Though I never really realized it was gone, the one with Gusto, Schlitz, is making a triumphant return. But not in a Rolling Stones style victory lap…no siree, Schlitz is re-booting like Batman and coming back in his full-on 60s glory. Okay, not like Batman at all. But 60s! The hipsters will totally be off the PBR any day now.
Witness the all-too-familiar tale:
Wortham says that Schlitz fell victim to the industry trend in the 1970s when breweries accelerated the brewing process and used cheaper ingredients – all with the goal of cutting costs.
Turns out “that no one associated with the brand even knew the original recipe anymore. The brewmaster Bob Newman had to track down Schlitz employees and brewers from the 1960s to piece together the formula” and then dickered with the results until something approximating the recalled flavor was achieved. Thus, the “Classic 60’s Formula” was born. The audience seems appreciative:
Kyle Wortham, director of marketing for the Chicago-based beer brand, tells me the old formula has been a big hit among beer drinkers in the Midwest markets where it has already been rolled out, sparking many a trip down memory lane. “They light up when they have this beer that they haven’t had in 30 or 40 years,” Wortham says. “We heard a lot of PG and a lot of R-rated stories from these guys.”
Um: neat? I appreciate the journalistic restraint in not laying any of the PG-13 stories on us. That’s really something to save for the big reveal of 60s-style Busch.
The NYT article linked above describes the “new” old flavor as:
a surprisingly smooth, full lager, slightly sweet with malt and a little bitter with actual hop flavor
Which, to me, doesn’t sound all that different from the high-temperature fermented corn syrup that was Schlitz until not so very long ago. But: time will tell…because (hold on to your hats, boys): Boston is a roll-out city. And, when you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer.
Lemkin 