Here's a scene of 1950s suburban bliss from the pages of the May 25, 1954
Lorain Journal – a Stroh's Beer ad showing several couples enjoying an outdoor barbecue.
The illustration of the people is kind of interesting. I like how several of them are holding Stroh's beer cans (although the woman on the right is holding her can funny). And I like that classic brick barbecue pit. You see them every once in a while in the backyard of old homes, like this house on Lorain's east side on Missouri Ave.
The focus of the ad is that fire-brewed Stroh's was now available in space-saving cans that cool "in a jiffy." The can design is kind of surprising in that it doesn't incorporate the classic Stroh's script logo. Here's a surviving can, courtesy of eBay. There aren't too many on eBay with this design.
Anyway, I was curious if Stroh's was still brewed in Detroit. After all, at one point Stroh's was the third largest brewing company in the country, producing other beer brands as well, including Schlitz.
Alas, according to the Historic Detroit website, the brewery closed in the mid-1980s. The company itself was broken up and sold to Miller Brewing and Pabst.
However, the beer seems to have made a comeback of sorts in the Motor City. According to its Wiki entry, "In August 2016, Pabst partnered with a brewery in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood called Brew Detroit to begin brewing batches of Stroh's Bohemian-Style Pilsner, a beer derived from an original 1850s Stroh's recipe. The first batch was shipped to area bars, restaurants, and liquor stores on August 22, with special events all across metropolitan Detroit on the 26th.
"On May 4, 2018, Stroh's released its Perseverance IPA, as a Michigan exclusive.
"A version of Stroh's brewed elsewhere (evidently by Pabst) was set to be reintroducted to the Detroit area in 2022."
I guess that's why if you visit the Stroh's website, you are greeted with friendly reminders of the beer's Detroit heritage, even though it is brewed in Wisconsin.
That was the beer of choice in our house. We usually got an eight pack of the non-returnable “squatty” bottles. Todd
ReplyDeleteAs my Dad says........."stroh a party, then stroh up".
ReplyDeleteTodd, I occasionally buy Coors original in the squatty bottles.
Stroh's was a brew that never made it into our house.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Dad drank rot-gut whiskey (Imperial - truly awful stuff).
https://thewhiskeyjug.com/american-whiskey/hiram-walker-imperial-blended-whiskey-review/
Mum, when she drank beer, was strictly a Rolling Rock girl.
In the pony bottles "so you can drink it all before it gets too warm."
No wonder I don't drink much, anymore.
After the Cleveland brews imploded (Leisy's, POC), my relatives moved on to Stroh's, a truly awful beer. I can't imagine anyone wanting to bring it back.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that Stroh's is brewed in Wisconsin. I went to college in that city in the 1960s, when there were many breweries - Schlitz, Pabst, Miller, Blatz, etc. Not sure what remains. I know the Pabst brewery is closed, but I believe Miller is still open. I used to live near its facilities, and the whole neighborhood smelled like beer at certain times.
Back in the day, my cronies and I sometimes drank Red White and Blue beer, which supposedly was what was left after you made Pabst.
ReplyDeleteIt could be had for less than a dollar a sixpack.
I like seeing vintage barbeque pits in people's backyards too Dan.There is one on the northern side of Tower Blvd close to Oberlin Ave.It's up close to the street but looks like it hasn't been used since the 1960's.
ReplyDeleteI've seen one of those brick cook out pits on West 33rd St right where Meister Rd turns into W 33rd.It's all broken up now and a sad reminder of good times that have long gone bad in the city of Lorain.
ReplyDelete