Ladies and gentleman, then end of an era.
I can say, easily, I never had one. Or I might have, but I can’t remember. When the night gets longer and the buzz needs feeding, I might’ve had one. But I don’t recall aver haing one.
On the other hand, I do remember this:
It was around for a skinny minute, and I loved it. It was around the same time Coors had Aspen Edge, which is gone now. Dominus ominus.
What a pipe dream, to imagine we could drink beer and stay slim. Twenty years later, I realize it’s a pipe dream, and a dream worth chasing until this day. And I will remain steadfast to that commitment to integrity.
I’ve tried Corona Seltzer, Truly, and any other drink with zero carbs. Was it worth it?
But, let’s face it, today’s traditional beer aint what it used to be…so, for today’s post, what’s a bye-gone beer that you miss? If not a bye-gone beer that no longer exists, what do you miss about beer.
I’ll start…I miss Ballantine Ale.
Six green smokehouses of something that smells like a skunk’s ass, but once you’ve had one, it will set you right. On top of it, it’s the drink that Hunter S. Thompson mentions in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Also:
I’ve posted here about my interactions with Erk Russel at the local Country Store in Statesboro, but I never met the man without a fistful of this in his hand. And he was as cordial and happy to talk to you about anything between football and life with it in his hand.
Today is yet another day where Erk isn’t in the CFBHOF, and we should still be enraged about it. Imagine Kirby Smart being ignored as a college football championship coach in the 21st century, and we’re on par with how it feels. Legend. And Georgia Southern is a great campus surrogate to Athens, for what it’s worth, in terms of partying.
Here’s another one:
We felt like royalty drinking this shit in the 1990s, but you won’t find it today. Let me guess…if you did drink it back then, you haven’t thought about it since? Never knew it was gone? Exactly.
How about you…what ale do you miss from the ne’er years that floated your boat and left your eggs scrambled?
We used to get Ranier in the brown stubby bottles out in Boulder during college. They had a riddle under the bottle cap. There was also a beer in a brown stubby bottle that had a bottle opener built into the bottom of the bottle, but I can’t recall if that was Ranier also or something else like Olympia.
I do not miss Keystone or Keystone Light. Horrid beer for sure.
Forgot that Miller had the bottom cavity opener in the late 80’s. I too remember a brand having it earlier like Sterling or Burger maybe?
I do remember if you were in hurry to get your buzz on Schlitz malt liquor was a good value. That was when a six pack of cheap beer cost less than a sixer of cokes.
I miss the days of going to fort Mac on Sundays to buy military near beer and Marlboro reds $2.00 for a carton. I don’t miss cigarettes or cheap beer.
Speaking of Schlitz Malt Liquor, I did the same. We used to drink the Baby Bulls in High School when we could locate an accommodating store owner, and we usually could. I was 6’4″ and my buddy was 6’8″, so they thought we were old enough. 🤫
I grew up near Fort Mac sneaking on site to use the tennis courts.
I don’t drink much beer anymore so not sure what’s not around now. We drank Ol’ Swill-waukee, Rolling Rock, Milwaukee’s Beast, or whatever was cheap. PBR for keg parties.
East Point or Sylvan Hills?
Yeah, I’ve pretty much had them all. Schlitz, Hamm’s, Stroh’s, Lowenbrau and many more that would come out on the market. Had to try the flavor of the day. Used to get a gallon of Schlitz malt on tap from a drive thru window in Thomasville. It was the worst but couldn’t beat the buzz – until the next morning. My dad had a buddy who would go to the Fla line and by Red White and Blue. $6.00 a case. Had one or two but as my dad would say “they taste like horse piss”. I’d say dad what does horse piss taste like? He’d say, like David’s Red white and Blue. Got me there!
We had a beer day on the KittyHawk and I was issued 2 cans of Hamm’s, the pure refresher. Sold one for $10
Did the same on the USS Ranger CV-61 in the late 80’s. $10 was a very reasonable price for one beer. A few guys got hammered and went broke on beer day.
I can’t remember the last time I saw an 8-pack of Miller High Life Pony bottles. Probably a good thing. Am I alone in this…but Red Dog or any other Plank Road brewery beer gave me the shits. Not good. Anyway, almost ashamed to admit this, but Natural Light had a strawberry lemonade version out a few years back called “Naturdays”…and it was the perfect hot summer golf round session beer. The kids got me drinking that one. Otherwise these days I am a beer snob and primarily drink Yorkshire Ales, Bohemian Pilsners or good imitations of either.
