Rheingold Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Rheingold Lager
The Rheingold Brewing Company
372 Danbury Road - Suite 163

Wilton, CT USA
Bottled at:
The Rheingold Brewing Company
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Est. 1883
www.rheingoldbrewingcompany.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review
Pale straw yellow color.
Sweet grainy malt and just a dash of hops in aroma.
Two finger, bubbly white head on pour, and then it's gone in 30 seconds.

No lace on the glass.
Hops are pretty indistinguishable and the copious presence of grainy malt abounds.
Very active carbonation
Light bodied.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Ballantine. Shaefer. Piel's. Shmidt. Yadda, yadda, yadda and the list goes on. This beer would have made a great addition to the run of Beers of Yesteryear that I ran a couple of years ago. It fits right in. I am old enough to recall Rheingold being around at the family picnics and gatherings back in the tri-state area of NY, NJ & CT.


It was the official beer of the Mets, (the Yankees had Ballantine). Rhiengold, like so many of the others mentioned above, had its heyday during the 1940's through the early 1970's. Then like most of the others, they were bought up for branding and recipe by Pabst, or swallowed whole by Anheuser Busch or put asunder by Miller and Coors. The redundancy of yellow fizzy lager beers caused the collapse and only the biggest and strongest survived. Well, this one couldn't be killed off that easily.


An investment group recently bought and reinvigorated the brand. Interestingly, they kept the same branding, logos, formulation, etc. in a hope that nostalgic lagers would become hip. After all, Pabst and Narragansett have been able to cash in on this type of success with good marketing campaigns. So now we have a beer that once hailed from New York, is now headquartered in Wilton, CT and is brewed (presumably contract) in WIlkes-Bare, PA. Is this a flag looking for a country or the other way around?

Any way you slice it, another tried and true name has been lifted off the scrap heap and is getting some air under it's wings for lift. For nostalgia's and their sake, let's hope it rises like the Phoenix out of the ashes.

This ends your history lesson for the day.

Itaipava - Pilsen Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Pilsen Beer

Cervejaria Petropolis
BR 040, KM51

Petropolis-RJ, Brazil
Est. 1994
www.grupopetropolis.com.br

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.5 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pale, clear and light golden color.

Malts plus simple grassy smell with the slight hops detected.

Tight, white bubbly head that leaves spotty lacing.

Lightly carbonated.

Light bodied with clean flavor.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

If memory serves me, this is the first Brazilian beer reviewed. While it is a simple American Adjunct Lager style, it was found to be crisp, tight, clean and refreshing. Maybe it was due to a hot evening, but it slaked my thirst without a fight. To be sure, it was consumed quickly as these styles need to be chill to be thoroughly enjoyed.

The bottle and label are very austere. Aside from the rolling hills of the mountain range region of Rio de Janeiro, there are no loud proclamations of superior craftsmanship or hard to attain quality ingredients. The label merely states what it is and from whence it came. Simple. Just like the beer should be; without flourish. Not a lot going on except cold, liquid refreshment in a bottle.

Stone Cold Fact: Weltenburger Kloster , a fine German brew, is also under the same umbrella in the Cervejaria Petropolis product catalog. Look it up on their website under their "Products" section.

Is it more remarkable than your standard macro in a bottle or can? Nah, but it does make for an interesting conversational beer.

White Sands - Longboat Key Golden Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Longboat Key Golden Lager
White Sands Brewing
Sarasota, FL USA
Est.2010
alesfromthecrypt.blogspot.com
and
firkinaround.blogspot.com

Brain Damage Quotient = ?.? % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0
 
Postmortem Brew Review
Light yellow-gold and clear in color.
Grain malt smell with a bit of hop aroma.
Fresh and yeasty smell.
Two finger, white fluffy head that leaves great lacing.
Grain and yeast taste; like white bread.
Very, very of carbonated.
Dry with bitter hops twang in finish.
Medium body. Easy to drink. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy 
I know, you've never heard of it, right?  Is it some exotic "must have" from some hole in the wall brewery?  C'mon, the anticipation is killing you....huh?

It's official, the Reaper has begun home brewing.  This is my first effort.  Named for the pristine white sand beaches of the west coast of Florida, I have entered the home beer making hobby. Alright, before we get too far ahead of ourselves it's time for full disclosure.  I had help...well - uh - er - ummm...ya' know; a Mr. Beer kit.

