Premium beer back in the day?

Yes I think I noted it earlier. That was special occasion beer. A bit more hops if I remember right at least for my taste buds back then.

 

I discussed a reconstruction of a Premium Beer from back in the day in today's NBW thread:

Let’s go Premium today!

Have any of y’all been following the ongoing discussion about Premium beers from back in the day?

This thread got me motivated to purchase a six-pack of Reading Premium Beer.

Reading Premium Beer was indeed a ‘back in the day’ beer:

“1886:

Reading Brewing Company was founded by Philip Bessinger with a brewery at Ninth and Laurel streets in Reading, PA.

The beer was originally called Old Reading Beer and was marketed as a Pennsylvania Dutch beer.

The brewery was making around 1,200 barrels a year.

1958:

Low sales pushed the brewery to continue to reformulate the beer, and the name was once again tweaked, now called Reading Premium Beer.

The slogan was also altered to “The Friendly Beer for Modern People”

This decision is successful, and Reading Brewing Company thrives into the 1970s.

1976:

Due to the rise of larger macro breweries, Reading Brewing Company shuts its doors and Reading Premium Beer disappears.”

https://www.draughtlinesmag.com/brew-news/the-long-history-of-reading-premium/

But it was not the very end since Sly Fox Brewing made a decision to re-brew a beer branded as Reading Premium:

“The Pitcher Perfect Pint

The modern Reading Premium brew pays homage to a pre-prohibition classic with a smooth, clean finish.

We’ve updated our classic formula for refreshed drinkability. Our pale lager is semi-dry and clean with bright carbonation. With each sip, you’ll experience notes of citrus, honey, and a subtly sweet finish.

Available: YEAR ROUND

ABV: 4.5%

RE-RELEASED: 2019

https://www.readingpremium.com/our-beer/

Some more details about this beer (for the interested student):

“Light lagers are clean and crisp. Brewing them isn’t easy. Then having to recreate Reading Premium’s authentic, nuanced flavor profile, on modern brewing equipment, using corn – an ingredient craft brewers don’t usually cotton to – was difficult. “We hit a few speed bumps along the way. But when we got the grain ratios just right, we got a beer that pays homage to Reading Premium’s original recipe, while keeping it friendly enough for the modern people of Pennsylvania,” Ohst quips. “And it’s approachable like our Helles lager, so I think the team got it just right. I hope fans of Reading Premium agree. It was a labor of love, something we wanted to do for our new friends.”

https://draughtlinesmag.com/exclusive/sly-fox-is-stoked-about-brewing-reading-premium/

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Pours golden yellow colored with a big white head.

Aroma:

A subtle sweet, bready aroma

Taste:

The flavor is more potent with a notable bready malt flavor. Not much in terms of hop flavor. A low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Light/Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is a very good AAL. Very refreshing on a hot day.

Cheers!

 

No it didn't - the brand was purchased by C. Schmidt's & Sons, who brewed it in Philadelphia until 1987 when their brands were purchased by Heileman, which continued to brew and market Reading, likely at their Baltimore (ex-Carling-National) brewery.

But Reading Premium (yeah, despite the branding - not an atypical naming convention) was an economy-priced beer, cheaper even than regional popular-priced beers like U.C., Genesee and Schmidt's or the national popular-priced Pabst and Carling.

From Waverly on the PA/NY border (no beer price ads in PA at the time).

Now, if a Reading drinker wanted something better, they'd buy Old Reading Pale Reserve.

Surprised to see Reading's other brand, Bergheim, was actually more expensive there (I remember it as just another cheapie). Musta been worth more due to the nice label.

 

I should have thanked you earlier for you thoughts....someone who has been drinking beer since 73 is a unicorn on these boards and tapping into your thoughts of beers from years past is quite a treasure for us all. I'm older too but my drinking age started mid 80's...thanks and I hope you keep posting...

 

Anchor Steam when I first started drinking beer; later, Rogue Dead Guy and Big Daddy IPA. Eventually, I found Racer 5 and Pliny, which are both kind of watermarks for me (when fresh).

 

Damn yup lived in Vermont back then. Did the same thing crossed the border. Man did that beer give you a headache.