Hamm’s Appreciation Thread (2024)

The first time I got shit faced it was Schlitz Malt Liquor's fault!

 

This Hamms appreciation thread reminds of a time here on BeerAdvocate when Pabst Blue Ribbon was the popular AAL beer choice of the beer geek. I remember there were a few threads dedicated to Pabst Blue Ribbon you could consider an appreciation thread back then. I got caught up in the nostalgia and went out and bought a 30-pack and realized it wasn’t for me.

If I can find a fresh single or six-pack out in the wild, I’ll buy it and see what nostalgia tastes like this time around.

 

Sixers exist in 12 and 16 oz formats, I believe. Your chances of scoring a single are likely best at the most run down gas station you can find.

Who invented the 30-pack and why?

 

Stroh's built a new brewhouse to fire brew in Allentown when they bought Schaefer. In an earlier discussion JessKidden informed us that Stroh's added firebrewing to some of the breweries they got with the purchase of Schlitz. The book "Beer Money" (Frances Stroh) recounts the Stroh downfall from the point of view of a related outsider whose family depended on dividends. She was pretty disdainful of the management, and wasn't appreciative of the care they took in the beer for a good while, nor of the difficulty of competing successfully with AB, Coors, and Miller.. .

 

I'm actually learning a lot about old-school beer in this thread. Thanks all!

But anyway. Back to appreciating Hamms. My happy place: By the grill with a can (or two) of Hamms.

 

But, Stroh's is only a brand name now not a brewery, so it's not fire brewed -- as far as I know. Unless you have info that they're still using those old breweries and the old systems.

 

Or you could buy the single 24oz can, Ubiquitous in most convenience stores.

 

I guess it’s a bargain for the AAL beer consumer or drunk who buys beer by the case/24. For a few dollars more you get an extra six-pack. Idk? It was the only 30-pack I purchased in my lifetime I think. I was going camping with my older brother for the weekend is my excuse.

 

I didn't mean to suggest that the current beer is related to that brewed by the Stroh-owned breweries.

 

Well, my reply was in response to whether Stroh's is currently fire-brewed -- my only point.

 

(Never understood the idea of that official photo with the dog and kids.)

Stroh, by '86 the #3 brewer in the US with 12% of the market, was in financial trouble after buying Schaefer (the largest regional brewer in the northeast) and then the much larger Schlitz. Competing nationwide head to head with AB and Miller, they thought those extra 3 or 6 beers would appeal to "value" flagship shoppers, especially in the regions of the country where the brand was relatively new. AAL beer brewed on an industrial level is relatively cheap to make but you've got to sell it () and run those plants as efficiently and as close to capacity as possible.

That "temporary" 30 & 15 pk promotion soon became permanent and spread to other brewers, not that it helped Stroh - by 1991, Schlitz's former popular priced brand, Old Milwaukee, was their biggest seller with Schaefer their #2 - the two former premium flagship brands, Schlitz and Stroh's, selling only about 1 million barrels a year, compared to OM's 6 million. OM and Schaefer were priced lower than AB and MC flagship premium beers, further hurting Stroh's bottom line.

After a failed attempt to merge with Coors in the late 80s, by the early 90s Stroh had fallen to #4 and Coors had purchased the former Schlitz plant in Memphis from them.

 

Got curious about that pic - turns out those kids are members of the Glunz family, a long time huge distributor & importer out of Chicago.
https://glunzbeers.com/
I guess they're all grown up now and might be running the company.

 

Not on the grill but pork chops are frying. @Blogjackets @DavetotheB Hamm's tasting great.

 

Dinner looks great, gentlemen! And the beer...refreshing!
Cheers!

 

Only 2 left of this great beer . Time for another case .

 

I haven't had a lot of Hamm's myself, but my son in Chicago swears it got him thru college on a budget...so there's that.