I'm already ahead of you with the snarky comments.  It's good for a first effort and although the review is here on the dark side at Ales From The Crypt, you can read all about it on the light side at Firkin Around, my alter, alter ego.

The brew was eh, so-so for a 'yellow beer' and a lager at that, but the box contains a blonde as well. We will be brewing that soon in the "Easy Bake Oven" of beer makers, so stay tuned for that.  I learned to follow the instructions to a 'T' and wasn't too disappointed with the outcome.  It taught me to home brew and now I want to scale it up a bit.

On another connection to Florida, I cracked open the first fully conditioned and chilled bottle to coincide with the 41st anniversary of the first lunar landing.  What was uttered so many years ago about the first steps on the surface of the moon could be said for my first home brew, "...that's one small step for man..."

Dixie Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Dixie Beer
Dixie Brewing Company
2401 Tulane Avenue
New Orleans, LA USA
Est. 1907
www.dixiebeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear light golden color.
Two finger crisp white head that leaves slight lacing.
Sweet, malty and slight grainy smell.
Fresh lager taste with nice hops finish found in European pilseners.
Good amount of carbonation.
Light bodied; refreshing.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A fine and surprising lager from New Orleans.  This company survived Hurricane Katrina after the century old brewery was nearly completely destroyed.

This brewery dates back to 1907.  The only other New Orleans brewery, Falstaff, has since closed, leaving Dixie with the distinction of being the only brewery located inside the city of New Orleans.  Dixie has been under contract during the rebuilding process, post hurricane.

I found this to be an unassuming bottle; the label is fairly plain, save for the flourishes around the logo. I didn't really give it much thought when perusing the nearby beer vault in search of things not sampled.  Oening, pouring and looking at the beer still didn't offer any hints of what lay in wait.  What I found upon the first sip was a very clean and refreshing beer that is certainly worthy of standing up to any other of the macro beer's flagship brands.

Give it a try.  Let's help rebuild New Orleans one bottle at a time!

Pacifico Clara

Soldado Muerte

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Pacifico Clara
Groupo Modelo, S.A. de C.V.
Mexico
Est.1925
www.gmodelo.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.8 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Golden yellow body.
Lemony smell and taste. Not much else in the nose.
One finger head that sticks around awhile.
Soft understated lemony tart taste.
Fair amount of carbonation.
Refreshing light and easy to drink

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The third brew in the "Tour de Mexico", this Cinco de Mayo.  Here's one beer that I have never before tasted.  It had a bright citrus, lemony taste which was different, but not unpleasant.  While the beer as a whole is not stellar, it has merit as a refreshing beach, boat or poolside chugger.

Viva la revolution!

Modelo Especial

Soldado Muerte

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Modelo Especial
Groupo Modelo, S.A. de C.V.
Mexico
Est.1925
www.gmodelo.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.4 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pale, clear and light golden color.
Simple grassy smell with the slightest bit of hops detectable.
Tight, white bubbly head that leaves spotty lacing.
Lightly carbonated.
Slight lemon flavor.
Light bodied with clean flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Bottle number two on the "Tour de Mexico" from World of Beer this May the 5th.  Modelo Especial is a decent clear bottled 'yellow' lager from Mexico.  Light and refreshing, I cannot find fault with any of its characteristics.  Equally said, there is nothing remarkable that sets it apart from other clear glass bottled yellow beers.  

At 4.4% ABV, it won't weigh you down, and it doesn't fill you up, either.

Narragansett Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Narragansett Lager
Narragansett Brewing Company
60 Ship Street
Providence, RI USA
Est. 1890
www.narragansettbeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review
Straw yellow with slight haze in color.
Grainy, malty scent. Just a small pop of hops.
Crisp white, tight foaming, two finger head.
Head retains for a long time leaving string lacing on glass.
Finishes a bit more malty than hoppy.
Light, refreshing and easy to drink.
Medium, soft carbonation with light mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Alright, so here it is. Now don't pre-judge. This is by all means, a long standing traditional American lager that you'd likely drink after mowing the lawn. I once proclaimed, you might not drink this type of beer for a celebration just as you might not reach for a Belgian Strong Ale after cutting the lawn. Well, shut my mouth!

As the first "warm" day in FL arrived, I checked out the 'honey-do' list and decided to get around to cutting the lawn. So you are now skipping to the end and saying ---yeah, yeah, so you reached for this 'lawnmower' beer. Not so fast...

