Heilemans Old Style

Pabst Brewing Company
Brewed at Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors)
Style: Pale Lager
Woodridge, Illinois USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, English pint, Lager glass, Shaker

I had this at the Mutiny in Chicago while watching a friends band play. Definitely a beer to enjoy in either a dive bar or at a Cubs game. I don’t really buy the whole "krauezining" marketing speak that they have, it tastes like every other mass produced lager but maybe a tad creamier? I don’t know, it’s not bad but I can’t say it’s very good.

A: The pour is an extremely light yellow color with a white head that dissipates quickly. S: An incredibly sweet and sugary nose, much more so than most adjunct lagers. Lots of metallic notes though, almost like a faceful of coins. T: Not quite as metallic flavor-wise, but still there. Very sugary and sweet with a moderate amount of corn. Not really any hop flavor to speak of, but I’m not at all surprised. M: The body is incredibly light, but not really watery. The carbonation is moderate. D: Too metallic on the nose and really, really sweet. But the flavor isn’t as offensive as it could have been. Score one in the moral victory column.

What kind of sicko goes around taking notes on Old Style..oh well. Bottle at Empty Bottle. Pale Lager factory aroma. Macro swill all the way, but relatively smooth and easy for what it is. Mellow Cream Ale notes. A somewhat hollow beer, to say the least. Clean and drinkable with almost no hop tones, just some faint soapy balance. A touch classier than most BMC trash, but still sub-par all the way.

Before craft beer got started this was the Chicago beer. Bars still sometimes only have the Old Style sign out front and no name. The first beer I ever tasted. It even has that strange Old Style taste. Serving: Bottle, Can, and tap

OK, Old Style holds a fond place in my heart since it was the "get drunk" beer of choice in the old college days. Moving away to Houston from Chicago for ten years a couple of years after graduation made me long for Old Style (VERY rare in Houston at the time - don’t know about now) - and White Castle as well :) In my opinion it has a nicer bitterness (that does not last however) than the other single-digit and lower-double-digit macro brewery crappy offerings. OK, it’s really the "absence makes a heart grow fonder" that keeps me coming back....but, hey, I like it every once in a while.

Old Style.....This was a popular regional beer in the Mid-West when i was growing up, but went out of business at some point. Miller purchased the rights to their name and they are back in business. Not sure if the beer tastes the same as it use too....i was to young back then. I would like to imagine it does. This beer poors a light yellow with lots of little bubbles. The aroma is nothing special. The taste is similiar to other American lagers, but somehow unique. Finishes clean and a little soft. I’ll drink this one over a Busweiser, even if only for sentimental reasons.

Can- Beer has a pale golden color with a decent head and high carbonation. The aroma seems to be slightly grainy. It has a light refreshing taste and was surprisingly smooth. I consider this beer drinkable, especially at group outings that calls for mass quantities of ice cold beer. I would select this beer hands down over a light beer.

Beer of choice for North side (Chicago) hipsters. On par with Bud, Miller, etc. You can get it cheap though.