We're all in this together. That was the message of Falstaff commercials I used to hear on the radio in the 70's. Well, we may all continue to be in this together, but it's sadly without Falstaff.
Falstaff beer had its start way back in 1840. That's when German immigrant Adam Lemp established the Western Brewing Company in St. Louis. Lemp created a beer he called Falstaff. Eventually, Lemp's brewery went out of business. In 1920, during Prohibition, a brewer by the name of Papa Joe Griesedieck stepped in and purchased the Falstaff brand name.
Papa Joe, possessing one of the most instantly recognizable names ever pronounced, was struggling, as were most other brewery and distillery owners. His brewery (which was officially renamed the Falstaff Corporation in 1920) produced de-spiked beer, soft drinks, and smoked hams. The mob was giving the public all of the hootch and beer that they wanted, so near-bear was a pretty sad performer in the marketplace (even though I now buy a case of Busch NA every couple of weeks ;-).
In 1933, the government finally repealed Prohibition, and the Falstaff brewery began a period of success that would peak in the mid 60's, my beloved era of childhood memories.
Falstaff was all over the place during that decade. Billboards proclaimed its great taste. Cream sang its praises (Cream_Falstaff_Beer_Spot.mp3). A baseball or football game wasn't watched on the idiot box or listened to on the radio without a Falstaff commercial or two.
I don't know how to explain my fascination with Falstaff. Neither parent drank it. Mom was a Coors gal, dad preferred Miller. But there is a magical quality to the Falstaff name. It sounds good. It is majestic. It is SHAKESPEAREAN!
Ironically, I don't think I ever drank a Falstaff. Back in the day, my parents would risk modern-day charges of child abuse by letting me sip a bit of their preferred libation on occasion, including, as I recall, while sitting at a traffic light in my current hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas during a visit back in 1968. How wrong is THAT?
And once beer started tasting good, at about the age of 18 (1978), Falstaff was confined to the section of the display case which contained Ballentine ale, Hamm's, and Blatz. These once-proud brands were relegated to shells of their formers selves by the the all-too cruel whims of the business world, and were now being brewed by companies which had bought them out and were no longer concerned with the tender care which their founders had given the original products.
Falstaff's demise could be pinned on an ill-conceived acquisition. The company had a history of acquiring smaller breweries, but in 1965, they pushed their luck a little too far when they bought out a firm that you've probably never heard of: Narragansett Brewing Company of Cranston, R.I. Immediately, for some reason, the state of Rhode Island filed antitrust charges. Their attempt to block the sale would fail in court seven years later. It would also cause financial ruin for Falstaff.
The company had to pour lots of stockholder dollars into the legal battle. It also had to face the uncertain economy of the 70's. And there were the advertising blitzes by rivals Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors. The result was that by 1975, they were in dire financial straits. The company was sold to General Brewing, which also controlled Stroh's, PBR, Olympia, and Pearl.
Thus began a slow death of the Falstaff brand which ended in 2005. That year, the General Brewing Company announced the end of the Falstaff brand name due to low volume of sales.
If you Google Falstaff, you;ll find that the beer still has a passionate following. My favorite site that I discovered while researching this piece was http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/. It's NOT a corporate site, it's a site of a fan who grabbed up the domain back in 1999. And it's a truly magnificent accumulation of the brand name's history.
You'll also find sites that pine for the brand, and pray for its resurrection. And I would like to see that myself. Not because of the long-lost taste, but because the name Falstaff was a treasured Boomer memory.
Comments (10)
This is a subject that is near and beer to my heart (2 beers a day increases heart health.) I was never a big fan of Falstaff – I don’t remember it distinctly as I do other brews (Genesee, Schaefer, Pabst, Carling Black Label, Utica Club (with Schultz & Dooley the talking steins,) Rheingold, and Schlitz) but being from New England, I grew up with Narragansett (Hi Neighbor, have a ‘Gansett was the familiar tag line for their commercials.)
‘Gansett came in GIQ’s (Giant Imperial Quarts – 40 Oz.) and for 50 cents (45 cents with a returnable 40 Oz. bottle) one could catch quite a buzz for a buck. (The king of cheap buzzes was hands down a quart of Colt 45 – 60 Cents / quart - 55 with the return.) Narragansett also marketed a fantastic Porter which is kinda like Guiness but not as bitter and you could get seasonal Bock Beer which was also very good.
In the sixties, the domestic beer market was dominated by Budweiser, Miller and Schlitz (oh my) and for some unknown reason in the 1970’s (prolly a pecuniary peccadillo,) Schlitz decided to change its recipe resulting in a lousy beverage and a disaster for the company. Ballantine Ale met a similar fate when Falstaff changed the recipe and produced an inferior product - minus the hoppy, skunky (in a good way) redolence which was addictive. In the late 60’s it was my brew of choice but after it changed, I never returned. Carling Red Cap comes close to the original Ballantine flavor.