As the mower hasn't been run since last November, it was stubborn to start. After many unsuccessful tugs on the engine cord, the dang thing refused to even sputter. The original 'to-do' item of cutting the grass would have to wait as this new task developed...fix the lawnmower. A trip to the home improvement center yielded a new air filter and spark plug. Tools in hand, those were quickly replaced. Fresh gas, an oil change and a couple of passes over the blade with a metal file completed the job. I worked up a sweat just to get to this point. I pushed the primer bulb a few times and....

Success! So off to the garage chiller to cool down and also celebrate a small victory. The Narragansett was calling me from the back corner of the fridge door. Easy to drink, light to behold, it tasted like beer back from the days when I watched my Dad struggle with a mower. This beer was certainly available back then as Rhode Island was our next door neighbor to the east. Unlike other beer from that time, it has continued to survive. I must say that I really don't get the ad slogan 'Gansett uses --- "The Beer of the Clam". Let's not go there...it's just wrong on a whole bunch of levels. Bad visual!

So there you are. A lawnmower beer and a celebratory beer wrapped up in one nice 12 ounce bottle. Who am I to judge?

There's a beer for every reason and a beer for every season. I'm merely the reaper of beer, not the judge...

Imperial Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Imperial Beer
Cerveceria Costa Rica 
San Jose, Costa Rica
Est. 1924
www.beer.co.cr
www.discoverimperial.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear golden yellow color.
Malt grain smell, no hops presence.
Bright white, half fingered tall head that totally evaporates rapidly.
Malty, light tasting with no hops characteristics, in taste.
Light bodied, borderline watery. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Cerveceria Costa Rica has been making this beer since the 1920's but it has only recently been exported from this tiny Central American country. While it is light and refreshing, it is pretty unremarkable, similar to the first website link above.  It is just one page of information.

You try it and let me know your thoughts.

Iron City Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Iron City Brewing Company 
Iron City Beer
3340 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA USA
Est.1861
www.ironcitybrewingcompany.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0
 
Postmortem Brew Review
Crystal clear yellow color.
Grain smell, hops aroma.
Malt and slight hops taste.
Two and a half finger, white colored head that rapidly dissipates, leaves no lacing.
Light body with carbonated mouth feel. Not too watery.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Another retro American lager.  As an old standby in the Pittsburgh area, it is simply known as the "Burghs" beer. Not too watery, but very light to drink.  It's amazing there is also a light version of this beer.  So clear, you can read through your pint glass!

Not a favorite of mine, but a good example of an American lager style beer.  You'll know if it's for you.

Full Sail - Premium Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Full Sail - Premium Lager
Full Sail Brewing Company
Hood River, OR USA
Est.1987
www.fullsailbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 11.0
 
Postmortem Brew Review
Pale and golden in color.
Grain smell with faint hops aroma; bread-like smell.
Sweet malted taste.  Slightly grassy flavor.
Two and a half finger, white colored head that slowly dissipates, leaving good lacing.
Light to medium body with carbonated mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
It's what beer used to be!  Session from Full Sail is reminiscent of the lagers I grew up with in my formative beer drinking days.  Those breweries from Piels, Rheingold or Schaefer were the 'microbreweries' of their day. They promoted sporting events in the New York area such as football and baseball, adorning the end-zone or outfield billboards with their logo's.  They would entice you to try their crisp clean excellent beverages with slick jingles and flashy, eye catching branding.

Those days are long gone now, along with the back yard barbeques that had coolers full of the aforementioned suds in abundance.  They were always in easy reach of the grill or the picnic tables or even the horseshoe pit.  Mom & Dad, grandpa's & grandma's, aunts, uncles along with all sorts of friends and neighbors gathered around the back yards, parks and beaches of North America.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob and some icy cold brews from the box were the primary staples for the event along with salads, beans and chips of all types.

It was a working man's (and woman's) relief from the work-a-day world every Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Labor Day.  Ahhh, yes!  You remember the sights, smells at these family gatherings, just as you are reading these words!  If you are like me, it was probably where you had your first sip of beer as a kid.

So if you want to wax nostalgic, pick up an aptly named Session and have your own trip down old memory lane.  Here's to those "...lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! Those days of sodas and pretzels and beer!"  Thanks Nat!

