segments, and they could also be in another price segment in different regions of the country.

Michelob was pretty much the Super Premium for decades, the segment that all the other national and regional brewers wanted to get a piece of, since it meant a lot more profit with not a whole lot more expense involved.

When first released as a bottled beer in the early 1960s, Michelob was priced ata near "import" retail level - $2.25 NR sixpack - almost twice as much as "premium" Budweiser $1.25. Heineken was $2.49, even Ballantine India Pale Ale, "Aged in the Wood One Year" was only $1.42.
(NJ Minimum Price 1964).

EDIT:

Ha! Yeah, but it took me a while to grab a beer, sort through some files and put my post together. In the meantime, yours and a few other posts were made.

 

When I reached legal drinking age (18 in Ohio for 3.2 beer), the "real" premium stuff was Stroh's with the yellow bottle caps. That was the 6% beer, much better than that 3.2% swill with the red bottle caps. (Like any of us would have known any better. )

But, yeah, Michelob.

 

For me it was all about Lowenbrau. At least until the mid 80's when Sam Adams made it's way to California.

 

Northern California 70's/80's:
Anchor Sream
Kronenbourg
Henry Weinhards
Coors
Lucky Lager

 

When I worked at a golf course in high school we charged $0.10 more per Michelob because it was premium and charged $0.25 less for PBR. I feel like today that could be reversed...

 

Oh, Kronenbourg. Now that's a blast from the past. Heineken and San Miguel (including dark) were on our premium list back in the early 80s.

 

Same age group, started drinking in 73, also. Michelob was top shelf among the domestics, Heineken in the export category.

 

Really? (Did ya leave off the winking emoji, maybe > )

I left L.A. in '76 - worst 4th of July fireworks ever and it was the !@#$ Bicentennial! - and Lucky Lager was already an "economy" brand, thanks to General Brewing Corp. having been taken over by the infamous brewery killer, Paul Kalmanovitz, a few years early. Not that it wasn't a regular in my fridge, along with their slightly more upscale Lucky Red Carpet Beer (w/strangest label ever - at least, until "craft beer" came along).

 

Started drinking (legally) in 2000. Sunshine wheat, honey brown, SNPA were all premium to me.

 

Early 80's North Carolina I remember Heineken and St Pauli Girl being considered 'upscale' beers. Michelob filled that category among domestics.

And...at least in my area...Coors was the 'new beer' as it had just begun distributing to NC. I worked at a grocery store as a teenager and I remember the day our distributor delivered the first Coors I had ever seen. I bought my first 6 pack of Banquet to sample after work that day.

 

Michelob, real Loewenbraeu from Munich, La Belle Strasbourgeoise de Fischer - all premium priced circa 1972 Lowell, Massachusetts, USA that's all I remember at age 19.

 

Oh how the mighty Premiums have fallen. To become economy brands under someone else's portfolio.

The only ones I have access to anymore are Pabst Blue Ribbon, Coors Banquet, Miller High Life and Budweiser.

 

Different things have different meanings to different people, regardless of age group. I still have friends who consider Bud Platinum an expensive, “premium” beer; I’m 27. I have friends who consider a Yuengling Lager or a Michelob Amber Bock a “premium” beer. I might agree or disagree based on what else is in the cooler that day. Beauty….and price, is in the eye of the beholder.

 

Wait - you didn't see this ad your local paper?


Plus, just like the Löwenbräu we no longer can get - it's "ORIGINAL"