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Author Topic: STROH'S?  (Read 4299 times)

Offline flapjack

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STROH'S?
« on: August 13, 2010, 07:52:22 pm »
Just stopped by a new liquor store with my brother in Chicago & spotted Stroh's. We used to drink this in high school, about 20 years ago ???, but seemed to vanish off the market soon after. Had to pick up a 6 pack just for fun, not that great. Does anybody know what happened to them? is this a big comeback like Schlitz and others like them?
James
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Offline wingnut

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2010, 08:08:40 pm »
The Detroit brewery that made Stroh's closed in the early 80's.  (About the time my Grandpa had to give up beer due to diabetes... coincidence? Stroh's, Schlitz, Old Milwalkee are all the same company... until about 2000 when Pabst bought a section of the company.

Since Pabst re-introduced Schlitz, it makes sense that they would do Stroh's as well.  Heck maybe they will come back with Schaefer as well... another brand made by the Stroh's/Schlitz/Old Milwalkee company.

Enjoy
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Offline The Professor

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2010, 09:14:54 pm »
The Detroit brewery that made Stroh's closed in the early 80's.  (About the time my Grandpa had to give up beer due to diabetes... coincidence? Stroh's, Schlitz, Old Milwalkee are all the same company... until about 2000 when Pabst bought a section of the company.

Since Pabst re-introduced Schlitz, it makes sense that they would do Stroh's as well.  Heck maybe they will come back with Schaefer as well... another brand made by the Stroh's/Schlitz/Old Milwalkee company.

Enjoy
Schaefer has been continuously available since the original brewery closed and it's been a Pabst brand for quite a few years.  Of course the current beer  is an imposter, as Schaefer was one of those rare BMC beers of years gone by that always had a bit more character than some of the others. 
The brewery that Schaefer built in Allentown, PA (which Stroh acquired and eventually wound up in Pabst hands)  is now owned by Boston Brewing. 
It's a very nice plant, too.
AL
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Offline gsandel

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2010, 09:15:56 pm »
Stroh's bought out Old Milwaukee and closed their own Detroit production facility in the 80's (the first of many plant closings in the 80's).  I think the Stroh's brands got broken up and sold off in about 2000.  Pabst got Stroh's.  I think Stroh's is notable (and I liked it as a child) as they, like most of us "Fire Brewed" their beer until the end.....therefore Stroh's was dark p*** colored.  I will look for Stroh's on my liquor store shelves to see if it can be a decent lawnmower beer.

And, for fun facts, the morning crew on (as The Dick the Bruiser Band) WRIF-FM in Detroit released a parody of Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" called "After the Brewery on Gratiot is Gone"...if you can find it, it is a great beer song (along with a parody of 96 Tears" called 96 Beers...and a few other fun parodies from the 80's).

You wouldn't believe the things I've seen...

Offline BrewingRover

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2010, 07:55:15 am »
Here's a pretty good article about the old regional breweries. It's from 2008, so some of the info is probably out of date.
http://www.salon.com/life/food/eat_drink/2008/08/11/cheap_beer

Rainier gets a bit of a bad rap in there. They sold "Ale" in green bottles, which was the Green Death, a high ABV malt liquor that tasted nasty but was a cheap way to get hammered. They had a decent lager that I preferred to BMC back in the pre-craft days in Utah
It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.

Offline weithman5

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2010, 09:00:43 am »
speaking of Ranier, I used to drink Ranier dark on tap in the wheelhouse tavern in bremerton, wa.  only place i ever saw it.  not bad.  and speaking of used to be good (other thread) i loved the old henry weinhard's.  tried the stuff by - i think - snake river brewing company and just not the same
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Offline gordonstrong

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2010, 10:41:02 am »
Wow, Schaefer.  I had forgotten about them.  "Schaefer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one."

Probably the first beer I ever tried, in 5th grade or something when I snuck one from the fridge. I thought it was made in NY. Geez, this would have been the early '70s, probably.
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Offline dhacker

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2010, 10:41:25 am »
Back in 1977/ 78 I drank enough Stroh's to float a battleship. That was the session beer for me and the guys I hung out with. There was also a fair amount of Old Style, Schmidt, Lucky Bock and Hamm's to go around. Oh, and Little Kings Creme Ale!

Wish I could find Stroh's around here to give it a modern day taste drive.  
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Offline The Professor

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2010, 01:12:09 pm »
Wow, Schaefer.  I had forgotten about them.  "Schaefer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one."

Probably the first beer I ever tried, in 5th grade or something when I snuck one from the fridge. I thought it was made in NY. Geez, this would have been the early '70s, probably.

It was made in NY ...they already had older breweries in Brooklyn and Albany and built the new plant in Allentown in 1971.  I'm pretty sure that they closed all of the older plants by the end of the 70's.

Schaefer also made an interesting deep amber colored Bock Beer, with a very roasty and intensely nutty quality.

When Stroh acquired the plant  they installed direct fire kettles to maintain authenticity of the Stroh products. 
AL
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Homebrewer since July 1971

Offline euge

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2010, 12:00:18 am »
Schaefer. Drank my fair share of that. I remember my friend paying $40 of our money for 2 cases of it in Nuevo Laredo. I was like WTF???!!! (thinking surely he should/could have bought mucho mas Tecate for mucho less) and he replied "it's imported..."

Stroh's was an OK beer. Drank it often in high-school.
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Offline noonancm

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Re: STROH'S?
« Reply #10 on: August 21, 2010, 10:50:45 am »
I am glad to see someone else grew up drinking stroh's.

When I first started brewing several years ago and before my computer crashed with my brewing notes, I once brewed a batch that had a taste similar to something that I had had but I couldn't put my finger on it. That is, until the last few bottles when I realized that it was very similar in the hops to Stroh's. Ever since then, I have been on a quest to learn what hops did Stroh's use. The current official website says they use now cascade and willamette but that is for the new stroh's.

Does any anyone have an idea what the hops they used?