RIP Old Tankard Ale

I'm fairly certain I saw billboards for Ballantine IPA in NJ. Can't remember where exactly but I want to say it was on or near the NJ Turnpike.

 

The IPA is pretty nice but at the price point it's not that great. Sell it at $24.99 a case and I would pick it up, $34.99 I'm not. I did see it on tap a lot when it was launched but not recently, I don't really go to bars anymore though.

Need to track an ot six pack down if they still exist

Enjoy

 

I bumped into my first 4 pack of Old Tankard last fall in the bargain bin for $1.99. I was shocked at how good it was and even more shocked at where it was made. RIP

 

If that is the case I suppose I could say that was 'something'. Does one billboard equate to proper marketing?

Cheers!

 

Michael, that equates to me that Pabst did not promote these beers. The minimalist thing that Pabst could do is a simple phone call or meeting to 'educate' their partner distributors. If they did not even make this minor effort then....

I have little confidence that any of the Pabst 'specialty beers' will have longevity.

Cheers!

 

Yeah, they were probably just trying to catch lighting in a bottle again, like @jesskidden suggested above, or just relying on the nostalgia factor to drive sales.

 

Just out of curiosity. Many of the beer drinkers consuming craft beer are on the younger side. Do you think that just the aspect of "nostalgia" will motivate them to buy a certain beer? Or will they instead decide to buy a beer that is murky, barrel aged, 10% ABV, sour,...

Cheers!

 

Well, it obviously wasn't successful, because we're participating in this thread now .

But, in regards to the whole lineup, they probably hoped for more of a genuine nostalgia factor from the older types, and a hipsterish faux nostalgia from the younger crowd.

 

Too bad. I was wondering why I didn't see it anymore. I always picked up a four pack. Can't beat the appeal of a tallboy. This was a great beer to have when you're watching a football match ⚽

 

Apparently Pabst is brewing Old Tankard at that new brewery they opened last month. So, if you ever find yourself in Milwaukee.

https://pabstmkebrewery.com/featured-brews/

 

I tried Old Tankard and liked it but was never able to find it agin. I can't buy what I can't find. The only place that carried it here in Greensboro was Bestway and they said they couldn't get it.Sad to see it go.

 

Yeah, "hope" is not a business strategy.

The Pabst folks do not appear to be good at this stuff.

Kinda a shame since the Pabst Bohemian Pilsner that is being brewed in Detroit is a quality beer. If Pabst has poor abilities to perform marketing & sales then there is basically zero chance this beer will see distribution outside of Michigan.

Non-cheers to this poor business practice!

 

Not at all. I just remember it catching my eye, because when I saw it I tried to think of another IPA that I've seen advertised on a billboard, regardless of whether the brewery was big or small, and I couldn't.

If you're wondering, I did not purchase any Ballantine IPA before or after seeing the ad, so I guess their marketing wasn't that good after all.

 

FWIW I would recommend Ballantine IPA if:

• You see bottles/cans that are fresh
• You see it on tap

I have only seen Ballantine IPA on tap a handful of times: at the Bethlehem Hotel while attending Musikfest. Those draft beers have varied from very good to ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!

I live in the northwestern suburbs of Philly and I have never, ever seen Ballabtine IPA on tap either in the city (Philly) or the suburbs. For some reason this beer is not promoted as a draft product in my area.

Cheers!

 

beer menu says there is a case at the beer distributor near me. $40 i think i will pass. That equals a $30 case of 12oz. Maybe part of the selling issue is price.

Enjoy

 

Yes, I saw coasters, glasses and the tap handle at bars and a large 4' X 4' window sign at a local liquor store. Saw lots more material at breweriana shows (which, for a new release, is kinda sad, since it won't be used for promotion) and of course, the Pabst Ballantine Beer website has a store. https://store.ballantinebeer.com/collections/all

IIRC, Pabst had "release parties" in NYC, Newark and Philadelphia (once a major Ballantine market) to which the regional Pabst wholesalers and retailers were invited.

I thought I saw print ads. (Don't have my periodicals available right now, or I'd check).

But, hey, I'm not going to defend Pabst - yeah, they did more than they normally have done but it was still kinda half-assed.

When my local beer guy asked the Pabst distributor sales guy about the IPA, pre-release, he had no idea what he was talking about. And when I finally saw IPA in cans, they were something like +9 months old from the same distributor.

Similarly, for the Brewers Gold Ale, from a different NJ distributor, they were months old already even though I got the intial release right out of a case from a stack left on the sales floor by the distributor. As @TongoRad noted above, most retailers had no idea what to do with newer "craft-ish" Ballantine branded ales, since Pabst had spent the last 2-3 decades turning the lone survivor, Ballantine XXX Ale, into a bottom shelf "malt liquor-ish" product sold primarily in 40s in many markets. (Not to mention what they did to the beer itself ).

But, again, I don't know for sure the rumor of the demise of these new Ballantine ales I heard is true - as I said, the guy I heard it from was vague about it when pressed and we all know that many retailers and wholesalers will say "Can't get it" or "No longer available" for beers they simply don't want to stock.

 

I'm bummed as I really liked Old Tankard. It was $4.99 to $5.49 for a 4 16oz cans and I thought it was well priced. it never had more than one facing at my store.

Was pleasantly surprised to see it at PNC park a few years ago.

 

That one didn't do much for me when I tried it, but I was glad to see Pabst branching out and doing something besides another AAL. Hope this hasn't taught them there's no market for something different.

 

Well, it's not my fault that Old Tankard had 'poor sales performance'. It has been part of my regular lineup ever since it was re-introduced. In fact, I just picked up a case of 24 pints for $16 last month -- that sale is still going on at a store near me, so I suppose I will stock up before it disappears forever.

 

Urged by this thread, I went to a couple local retailers that always seemed to carry the Old Tankard -- no dice, and very quietly gone.

I was always hesitant to try the OT based on my last encounter with PBR, which made me sick. Literally. Not sure what it was, but something just didn't sit right with the PBR and I was afraid the Old Tankard might use the same yeast or other shared ingredients. Sort of sorry I never gave it a chance, now.