We have a pizza joint down here in Perry that serves High Life Ponies. It is owned by some UGA grads from around 2018 I think.
I think I have seen them at our local Publix, as well. I was a Miller Genuine Draft and High Life guy in high school until we realized Milwaukee’s Best was a lot cheaper. You could buy a lot more Blue Beast (Best Light) for your dollar.
I used to ‘gift’ friends of mine an 8-pack of MHL ponies under the guise of a ‘case of champagne’. Yes, i’m a terrible human.
Anchor Steam.
Back when Copper Creek Brewing Co. was going in Athens they had a take on the California steam beer that tasted excellent to me.
I worked at CCBC, and was co-owner of Normal Brew Shop on Prince Ave. back in the day. Matt, the brewer at CCBC was a co-owner with me. I miss that steam beer. Ort, god rest his soul, loved it.
Thank you for your service!
Matt is a damn good brewer. I was at the first or second Classic City Brew fest, and Ort walked by and said, “You guys need to try Matt’s pale ale”. He’d put oak chips in during the secondary fermentation. It’s still one of the best pale ales I’ve ever tried.
Had a buddy in college whose dad worked for Georgia Crown. We drank a lot of Stroh’s and Genesee. It was free so we didn’t give a shit what it was.
I often buy Genesee beer in Augusta. Genny Cream Ale is still a great tasting light beer, and it is cheap. Comes in 30 packs for around $20. Most upstate NY beer is good.
Lol, Red Dog! Y’all when those red devil dog billboards started popping up around Athens, it was wild, (and when you look at it upside down The Bat Man appeared to be…). Also, Private Stock with the Concentration puzzles in the bottle caps was a Barracks Riot precursor at Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia! Not likker but my Tailgate Libation of choice was Jolt Cola ad Jimmy Beam. ZZTop swore by it and it was good enough for me. I hear Jolt might comeback, sadly I’ve mellowed with age so I may not re-visit that misty, jitter I used to get before kickoff. SAD
#GoDawgs
#MoreOldDrunksThanOldDoctors
Schaeffer and Milwaukee’s Best were the cheap staples I remember during my high school and college days. But then, in high school I worked in a convenience store and in college I worked in a liquor store, so I tried them all. A favorite at one time in college was Michelob Dry or Bud Ice.
I can’t believe that someone else drank Ballantine Ale. My best friend in high school and I would take a six pack of that to a party, put it in the fridge and feel safe in the knowledge that nobody would steal any of our beer.
Consumed a lot of Blue Beast back in the day!
Oh lord, the beers from yesteryear that I miss. Celis White out of Texas, Blue Ridge Lager, literally ANYTHING from Dogwood Brewing, Red Brick Brewing’s offerings. Lord knows I’ve forgotten hundreds more of breweries that are now long gone. Used to co-own Normal Brew Shop on Prince Ave., across from Agua Linda, and worked at Five Points Bottle Shop for a couple of years. The stuff that ‘fell off a truck’ and ended up at 5PBS was LEGENDARY.
Weiderman’s. It could still be around, but back in ’82 you could get 2 or 3 of your friends together, pitch in a few bucks apiece and for $1.99 a sixer get a good buzz off some pretty bad budget beer. I would say “ah, the memories,” but I can’t remember…
I started college in the mid-80s, when yuppies were pretending to be beer snobs. Back then, anything from Europe was trendy, anything Canadian was acceptable, and other than Anchor, anything domestic was declasse. My friends and I – poseurs that we were – wanted to look cool so jumped on the import beer bandwagon. We drank a lot of Becks, Bass, Harp, Molson and Moosehead. After a couple of years though, the economy of Budweiser had won us over. That and the fact most of the import beers smelled like farts and didn’t taste much better. I think they’re all still around but can’t recall seeing anyone actually drink them since the early 90s.
Back then there was nothing like a six pack of tall bud reds. Talk about a BIG BUZZ and BIG HEAD!
40 ounce old english in a brown bag with a pack of newports was better than a passport in the day….
My brother and I would buy a case of Bud and always get a big 40 for the ride back to the farm. Do they still sell a big 40? I’ve pretty much moved on from beer. I like my shaker drinks now.
Moosehead and St. Pauli Girl! I think we bought St. Pauli Girl because we had a crush on the poster of my buddy’s older brother when we were in middle school. That was some outstanding cleavage.
Drank a lot of Old Miwaukee. 14 oz cans in 6 pack cheaper than 6 pack of12 oz. Anything else. Also drank a bunch of Falstaff. Old Papa Joe Greasydick!!! Always in longneck bottles.
We called it Foulstuff.
