Your favorite regional AALs

Narragansett and National Bohemian.

 

So many of the old-school brews are now just "brands" owned by a larger company, that it's really difficult to pick one. Olympia, Rainier, PBR, and many more OGs are fundamentally the same beer, coming out of the same factory, but in different cans.

Genesee will always have a soft spot for me, but even they're owned by a larger company now.

 

Narragansett

 

If I had to pick a favorite regional AAL, I'd probably go with Hauenstein.

You shouldn't get a lot of these, since Spotted Cow isn't an AAL.

 

Hamm's, owned and brewed by #2 MillerCoors, is pretty much national by now, isn't it? Of course, the Theo. Hamm Brewing Co. - once the 5th largest brewer in the US in the late '50s - hasn't existed since the mid-1970s, when what was left of it was bought by Olympia, only for Pabst to buy Olympia in '82. Miller then bought the Hamm's brand (along with Pabst's Olde English 800) when both were divving up the Stroh/Heileman portfolio in 1999.

(I thought that was nuts - "WTF? Of all the great regional brands owned Stroh/Heileman, Miller wanted Hamm's from Pabst's portfolio?" Turned out, 2 decades later, it's working out for MillerCoors).

My favorite quote in a recent MC blog entry discussing Hamm's success in Philadelphia (where the beer really should have little to no "retro/nostalgia" market - no "Hamm's Bear" commercials filled the airwaves during Phillies games or American Bandstand):
"It’s got such a great price point, and when people see it, they see something different—something that’s not PBR—and they want to be a part of it..."

Seems like MC is saying Hamm's selling point is it isn't Pabst Blue Ribbon (but as @beertunes notes above, it might just be or something very close to it, brewed in the same breweries, using the same corn syrup, maybe tweaked a bit with a different blend of hop extract...).

 

Straub in St Mary's, PA. You can buy their pounders in returnable bottles. Drink lots in a session, wake up refreshed in the morning. Can't beat that!

 

as a boy born and raised in New England, Narragansett is my go to budget buy, or if I'm looking for something simple.
Living in DC, if I need something local and comparable, Peabody Heights Old Oriole Park is serviceable.
And it's hard to argue with 12 cans of Natty Boh for $10.

 

Yuengling lager works for me. It actually has a bit of flavor.

 

One of my favorite regional AAL beers is Yuengling Lord Chesterfield. I discussed this beer in a thread I started four years ago entitled “No love for American Adjunct Lagers?”.

“I will start the discussion by reviewing one of my referred AAL beers which is Lord Chesterfield Ale (and yes it is an AAL despite the word “Ale” in the brand name).

Served in my 17 ounce Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Gold color with fluffy white head. This beer has very good head retention and forms a Belgian Lace as the beer is consumed.

Aroma:

The most notable aspect on the nose is a subtle but noticeable hop aroma. This beer is dry hopped using Cascade hops. There is not much malt/grain aroma on the nose.

Taste:

The flavor is not quite as notable as the aroma. There is some aspect of malt/grain there and the hop flavor is more muted than the hop aroma.

Mouthfeel:

Low-medium body with a medium-dry finish.

Overall:

Within the context of an AAL beer this beer is a joy to drink. The highlights are the hop aroma and nice head retention. If you are looking for a nice thirst quenching beer (like I was yesterday after an 8 mile hike) this beer certainly does the ‘trick’.”

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/no-love-for-american-adjunct-lagers.313784/

Cheers!

 

I haven’t detected it yet. I suppose it depends on one’s definition of “bit”.

 

I’m looking forward to trying Senate Beer, a recreation of a pre-Prohibition beer from the DC area, when it hits distribution around the District

 

Straub is also still family-owned and independent since 1872. Not many legacy beer brands can make a claim like that.

 

Not sure what the distro for it is like, but Coors Extra Gold is a very slightly kicked up Banquet. It's my fave.

 

Old Style and the updated Point Lager for me.
http://beerinfo.com/point-brewery-celebrates-point-special-lager/

 

My pick from the choices around here are PBR, Miller and Hamms. Of the three I go for Hamms though admittedly none of these are exactly local.

 

Another vote for Straub here in PA, and also a shout out to Duquesne beer, although it's listed on here as an "American Lager".

 

Do you have any specific details here?

I read the below linked article of Sept. 29, 2019 where it states:

"We are hoping that after this round of the beer that’s only on draft and only available here we will be able to increase production and hopefully have it available in other locations around the city," Bender said.”

The above reads like “hope” vs. a committed plan to produce Senate Beer.

I watched the video of what does this beer taste like and the details provided by Tom Shellhammer sounds like this beer is closer to a contemporary AAL vs. an early 1900’s era Classic American Pilsner to me.

Cheers!

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/...-DC-Brew-is-Back-from-the-Dead-561633121.html

 

I was going on some of the rumors that DC Brau was looking at picking up the partnership with the Heurich estate. I understand that the Heurich estate have a strong relationship with many of the regional craft breweries, and DC Brau is the largest and has lager-brewing capabilities.

What exactly are those differences between a Pre-Pro Pilsner and a modern AAL? I still have yet to find an example of the style.