I'd like the recipe when they made back in the seventies. So no chance I ever brew something like it.
I likely drank a hundred American adjunct lagers AAL in the 70s, at least one from most of the existing brewers. Most of them were pretty forgettable, aiming for a generic "beer" taste. I'd guess a good approximation of a 70's AAL would be 70% malt, 30% rice or corn grits, initial gravity about 1050, final about 1012 for 5% alcohol, bitterness to about 20IBUs. I don't remember Schlitz as being a good one, but preference was mostly just personal taste. I have relatively good memories of Schaefer, National Boh, PBR, some versions of Carling Tuborg,. Super premiums had more malt (usually not all malt) but most missed the mark. Pabst Andeker and Huber Augsburger were my favorites by far.
Nor do I. Not that we were particularly picky in the 70's, but Schlitz was not highly regarded. I thought it had a rough, earthy flavor that was a bit off putting. Not that that would stop us from drinking it, if that was all that was available, but it wasn't something we sought out (unless it was on sale or was the cheapest thing available).
My fondest memories of Schlitz are the pre-prohibition Schlitz-built bars that dotted the Chicago landscape when I lived there in the mid 70s. "Schuba's" tavern is still in a beautiful Schlitz building. Map it at 3159 North Southport, Chicago. I'd rather remember this as their legacy than any of the beer they put out in the 70s
We preferred Schmidt’s back in the day of being broke. Was tolerable and cheap with more crisp aftertaste I guess with its yeast. Ortliebs if desperate. Ballantines with crabs.
Late 70s NY suburbs. Schmidt's (PA) was pretty good -- especially at the price. I liked Schmidt bottles. Schaefer draft was rare in my neighborhood but very good. Ballantine XXX ale as well as Schmidt Tiger Head Ale and Schmidt's Bock were OK. I preferred Schaefer Bock to others available. Ortlieb's McSorleys ale was at the top of my list. Lesser brands Schaefer Cream Ale, Genesee Cream Ale, Utica Club Cream Ale, Black Horse (by Champale) Cream Ale were all available to some extent.
At first I thought this was a serious post until I saw you say Pontiac and Oldsmobiles. Those piles of shit can stay gone for sure.
I'm that way with whatever the standard Budweiser yeast is. I'm a lifelong non-fan of Bud, my least favorite of the big 3.
A '64 GTO! My Dad found one after he retired. Sold it after a dozen years in favor of a much more modern Corvette. Came down to never quite trusting the GTO for more than around 20 miles out of town (it'd been restored, but it later became clear that most of the restoration had been cosmetic).
If only he’d held onto it you could have converted it into an electric full self driving car like someone did recently with a 1966 Mustang and Tesla 3 parts. https://theautowire.com/2026/05/08/...d-why-its-exposing-a-major-industry-standoff/
