What’s a beer you’re nostalgic about that is no longer available? Possibly even one that helped convince you to be a craft beer lover.
One of the first to come to mind for me is Bert Grants Scottish Ale.
Genesee 12 Horse Ale. Not completely unavailable, but only an occasional limited release. What was once a ubiquitous beer in my area has now become impossible to find.
I lived outside Philadelphia for a couple of years in the early 80’s and that was one I drank a lot of. Was often my go-to beer at a bar, along with Rolling Rock. Every place had them. I learned that a beer and a shot of ginger schnapps was a thing at the local watering holes.
Generic Our Family Brand
All of Otter Creek’s core line before Harpoon took them over, especially Stovepipe Porter and their Pale Ale.
Two Brothers here in the Chicago area had a pale ale called The Bitter End. It was a nice, middle-of-the-road pale ale that did not feature fruity, citrusy hops. I believe it’s gone in favor of new styles. Anyone remember JW Dundee’s Honey Brown Ale? I know that it probably makes people want to point and laugh at me but when I was 20 or so it was the first beer I tried that was not Miller Lite or Strohs or something. I liked it but haven’t seen it in awhile.
Another angle of this conversation is “beer that used to be one way and it’s still available now but tastes totally different”. A lot of beers have completely changed. I feel like Fat Tire has undergone many recipe changes. My dad used to love Labatt’s Blue. When he fished in Canada, he said it was one of the best beers he ever had. Then he found some in the US but the label was different and the bottle was green instead of brown and he said it was terrible.
1800’s London Porter.
I recently was thinking about beers I drank in my youth, whether they are still being made, and if I would still like them:
Moosehead (The moose is loose! I had a t-shirt), Lowenbrau, and Pete’s Wicked Ale.
And in the morbid curiosity department: Haffenrefer, the perpetually skunked beer with puzzles on the cap, and Red, White, and Blue.
Pete’s Wicked is another I drank a lot of in my early days of becoming a more discerning beer drinker - I craved that stuff.
Puck, North Coasts Brewing petite saison. They stopped making it a couple years ago.
Wow. I didn’t know they came that far south. Cool find!
Moose head!!!
We have quite a few moose around here now, we see them pretty regularly and their poop and tracks even more.
I can’t find it where I moved a few years back, But I miss being able to get any of the beer from St Peters brewery in Suffolk UK
Twenty five or so years ago, I used to find Berliner Kindl at specialty beer stores. I wish that was still around these days to show people what a Berliner Weisse is supposed to taste like.
I second missing Pete’s Wicked Ale, but you never knew what the beer would be like since it was contract brewed at several places. Really enjoyable when right, but could be completely forgettable.
Another one that I miss, is Becks Dark. Nothing spectacular, but entirely enjoyable.
Did you have Schultheis back in the day? Very different, some say more traditional.
No, I was never able to find it.
Two regionals from Deschutes’:
Buzzsaw Brown Ale - Nice chocolatey American Brown Ale with a nice NW piney hop profile. It’s been gone at least 10 or 15 years now.
Twilight Ale - This used to be their summer beer until about 3 years ago. It was a really poundable American Blonde with a citrusy hop bill that only hit about 28 IBUs. Less caramel and less bitterness than Mirror Pond.
This was my goto lawnmower beer in the summer until they stopped making it a few years ago. Sad to see both go.