Back in the 70’s before Coors was available east of the Mississippi, certain diehard fans of the brew were known to do beer runs to Missouri for cases of the mythical brew which commanded a premium price to pay for the 29 cent/gallon gas. I thought it was terrible – no flavor and no body – but as JIM would aver DE GUSTIBUS NON EST DISPUTANDUM. Some of my friends and I had a similar venture going to Canada fairly regularly for cases of Molson Brador which wasn’t available in the states and like Colt 45 its buzz was legendary – well worth the premium price.
I could go on for pages extolling the subtleties (pro and con) of various brews over the years but I will close by saying my domestic beer of choice is Sam Adams and my favorite imported quaff is Bass Ale but only if it’s on tap.
Posted by Burt | August 5, 2009 5:43 PM
Posted on August 5, 2009 17:43
Ron asks? How wrong is THAT?
In my contrarian opinion NOT WRONG AT ALL and neither is it right. Questions of right and wrong are matters of personal or consensual opinion 99.999% of the time and intrinsically neutral as is this question.
My position on drinking and driving (or while driving - and most disagree with me) is that as long as one can get from point A to point B successfully, without mishap, then no wrong has occurred. OTOH if injury or destruction of property occurs, then the driver IS responsible and will have to answer for the tort.
The majority of people (out of fear) believe that punishment (or threats thereof) for subjunctive torts is a deterrent to the proscribed behavior. The fear of punishment may deter some from acting but if their fear is trumped by desire, pique or reflex, the behavior occurs despite the threat.
Events are binary: They either occur (1) or they do not (0). The master logician, Lewis Carroll regarding the subjunctive, summed it up elegantly: (Tweedle Dee to Alice) “Contrariwise, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic." So until a tort actually occurs, it isn’t real; it’s in one’s imagination (imagining what COULD happen.)
So deeming it child abuse for providing a taste of alcohol (even a substantial taste) to one’s child, arresting someone with an open container of alcohol in their car or on the street, or for registering above the legal blood alcohol limit while driving (by a robotic judge & jury known as a breathalyzer – never submit to one no matter how sober you imagine yourself to be) and the arrested party has only transgressed some statute (it’s just words on a piece of paper – by which a simple majority of legislators has codified it as OK to violently impose their will upon individuals who defy their edict,) I maintain that it is an immoral act on the part of society to commit violence upon that individual.
Posted by Burt | August 7, 2009 5:24 PM
Posted on August 7, 2009 17:24
When I was a teenager in the late 70's, one of my best buddies had a brother who had wrecked several times while sober. However, when drunk (at least 50% of the times he was behind the wheel), he had a perfect record. No tickets, no wrecks.
Politically incorrect, I know, and certainly not to be recommended. But ain't it interesting?
Posted by Ron Enderland | August 7, 2009 5:32 PM
Posted on August 7, 2009 17:32
Ahhhhh Beer! Falstaf was one of the great ones! Many a fine beer was made here in Baltimore. Not to many are still around! I have to say, I started my education on Shlitz and Pittsburgh Iron City. What were we thinking? Lets see...Miller, Red White and Blue, Pabts, Ballantine (Balto Beer) National. Nothing better then a Schaffer Beer and a dog at a Washington Senators game. I never had a falstaf in a can, just a bottle. Anyone for a frosty Peils?
Posted by Riversend | August 11, 2009 8:36 PM
Posted on August 11, 2009 20:36
I can't believe I forgot about Bert & Harry Piel. They were a staple on my 1st TV in 1959. I used to drink Piel's because it was dirt cheap ~$1 per 6 pk.
The cheapest beer I ever found was Fort Schuyler $1.99 a case in 1975 while living above a beer store. It was a Utica Club budget brew and not very good but had a beerish flavor with a terrible finish - I would offer it to droppers in (those to whom I didn't worry about impressing or care if they stopped by again.) It was only drinkable when the day was hot and it was ice cold and one was quite parched.
Posted by Burt | August 12, 2009 4:17 PM
Posted on August 12, 2009 16:17
This would be P...O....P...POP to us..and you know who you are!
Posted by Gail | August 16, 2009 12:26 PM
Posted on August 16, 2009 12:26
Anyone remember Old Export? Wiedemann? Augustiner?
Posted by Rusty | September 24, 2009 12:21 PM
Posted on September 24, 2009 12:21
Mr. Enderland,
Thank you for using my photo without permission. The black and white photo was not taken at a brewery. It was at my grandfathers Falstaff distributorship. Next time, please at least pay homage to family when you nab my photos from the web.
Thanks,
Clay
Posted by Clay | October 20, 2010 11:00 AM
Posted on October 20, 2010 11:00
Clay, I assure you I didn't nab your photo from the web. Every photo I use is either public domain or used with permission. However, I have removed it. Please feel free to jump to conclusions and assume the worst about me anytime.
Ron Enderland
Posted by Bald Guy | October 20, 2010 12:12 PM
Posted on October 20, 2010 12:12
I'm looking for photos of San Fran. '61-'63 of Falstaff brewery. Group guys walked 50 miles(Pres. Kennedy's idea-the walk part I mean) to get some beer, ended up with steaks too. Looking for photos of the event.
Posted by L | March 5, 2011 7:47 PM
Posted on March 5, 2011 19:47