Interesting to see reports on a back to the basics trend in beer buying by young-uns in the US:
Among the recent bright spots was the quirky story of Pabst, which caught on early this decade with young hipsters in Portland, Ore., and its popularity spread out. Without initial prompting, "PBR" became a symbol of authenticity and cool. It has been enjoying double-digit growth every year since 2003, said Pabst brand manager Neal Stewart. Consumers like these beers in part because they cost less than fancy imports or craft brews. They also can play on happy memories of simpler days - maybe of Granddad swigging a beer while barbecuing, said Darrell Jursa, managing partner with Liquid Intelligence, a Chicago marketing agency that has Pabst as a client.Utica Club and Rheingold from New York as well as Yuengling from Pennsylvania (the last of which I have reviewed) as also taking advantage of this trend, according to the article I link to above. Keith's beer, the IPA that isn't an IPA, with its heavy use of advertising and humour would be the Canadian version, I suppose, but it is also sold as a bit of a premium beer - another form of humour to anyone who grew up in Halifax.Jursa also mentions that you are what you drink. Just like a club hopper ordering Grey Goose vodka could be signaling she's like the urban sophisticates of "Sex in the City," a Pabst drinker could be showing he is beyond the mainstream. The challenge for brewers is to tap into that anti-establishment streak without seeming too establishment. Pabst managed by tailoring marketing to its young drinkers. It sponsored skateboarding film premieres, Vespa scooter rallies and art gallery openings.
Comments
chef 'em out - June 19, 2005 1:20 PM
UC (Utica Club), brings back memories. Used to buy it as a kid, sometimes $.88 a sixer.
blork - June 20, 2005 2:36 PM
I love that image of the old UC can. Do you remember those cans? They were so strong you could practically stand on one without denting it. These days, when you see someone crush a lightweight aluminum can with their hand it means nothing -- a baby could do it. But back in the day, if you could crumple a can like that it meant you had a fist like a jackhammer!
Alan - June 20, 2005 4:36 PM
I like the ram sticking its head out of the stein. The ram is the traditional symbol of bock.
Julia - June 20, 2005 11:48 PM
My mom is hoping they bring back Schultz and Dooley for commercials. I don't know if I'm spelling that right, but apparently the talking beer steins were quite a hoot.
Eric Becker - September 23, 2011 7:37 PM
Utica Club, Schiltz, PBR, Ballantine XXX, and Schaefer--on a hot summer day, you can't beat 'm. Just make sure that they're ice cold.
Steve Gates - September 25, 2011 10:16 PM
It was the summer of '79 when a highschool buddy and I purchased a 24 of Labatt's Grand Prix, this new and exciting entry into the Ontario beer market. We started to hit the beer hard in preparation for a combination Rush and Max Webster concert at the Memorial Centre in Kingston. To our astonishment and fledgling beer tastes this beer was horrible, we quickly nicknamed it Goat Piss for the prominent GP on the label. Bearing in mind we were cheesy highschoolers, we hammered the beer back anyways and promptly became enebriated enough to attend the concert which was played in the true 70's style...loud and nasty. Retro beer memories are always great and it usually has nothing to do with the brand, type or style of beer consumed.... it has everything to do with company you keep.