Schlitz

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Schlitz Beer
Schlitz Brewing Company
(Pabst Brewing)
Woodbridge, IL
Milwaukee, WI USA
Est. 1849
www.schlitzgusto.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear, golden yellow color.
Hop aroma, with grain smell; typical lager yeast presence.
Three fingered fluffy white head with good carbonation.
Slight, clinging head lace present in the glass.
Light flavor and body.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The beer from yesteryear that has more mottos than anybody else. "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous" and "Go for the Gusto!" are just a couple of examples I can recall when this stalwart of a beer fought alongside Pabst, Bud, Miller, Ballantine, Schaefer and Piels for a slice of the American market.

Yes friends, as said before, everything old is new again. Used to be the country was filled with breweries competing for market share. I didn't mention Rheingold, Hamms, Carling Black Label, Stroh's or countless others trying to make it on the scene. Does any of this sound familiar to you...like today's 'micro'-breweries, perhaps??? Hmm? I digress.

Stone Cold Fact: In 1902, Schlitz eclipsed Pabst for world beer output.

We'll I thought I had buried Schlitz years ago. But there it was, chillin' in the fridge of the jumbo liquor warehouse with a 'toe-tag' proclaiming $5.99 for the 'sixer. This used to be a staple at the Reaper's crypt in the 70's, so swoop! Under my radius and ulna it went, (humerus me, okay?)

It seems that the ghost of Jos. Schlitz is still alive, albeit in a reincarnated form. With thanks to Pabst, since 1999 the brand remains solid, and this was after Stroh's had previously acquired the Schlitz name in 1982. And Pabst has an agreement with Miller to produce it in their Texas plant alongside PBR! That was like reviewing the family tree with relatives at the funeral home! It just goes to show that you can't keep a good name down.

After all this, what lies in store for the future of Schlitz? According to their website, "Not 21 Yet? Hang on to your youth while you can. We'll be around when you're ready." Apparently the brand's still sound, at least for awhile. And lest you think this is just another old-man's brew, let us pause to give some 'props' to Jos. A. Schlitz for some of the greatest innovations in beer history. Namely...

• the brown glass bottle ~ to prevent spoilage
  
• the "pop-top" for cans ~ don't need a church-key
  
• the 7 oz. pony sized or "Little Joe" ~ for when you're thirsty
• the 24 oz. "Tall Boy" can ~ for when you're thirsty-er
  

They have served the beer industry well! So, "Move Up To Schlitz, Mr. HopKiss, and Grab Some Gusto, 'Cause When You're Out Of Schlitz, You're Out OF Beer!"

Red Stripe Lager

Dead Buffalo Soldiers

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Red Stripe Lager
Desnoes & Geddes Ltd.
Kingston, Jamaica
Est. 1928
www.redstripebeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.7 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pale, clear yellow color.
Slight dryness with grassy flavor and aroma.
Four fingered white foamy head on pour with dots for lacing.
Light body and carbonated and mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
"One love, one heart, let's get together and feel alright." Takes me back to the islands, mon'. Dis is de beer of Jamaica! Hooray beer! ®

Good drinker on hot sultry days and Caribbean nights for that matter. I'm speaking from experience. That buffalo soldier on the right is 26 years in the grave; exported straight from the island. I wanted to see what has changed, so its empty remains were exhumed from the crypt. Aside from the "imported" label on the recently deceased fellow, it seems they haven't messed with success in over 75 years. The chubby painted bottles seem to slip neatly into my bony phalanges.

This is one of the best Jamaican exports along with Bob Marley, that Olympic bobsled team and a certain unmentionable earthly crop, (not necessarily in any particular order.) So my friends, put some reggae music in your earbuds and enjoy some of this cool running lagered "brain wash". You'll be whisked away to the islands in no time at all. Peace out.

Lucky Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Lucky Beer
356 George Street
Waterloo, NSW Australia
Est. UNKNOWN (563 BC ?)
www.luckydrinkco.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.8 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 11.16 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pale yellow and hazy on pouring.
Malted barley, grain smell with faint honey flavor.
Three fingered head that dissipates to a wisp.
Non-existent lacing.
Light and watery body with no hops at the finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
An Asian style lager beer...from Australia? WTF?!? Why is it called Lucky? Maybe because you'll be lucky if you can taste the hops? Maybe 'cause they'll be lucky if you return for more? I dunno...I even rubbed his Buddha belly for good luck, hoping for something really special inside. Goes to show; you can't judge a beer by its bottle.

