Schlitz Gusto / Pabst decline?

Pabst Brewing Co's barrelage has been up two years in a row since the Met. boys bought them - minor single digit percentage gains, but up. Actually gained a tenth of a point market share in 2012.

Those are first gains for the company in over a decade. Pabst under S&P/Kalmanovitz Charitable Trust had been pretty steadily down, even after they bought the majority of the Stroh/Heileman portfoliio in '99.

 

While it'd probably helpto know what area you happen to reside/work/play in ("MINNEAPPLE, what's up!"), I know for a fact that they've been pushing Stag as the next big "comeback" brand from their stable.

The focus on both Schlitz "Gusto" and "Olympia 95% Malt All Natural" has really dropped-off 'round here in the past year, and the Pabst folks I talk to indicate that they're trying for success upon success with each brand and each individual "market push", as well.

That's pretty ambitious in terms of sales and promotions but (c.f. Jess Kidden's citation, above) it seems to be showing marginal effect. Likewise, there's been a very small increase in retail price around here with a few of these brands --including P.B.R.-- since the change in management and ownership.

 

I regularly shop a beer store in lansing illinois and the schlitz flies off the shelf there. Freshness dated for aug 26 2013.. 8.99 for a 12 pack in bottles. Love it. Great drinking a beer my dad enjoyed in his day.

 

Gusto has been dropped from the name. We *now* have, in my town, Schlitz 60s Formula that is near a year past its canning date and yeah, I'm pissed. Fresh, it was a very good AAL.

 

“We *now* have, in my town, Schlitz 60s Formula that is near a year past its canning date…”

So, what’s the deal about that!?! I have not seen Schlitz 1960s formula beer in any of the beer stores near me (Southeastern PA; Philly suburbs) in over 2 years.

What is the business plan of the Metropoulos ownership?

Cheers!

 

I've noticed its been harder to find in NC as well. When I can find it its only available in cans. Its much better from the bottle.

 

$8.99 for a sixer here, 12 pack not available. In Ohio, is everywhere. And at the price, now I know why. If I could buy it for what you pay, I could see it flying off the shelf. Here, at our price, it gathers dust.

 

Sounds like the new management of Schlitz has pulled out of Ohio, leaving only what's left on the shelf... thus the price point you state. Sounds like the beer stores in Ohio are trying to capitalize on the once popularity of Schlitz and have hiked the prices a bit... Yep, Schlitz sells very well in the Illinois-Indiana beer shops I frequent in the Chicago area.

 

I've never even seen Schlitz in San Diego...

 

Where can i get this "Pabst Brewing Co's Barrel age"?

 

Yeah, you're not typically going to find sales figures for individual lines or brands for "free" - that's the sort of market research material that'll cost thousands, esp. for a privately held company like Pabst (and is usually collected at the retail level). Occasionally one can find lists of the Top 100 Beer Brands, with some (increasingly fewer) Pabst brands listed.

Yearly barrelage for the entire Pabst Brewing Company for the past decade can be found at Beer Marketers Insights link (right sidebar) -

MAJOR BREWERS AND IMPORTERS: TOTAL SHIPMENTS 2002-2011

with last year's totals at - 2012

BMI also has a page for the Top 20 beers in the US, with # 15 PBR the only Pabst brand making it
http://www.beerinsights.com/popups/topbrands07.html

 

I was curious when Pabst came out with the new "Chicago's beer" packaging for Old Style that there was no mention of krausening anywhere on the label. I sent an e-mail to the address on the Old Style website asking if it was still krausened and never received a reply. Seems odd they would continue the extra processing for a American style lager and not note it anywhere on the package. My guess was Pabst just went back to the "original" Old Style to make a few extra bucks.

 

According to Wikipedia, La Crosse Lager is krausened:

“The original Heileman's Old Style brewery in La Crosse is now owned by the City Brewing Company. It brews La Crosse Lager, which is based upon the original Old Style recipe and is kräusened for 30 days.”

Cheers!

 

How do you Krauesen beer for 30 days?

 

I love the Schlitz 60s formula that they sell now. Picked this up at an antique mall recently:

 

I do enjoy La Crosse Lager...when I can find it (I live in the Twin Cities). It has a certain nostalgia for me as well as I used to buy 30-packs of the stuff shortly after college (~2001) for what I swear was under $9. The Internet rumors about it being the original Heileman's Old Style recipe also adds a little mystique.

 

Well, as with any Wikipedia entry, you never can tell where the info came from ... but, in the pre-craft era "macro" breweries that still kraeusened their beer for carbonation in the modern era, the process was often combined with lagering, and done in the lagering tanks. So, I can imagine that Heileman and/or City once claimed a "30 days" period for the combined operation, calling it simply "Kraeusening" as part of their long-running ad campaign.

Here's how a then-AB brewmaster named Mitch Steele once described it in a famous reply to charges made by Fred Eckhardt:

Steele apparently later left AB, but found work at another brewery...