Grandpa Brews

Speaking of a disappointment...

(as if the VIkings have any championship rings to brag about...) [/QUOTE]

HAHAHA, at least you guys have been closer than us. Kirk is the answer though!

https://deadspin.com/why-your-team-sucks-2018-minnesota-vikings-1828711873

 

Never heard of Champale. I remember Lowenbrau being a thing in the late 70's early 80's before I was drinking age but paying close attention still to the beer scene.

 

They were selling half a million barrels of the stuff by the late 1970s, and were operating two breweries (NJ and VA) - the 11th largest brewing co. in the US by the early '80s. Champale was a malt liquor noted for being "champagne-like" - fizzy but didn't form a head - and eventually came in other non-specific "flavors" - Pink (supposedly w/grenadine but meant to mimic rosé), White (the original) and Golden (apple or citrus).

Heileman bought the brand in the late 80s (which had been hit hard by the rise of the wine and malt-based "coolers") and Pabst's Portfolio still lists it as one of their products. Last I read it was only sold in a dozen or so states.

By then Lowenbrau (which, post-Repeal, had at times been among the largest selling imports in the US) was merely a licensed brand of Miller, with a different recipe - adjunct brewed - than the German product. It was Miller's entry in the "Super Premium" segment, and they were selling 1.5 million barrels of it by the early 80s (of course, AB's two Michelob, reg. and Light, were selling about 10M bbl. at the time).

 

JK, do you know what year the switch occurred (i.e., all malt imported Lowenbrau to Miller brewed AAL version)?

Cheers!

 

It was around* 1976-78. Miller first took over the license to import German-brewed Löwenbräu and worked out a deal to brew a domestic version (pretty sure their Ft. Worth Texas brewery was the first location and that was shipped to various test markets).

* "Around" because for a short time and dependent on which region you shopped in, both beers were on U.S. shelves - the only way to tell was some fine print on the label, it either said "Imported By Miller Brewing Co." or "Brewed by Miller Brewing Co."


The Miller-Löwenbräu deal ended in 1998, after which, for a short time, the US Löwenbräu came from InBev's Labatt in Canada - which they swore was the same all-malt German recipe.

 

Hmm amazing I never heard of Champale. Wonder if it ever made its way to the MN/WI markets..

 

I think mid 70s, about the time (I think) that Miller operated in Eden N.C. The Miller Lowenbrau was awful and an affront to an iconic beer and brewery.

 

See, look at all the guys proclaiming their love for Grandpa beers, and you really can drink them and survive to live to tell the story. Yes there’s better beers out there , but that’s so far from the point. Nice to see.

 

It was on the shelf in Casper when I moved there in early 1980s. You didn't miss much.

 

I also remember the German Lowenbrau being briefly available after the Canadian version ceased to be imported to the US.

 

Yes, but it had that pretty gold foil at the top of the bottle. Champale was to beer as Cold Duck was to wine. These products were made for celebrations!!!!

 

A celebration of their extinction perhaps.

 

Newspaper ads say it was in both states, in the 1970-1980s. When the CHEF AMERICA All-You-Can-Eat restaurant opened in Appleton in 1976, the gave out FREE Champale! (18 or over, of course). Why, in '74, Champale, Inc. was the 17th best selling brewer in WI, ahead of Cold Spring, National, Schell and Pearl.

Maybe @Chaz remembers, since I see Surdyk's ads that feature it. (Might be before his time, tho').

Yeah, after the Canadian Labatt-brewed Löwenbräu, a few years later the US again got German-brewed Löwenbräu, initially imported by the deal InBev made with AB (pre-merger), via their "Import Brands Alliance" division

.

It eventually became "regional" and then disappeared all together.

 

Lol Champale, I remember a big ass sign in Trenton for this bad boy. Never had it, now onto ColdDuck.

 

It was before I was of legal drinking age, but I recall seeing the ads - and even having some at family functions (although my dad didn’t stray from budget brand returnables until Miller Lite hit the market).

Pabst brought it back in time for the FMB/“Malternative” glut of 2003, and I recall Jim Surdyk not being happy about seeing it on the shelves.

 

You might find this interesting on Genny Cream distribution: My friends went to Perry, Georgia last summer for a wedding. They stayed at a Bed & Breakfast outside of town and were within walking distance to a nice craft beer bar. While there they decided on the house beer (a cream ale at only $2 a pint, so why not) and were chatting up the beertender. When he found out they were from Upstate NY he said that they were getting their house beer from a brewery in Rochester. While he didn't say it was from the Genesee Brewery we have all kind of deduced that is more than likely Genny Cream Ale. Best part of the story is the beer only cost the bar 33 cents a pint. It sounds the money Genny put into their brewery the past few years is paying off for them (they received new beer tanks from China that were shipped up the Erie Canal in the summer of 2017).

Do you think it is probable that the beer they were drinking was Genny Cream?

 

Probably was Genny Cream. I happen to like it as an everyday session ale, especially in the summer months.

 

Knickerbocker always popped up when my Granddad and uncles came over.

 

Same, when my grandparents lived close to me I'd always have a couple genny creams with my grandpa anytime I visited.