If there's one thing that saved this beer it would be the artfully sculpted green glass bottle of Buddha. Very clever packaging, but are we promoting beer or perfume? Is this more about the taste experience or the imagery? The website is similarly slick in 'hipster' design. It's just begging for trendy folks to stop by and listen to the Asian guzheng as you mouse over the tabs on the page. The final blow is being gypped out of a measly .04 ounces due to the curves of the bottle. Really?!?

It seems they spared no expense on the packaging. Maybe they should spend a little more time on what's inside, where it really counts.

But it is a really nice bottle........what-eva, 'mate!

Icehouse

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Icehouse
Miller Brewing Company
4000 West State Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
Est. 1903
www.icehouse.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pours pale yellow.
Malty aroma.
Light to medium bodied; best drunk ice cold.
Quickly dissipating and foamy head.
Medium to light mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Another brew that's been around for a while. Though it's not been a real "old timey beer", it has had a reputation at backyard events in its heyday. This is one of the first cold filtered beers in modern times; the name gives that away. Great at softball events and the like...but not too much on the nostalgia. They are wringing a bit out of the latter-day crowd for the guys like girls factor as evidenced on their website.

This is more of a 'bottle drunk' beer than in the glass or mug. I've already given my shovel's worth of dirt, so you decide.

Miller Genuine Draft

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Miller Genuine Draft
Miller Brewing Company
4000 West State Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
Est. 1903
www.millerbeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.66 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review
Clear and pale yellow in color.
Grainy corn smell and flavor.
Fast foaming head that doesn't last long.
Smooth and crisp with light body. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The "Champagne of Beers" has a draft-in-a-bottle cousin, and it is not remarkably different than High Life. So does this mean it is more of a marketing trend? While it is low cost, High Life is even less, with measurably the same taste. MGD is not really terrible, but neither is it special. And while it has some heritage, it's not nearly as old time as High Life.

Coors - Banquet Beer

Dead Twins

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Coors Banquet Beer
Coors Brewing Company
(MillerCoors)
Golden, CO USA
Est. 1873
www.coors.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Bright yellow color.
Grain smell but not overpowering.
Lots of bubbles in all sizes that leaves a thin head after standing.
Light to medium body and color.
Crisp and drinkable flavor if served chilled. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Any beer around since the 19th century commands to be in the 'Brews of Yesterbeer' being showcased this month. 'Yellow Bellies' in the familiar yellow-and-brown packaging were a bit of a mystery during my youth, as the product never shipped east of the Mississippi river (prior to 1981). The beer needed to be kept refrigerated during shipment due to the brewing process. Coors didn't have a large scale distribution platform back then, but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

A beverage store, just over the border from my home state, had a nondescript dark blue Ford EconoVan with a refrigeration unit. They would make a 2800 mile round trip west to pick up some of these suds. You were in luck on Friday's if that van's hood was still warm...'cause that meant the cold filtered goodness was just inside the store. They never advertised it, so like a speakeasy from the 1930's, you had to know how to approach the cashier and ask. It came at a marked up premium to be sure, but you didn't mind forking over a few extra bucks for a curiosity. Remember, this was in the days before craft beer & micro brews. It had an allure, a panache, a je ne sais quoi you just couldn't find anywhere else.

Today, Coors survives with it's good name intact. This had been done through alliances with other long standing brewers that dared to go up against the 'Big Red White & Blue' juggernaut, that is, AB. Whether it was MolsonCoors or the current MillerCoors, they still have a place in the world's refreshment. Coors has their loyal legions, as noted by their sponsorship of many favorite sporting events in America.

Coors recently added some whimsy with the 'blue mountains' beer-mometer. Check out the cold and warm bottles in the pic above. Oh, about the 'Banquet' moniker...if you can get by the pretense, this beer will make a beach party or picnic seem like a banquet. So, here's to one guy named Adolph that made the world a better place, because of his beer.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Pabst Blue Ribbon
G. Heileman Brewing Company
9014 Heritage Parkway
Woodridge, IL USA
Est. 1844
www.pabst.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Yellow in color.
Grain smell with some hops up front.
Nicely foaming head but it soon dissapears.
Light to medium body and color.
Crisp and smooth flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
There's a song from the 1920's that goes, "...everything old is new again." Well we certainly have a curious case for that song here. This brew pre-dates that song by more than 60 years.

