“Heavy” AAL Comeback?

Yeah, I've never heard anyone actually use the term, I've only read it here on BA. I can't imagine it being said without an accompanying eye-roll but I date from the era before low-cal "light" beer.

I, too, think of the Boys Town/Hollies "heavy" whenever I read it.

I've always thought someone should do a song parody of The Hollies song "It ain't heavy, it's Bud...weiser...". But not me. I used to believe that the song parody was the lowest form of comedy ---- until the internet meme came along, anyway.

 

Never knew that Ballantine was brewed there.

 

Looks like the brewery closed in '85, dismantled and shipped to China in '86. Kalmanovitz was pulling his typical nonsense at the time, laid off production and most of the skilled trades with little notice but was calling it "temporary" so that he didn't have to pay the severance pay agreed to in the Pabst-Teamster contract. Dumped 2 million gallons of beer, too. The company (Kalmanovitz was dead by then) did something similar when they closed Milwaukee and screwed a bunch of retirees out of their pensions.

Kalmanovitz probably closed more US breweries than any other one individual. (I think it's close to 20 or so...).

Well, note the logo - it was Ballantine Beer, not the XXX Ale. Not sure if the beer was ever really brewed there, either (ditto for stuff like Pearl and Haffenreffer), but those were the primary "national" brands of S&P at the time, after buying Pabst. Kalmanovitz had only completed the purchase of Pabst in late 1984 and the Newark brewery was closed the following June.

 

Honestly, at that time (1980-81) I was around 10, and when I made that first comment I was trying to remember which beer brands I saw on TV. Came up with Pabst, and that makes me realize I've watched way too much television.

 

I was noticing people ordering Bud instead of Bud Light and Coors instead of Coors Light recently but did not realize there was a potentially media induced force at work here. Makes sense if there is a big show or 2 pimping those versions.

 

It's better than "microbrew"

 

Craft brewing, in the last few years seem to have seen interest 'craft' AALs. See: Founders Solid Gold. The trend appears to be on it's way out.

More specifically to your question, though, I think in this setting (BeerAdvocate) you'll see more interest in 'heavy' AALs rather than 'light'. Simply because 'Heavy' AALs tend to be more flavorful than their 'light' counterparts.

 

In dialect: "Cowboys don't drink no light beer!" Bud Heavy is a funny concept, but I like it.

 

I like "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" just like I like "Bridge Over Troubled Water", and that's a lot!

 

Now see what you've done. You got this guy worried, contemplating either his choice of beer (the new Pearl = 3.8% ABV ) or, maybe, just his wardrobe?

Of course, then there's this 4% product. Well, at least the music is "heavy":

 

I couldn't say much more beyond anecdotal stories and observations.

1. I'm still the only one in my group that drinks "heavy" AALs.
2. I don't see many "heavy" AALs in hands when I'm going out.
3. People still don't recognize the shorty Coors Banquet bottles when I get them at happy hours.

I'd say based on those, there is no change. But again, that's just in my social circles.

 

They advertise Pabst on TV in Penn? I don't think I've ever seen (or heard on radio) a Pabst commercial, and I can pull in Milwaukee stations.

 

"Shorty!?" That's a Stubby!

Apologies for the correction.
Some people are fanatics about beer styles, for me - it's beer bottle names.
OTOH, we can agree, I think, that we'd like to see the return of the "Beverage Parlor".

 

Thanks for the laugh! My wife asked me what I was giggling about.......

 

What!? They don't play this on Chicago or Milwaukee channels?

Do you watch much TVLand?

 

Nope, and nope.

 

That brings a James McMurtry song to mind:

"She's got a cowboy problem, and this last one's a sight,
All dressed up like Gunsmoke for Saturday night."

 

And don’t forget the best County & Western song of all time:

“If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me”.

Cheers!

 

You mean this song right? Written by the late great Steve Goodman.

 

Yep. *Truly* the best C&W song ever written.