Oldies But Goodies - a Classics Appreciation Thread (2023)

One of the hops featured in that beer is Galaxy and there has been quite a bit of 'variability' in the quality of Galaxy hops over the past few years. I have personally stopped buying Galaxy hops for my homebrewing since it was like playing Russian Roulette, you just can't predict what you are going to get.

Galaxy hops when they are 'on' are great hops.

Cheers!

 

I would consider Great Lakes Brewing Company's Dortmunder Gold a classic.

 

If you’re from the upper Midwest, Schnell’s Deer Brand lager would bring back memories. At least 50 years for me and I believe it was available post WW2.

 

Oops. In my post above, the brewer came out wrong —. It’s SCHELLS. Damn iPhone autocorrect.
Their web site says Deer Brand was a pre-prohibition offering which would be dated back 100 years..a good candidate for the “most classic” ?

Maybe the

 

This, along with Rogue Deadguy Ale, was the beer that got me into craft beer. It was early 2005 and I just turned 21. Fantastic beer and I’m buying a sixer for this weekend. Thanks for this thread!

 

Deer Brand as brewed 100 years ago is likely very different from today's version. I suppose this is "classic' marketing?

Cheers!

 

I recall confusing Long Trail with another brewery over the years (wish I could recall which, but that's the nature of being confused), so I had to check out my reviews of Long Trail beers, and I never rated this one. I do have a straight 3.75 rating for Limpo IPA (there have been short periods where we could rate the beers with a singular value, and I still have quite a few I haven't re-rated).

The odd thing, given this thread has a perhaps not-so-vague nostalgic vibe to it, I do specifically recall having and rating their SMaSH project beer, unsurprisingly using Citra hops.

 

Well, we first bought Schell's Deer Brand beer in 1976 when we moved to Minnesota for my first job out of college. IIRC, it was $4.99 for a case of 12 oz returnables. We drank a lot of it.

The locals said it had been around since anyone could remember.

The website reads that its been in production since the 19th century. Would love to have a time machine to go back to 1922 or even 1872 and grab a bottle.

 

F X Matt currently has a mixed 12 pack on the shelves in NJ (in Shore Point's central Jersey region, at least) called "Throwback Series" 3 each of Adirondack Lager, Golden Pilsener, Black & Tan and American I.P.A. Gotta say the Adirondack Lager was pretty disappointing, since I, too, first had it when it was initially released in 1985 or so and branded Saranac 1888 All-Malt Lager ("Two-row Klages malt, American Cascade and german Hallertauer hops, krausened and lagered"). Initially even came in green glass since it was aimed at the Imported beer market.

Big mistake - that'd be during Prohibition. Not sure how time machine refunding works, you might have to hang around until December 1933 and full Repeal. (PS - while, sure, "everybody else is doing it" get your money out of Wall Street and the banks after 1928).

Schell's Deer Brand currently (2010 info, anyway) is hopped with Cascades (which only became commercially available in the 1970s) and, IIRC, they also changed the strain of yeast at some point - 1960s/1970s? - so it's not the same recipe (like just about any beer older than yesterday).

 

@jonphisher - Just wanted to let you know that I picked up a single of Red Seal Ale because of your first post in this thread. I'd looked at it numerous times but had always been after a stout or IPA or ESB or whatever was tickling my fancy that month. So while it is a classic to most, it will actually be a new beer to me. And it's your fault. :-)

 

Thanks, very interesting information. When we visit Minnesota now, we go for other craft beer from Surly, Steel Toe, Summit and others. If we want Schells, we go to Firebrick, Oktoberfest, Snowstorm depending on the season.

Cheers!

 

Last night I enjoyed a Canadian classic from Wellington Brewery of Guelph, Ontario, who bill themselves as Canada’s oldest independent craft brewery (founded in 1985). This is their Special Pale Ale, English pale ale that they have had on the market for more than 30 years. This is a revisit for me, and I haven’t had one in at least ten years.



Pours a bright copper with ample head that sticks around and leaves light lacing as the beer is enjoyed.

The nose is a caramel, light floral and citrus hops. Solid.

The taste follows. Caramel on crackers with a light citrus note that ends in a pleasant, mildly bitter finish.

Medium body, moderate carbonation. Highly drinkable.

A solid if unspectacular EPA that I should revisit more often.

Cheers!

 

As best you can recall, did it taste the same?

Cheers!

 

I think so, but it was so long ago. It certainly reminded me of the pale ales you’d get around here circa 1995-2000 or so.

I plan to grab cans of their Arkell’s Best Bitter and Russian Imperial Stout soon. Those have both been available for over 20, 25 years and I have had more recently so should be able to make a comment on that point.

Cheers.