Falstaff?! You’re aging yourself!! My Dad used to drink that stuff out of the old “glass cans.”
Michelob dark was my favorite beer.
Michelob Light years and years ago…Michelob Ultra, years and years ago was a good option, got introduced about 50 miles of shore with bottled water running low…Margarita’s for everyone!!!
Michelob original – (gold label)
Great list guys……I was a regular drinker of Petes Wicked. Liked original Michelob as well. Drank a little Red Dog but it sorta tasted like ass. One beer in my early 20’s I drank like fresh spring water and haven’t seen in years is Stroh’s.
Country Club and Black Label.
Even the two Cooper’s fishbowls I keep in my freezer would be hard pressed to make several y’all have named taste any better. But back in the day…….
When I was a freshman at UGA in September 1972 the drinking age was 18. The distributor who had the Clarke County area was also a Schlitz distributor so damn near every place in town had Schlitz on draft and Schlitz in a can or bottle
It was more ubiquitous than Budweiser at the time.
I was here. Somehow Schlitz longnecks were just really good for what it was.
We ran through a lot of Red Dog and Southpaws as a teenager in Athens. Both Package Warehouse and the Jimbo’s on Macon Hwy were close and almost always accommodating.
We usually could afford Busch or Natty Lite (but I repeat myself).
I’ve got an unopened can of Battlin’ Bulldog Beer in my office. I can only imagine what it tasted like back in the day…
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=battlin+bulldog+beer&source=chrome.ob&ia=images&iax=images
We would go to Arcade to buy beer for weekend. There is as a Gulf station that would let my roommate put beer on his gas card. I think it was 5 dollars a case. Would get beer for all our buddies, plus a surcharge!!
People younger than us have no idea why Arcade was important to UGA men back in the day!
In the 80s, the ABC liquor store sold cases of Drury’s, in bottles, for $7, and it was $6 if you traded in a case of the empty bottles. It was, to me and my friends, the best of the awful cheap beers.
Also, there was a place on Baxter near Pizza Inn that sold big bottles of Old Milwaukee for .99
My first year of law school you couldn’t get Strohs in Georgia. A buddy of mine would drive up to South Carolina and come back with 10 cases in the passenger seat of his Porsche 914. Good beer and good memories, life was a lot more simple then.
I hope he blasted “Eastbound and Down” while he evaded Smokey…
Two- cheapest ‘good’ beer you could buy while I was @ UGA (‘98-‘02) was the Michelob Light golfer’s 18 pack, in Watkinsville. The cans had the golf balls w dimples either side of can.
Harder to carry, but I miss a case being 4-6packs in a flat cardboard box. Haven’t seen that since Spring Break ‘99
Over 30 years ago I was able to but Ngoma beer from Zaire. It was imported by Balunda Imports in Jacksonville, FL. I still have a full and completely undrinkable bottle.
I just remembered them selling $1 Lone Star out of a galvanized tub at Gus Garcias. Drank a million of those when available.
Ah, yes! Schlitz Longnecks at the B&L Warehouse. Freshman year (Class of ’77). Those were indeed the days!
New Belgium’s Ranger IPA and I’m not an IPA guy. I bought a sixer on a whim after a very hot day outside. I’m guessing it’s the hops that give it the “grapefruit” flavor but holy shit it was good.
I think Wink as a soda mixer is gone as is the cheap bourbon brand we mixed it with. What was the 80’s cheep beer in bottles sold in the heavy duty cardboard case (24 pack?)? Doubt it was Bud…that would have been too expensive. The cases became footstools and end tables in the dorms.
The cheap bourbon was Evan Williams.
I used to buy one particular brand at a now closed Kroger in the middle of Macon about 10 years ago. I can’t remember what it was called, and I don’t think it was local, but I’d know it if I saw it, and I haven’t seen it in years.
Apparently PBR doesn’t even have breweries. They contracted everything out to Miller Coors for years and now Anheuser Busch does it for them. It’s wonder they manage to keep a consistent and decent taste with all the cheap corn syrup and private equity stripping every bit of profit they can from each can. My guess is Schlitz met a similar fate, but who knows?
I don’t wax nostalgic for my days of drinking not so good beer. We drank some Drewry’s, Milwaukee’s best, Miller High Life and the like during my days. But I don’t miss any of it.
I have grown tired of the microbrew fascination with IPA’s. As you can see from my handle, I lean more toward spirits nowadays. If I do want a beer, I am usually having a Guinness or perhaps an ale from one of the Asheville based breweries.
I do drink a Classic City Lager or a Tropicalia on occasion.