# Beer that was once considered premium but no longer is **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [February 22, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949 "2009-02-22T16:21:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/21 "2009-02-23T00:24:09Z")
> [@Cerowyn](#): > > Just an incredibly minor nitpick: Carling wasn’t a [US] domestic brand until Molson and Coors merged. I’m remembering Black Label (Hey, Mabel!) which was a Carling brand, I think. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/22 "2009-02-23T00:45:12Z")
PBR has also been underwriting some of NPR’s online music programming, so there’s some deliberate outreach to hipsters. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/23 "2009-02-23T00:46:49Z")
Is/wasn’t Heineken supposed to be premium? Now it seems like what guys who drink Bud Light buy to impress girls. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/24 "2009-02-23T01:35:45Z")
Lowenbrau ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/25 "2009-02-23T01:53:28Z")
Man, I still treat Rolling Rock like my high school girlfriend. “From the glass-lined tanks of OLD LATROBE, we tender this premium beer…” ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/26 "2009-02-23T02:03:15Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Man, I still treat Rolling Rock like my high school girlfriend. > > “From the glass-lined tanks of OLD LATROBE, we tender this premium beer…” Except it’s brewed in New Jersey. The glass-lined tanks, they sit idle. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/27 "2009-02-23T15:56:17Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Among Buffalonians, Genesee is considered blue-collar old-man beer, but expats beyond its distribution range will bring cases of it back from Buffalo. In 1993, at a party in Las Cruces, New Mexico, I bought a 12 of Genny Cream, and it drew a couple of other Western New Yorkers expats out of the crowd, both begging for a can. If I bought Genny to a party in Buffalo, it would probably sit untouched in the fridge. Of course, it’s crucial to distinguish between Genesee Beer (pure panther piss) and Genesee Cream Ale (really quite nice). ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/28 "2009-02-23T16:37:01Z")
You can probably also include all those “Red” beers that came out in the mid-90s - Red Wolf, Red Dog, Killian’s Irish Red. They piqued a lot of people’s curiosity when they were introduced. I think they still make Killian’s Red, but I can’t remember the last time I saw either of the other two. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/29 "2009-02-23T16:40:33Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > I’m not quite sure that’s what happened to Pabst. I don’t think it’s become a premium beer. It’s still quite cheap wherever it’s sold. 'K, I guess I was too focused on the buzz and not enough on the buck. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/30 "2009-02-23T16:59:26Z")
“What beers do you have?” “We have Bud, Bud Light, Miller, etc.” “Imports?” “Heineken and Corona!” _siiiiiigh_ “I’ll have a Diet Coke.” ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/31 "2009-02-23T17:08:22Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > “What beers do you have?” That makes me weep every time. “They make Anchor Steam less than two miles away, you jackasses!” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/32 "2009-02-23T17:25:32Z")
Tuborg used to be considered a very high-end brew around here back in the 90’s. Now it’s just an ordinary beer. Still good, though. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/33 "2009-02-23T17:32:30Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I think they still make Killian’s Red… They do (it’s brewed by Coors, which is a client of mine). Not as big as it was during the 90s, but still a respectable seller for them. I think a lot of the “premium” that got attached to one-time hard-to-find beers like Coors was largely due to the mystique…if you can’t get it here, it must be good, right? When I was in college in Wisconsin in the 80s, Illinois folks would go apeshit for Point Beer (from Stevens Point, and generally unavailable in Illinois), but those of us who could get it regularly weren’t impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/34 "2009-02-23T17:52:39Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I think a lot of the “premium” that got attached to one-time hard-to-find beers like Coors was largely due to the mystique…if you can’t get it here, it must be good, right? When I was in college in Wisconsin in the 80s, Illinois folks would go apeshit for Point Beer (from Stevens Point, and generally unavailable in Illinois), but those of us who could get it regularly weren’t impressed. Point has done a mini-Leinie’s, in that they’ve spiffed up their image and introduced new beer styles, including a White Beer (wheat style). I don’t think they’re quite as good as Leinie’s but they’re definitely not swill. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/35 "2009-02-23T18:00:30Z")
I think a lot of it is down to American’s changing taste in beer. Prior to the mid 90’s when it was tough to find any beer that didn’t taste like water, anything that wasn’t Bud Lite was considered premium. Ergo, you had garbage like Heineken, Rolling Rock, or Red Strip considered quality beers. Then, as all the micro-brews became popular and we got more exposed to decent imports, people realized that Stella or Heineken or Corona were really just the Bud Lite of other countries and their reputation took the subsequent hit. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/36 "2009-02-23T18:07:34Z")
Lowenbrau ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/37 "2009-02-23T18:13:21Z")
> [@MichaelQReilly](#): > > Prior to the mid 90’s when it was tough to find any beer that didn’t taste like water Or, as we call it, “canoe beer”, from the old joke, “why is American beer like sex in a canoe?” ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/38 "2009-02-23T18:41:27Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Tuborg used to be considered a very high-end brew around here back in the 90’s. Now it’s just an ordinary beer. > > Still good, though. Ah, Tuborg! I miss it terribly! It used to be available at the big “beverage warehouses” here in the US, but I haven’t seen it in a long time. Anyone know if it’s still available here? Newcastle Brown Ale used to be a special treat; now it’s served in just about every bar here. Not that that’s a bad thing, mind you, but it seems to fit the qualifications of the OP. And Warsteiner’s is pretty much available in most big beer stores for almost the same price as Bud in the local supermarket. I can spend less than $20 for a case and be the hit of any party. And remember when Sam Adams was a big deal? Now, not so much, but still one of the best domestics around. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/39 "2009-02-23T18:47:49Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > Is/wasn’t Heineken supposed to be premium? Now it seems like what guys who drink Bud Light buy to impress girls. Yeah, Heineken was considered premium. At least, I used to pay a premium price for it on the rare occasions that I bought beer. ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949/40 "2009-02-23T19:00:03Z")
To this day, every time I make the car trip from Chicago to D.C., I bring back a 30-pack of Old Style just to impress the friends. Sure, it’s awful beer, but you can’t get it on the East Coast, so it has “mystique.” Plus, it makes all the ex-pat Cubs fans happy when I offer them a fully-krausened cold one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-that-was-once-considered-premium-but-no-longer-is/486949.md?page=3)