Pabst is a favorite with the newly minted '21' set. Or should that read, nearly 21? I digress. Today's college youth embraces this bracing beer for it's reasonable cost, and relative availability near campuses across America. It's been sooo out there that it has come back in vogue. Cult like, in status. Hip. Even cool, daddy-o!

You already know this beer is named for a prize blue ribbon. And, as recent as 2006 it won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. You gotta' admit, that is cool. But, it gets better...

As many of the old time beers vanished from the face of the earth, Pabst remained steadfast. They survivied by becoming smaller until they became a virtual brewery! In fact, they no longer own any breweries. Instead, the production is farmed out to others for a price. That makes Pabst so hip, that today we could refer to them as an i-Beer. Want more cool? Their bottle tops have surprise playing card values underneath. Play six pack poker with your friends; loser buys the next round! Better still, everyone open their first one and low card is the designated driver for the night...you'll thank yourself later.

Today Pabst has such broad appeal that they maintain a connection to youthful consumers. So get that stereotype out of your head of the old codger sipping one, down at the VFW. Don't believe me? Check out their website. Cool as a case of PBR on ice!

"Don't throw the pa(b)st away!" ...and you'll see that everything old is new again.

Rolling Rock

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Rolling Rock
Latrobe Brewing Company
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1939
www.rollingrock.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear and pale yellow in color.
Simple hops flavor with distinct sweet grain smell.
Quick foaming head which disappears fairly quickly.
Light to medium body and color.
Crisp and smooth flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Here's another golden oldie....

Extra Pale since 1939, it's famous "green and white" painted on label with the horse and paddock fence, nor the Tito brother's formula has changed much. And there's still that mystery of "33" to go along with it's lore. This beer was famously found at picnics, especially those that included a fair game of 'horseshoes'. Clear, clean tasting and refreshing, you can enjoy this simple easy drinker with your favorite BBQ foods and an ear of corn-on-the-cob, (or corn-on-the-bone as we say at our crypt!)

Alas, it has had one change since then. The locale of their famous 'glass lined tanks' has moved from Latrobe PA to St. Louis MO. Anheuser-Busch has added them to their (ahem) stable in order to keep this noble name afloat. The Rock should now get some well deserved national attention, with their new campaign "Born Small Town". Once a regional northeast beer, it was hard to get west of the mighty Mississippi. In its day this beer was the 'Coors of the East'.

Miller High Life

Live Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer 

Miller High Life
Miller Brewing Company
4000 West State Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
Est. 1903
www.millerbeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.7 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear and pale yellow in color.
Grassy flavor with distinct sweet grainy smell.
Soapy, two finger head with just a bit of lacing.
Crisp flavor and smooth finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The "Champagne of Beers" with their distinct girl-over-the-moon on the label, this gal has been around for more than 100 years, still in the original clear long neck bottle. Very recognizable, it's one of the bigger mass produced beers that doesn't put a dent in your budget and still delivers an unpretentious air. Over the years of their advertising, this beer has let you know it is for relaxing with, as in their jingle, "...if you've got the time, we've got the beer!"

Well, I had plenty of time to take in this 12-pack at the budget friendly price of $6.74! Wow....you can pay that much for another pretentiously snobby bottle or draught, down at your local watering hole. For this price I can make eleven friends, too! By the way, the company is now Miller Coors. It seems they have had to make friends with their beer to stay in the game.

Budweiser

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Budweiser
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.budweiser.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear and yellow in color.
Sweet corn smell.
Thin, fast dissipating head with minimal to no lacing.
Crisp flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Here we go...an indulgence into retro beers, or what I refer to as "Brews from Yester-beer." Okay, I know that's corny, but we begin with a brew that everyone knows...Bud. Once the flagship product of AB, it is now supplanted by Bud Light in production and sales.

This beer is one you will always find available in mass quantity, wherever you are. It is the beer we all reach for in the absence of any real beers. It is old, reliable Bud. Good enough for a softball game, a picnic at the beach or pool, or even at weddings, (and sometimes funerals.) Well okay after the funeral.

What with the beginning of the Lenten season and the poor economy, I decided to indulge a fantasy into what were and in some cases still are some great old beers. Stay tuned...