# So I bought Hamm's beer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [May 31, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795 "2017-05-31T21:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/1 "2017-05-31T21:07:44Z")
I thought they weren’t selling it anymore but was going for something else and Hamm’s was the only ‘Merikun’ lager they had. So I bought it. Cracked one open. Wasn’t half bad actually. Maybe this belongs under mundane pointless stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/2 "2017-05-31T21:29:10Z")
What color are the waters in the land you come from?? ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/3 "2017-05-31T21:29:55Z")
I’ve never had a single can of Hamm’s beer in my life, yet I instantly remembered [From the land of sky blue waters…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP8JgQxXO8U)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/4 "2017-05-31T21:37:00Z")
My grandfather worked at the brewery in St. Paul his entire working life - it may be the only job he ever had. It isn’t made in St. Paul any longer. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/5 "2017-05-31T21:58:28Z")
Yep. It’s back in distribution, and in tall-boys! I picked up a six-pack a few months ago myself. Not a bad lawnmower beer and it’s perfect for doing brats and making chili. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/6 "2017-05-31T21:59:22Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Maybe this belongs under mundane pointless stuff. Threads about beer definitely belong in CS. Threads about Hamm’s…I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/7 "2017-05-31T22:13:57Z")
I have to admit, I preferred watching the Hamm’s “bear” commercials over watching Yogi Bear cartoons when I was about 5. And that never changed. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/8 "2017-05-31T22:22:38Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > What color are the waters in the land you come from?? In case that’s a whoosh: the Dakota word that became “Minnesota” (where the beer is made) means “sky blue waters.” ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/9 "2017-05-31T22:31:43Z")
I’ve been known to knock back a few when they go on “Super-Sale”. Damn sure better than Coors Light. I’ve also got a couple vintage Hamm’s beer bar signs, that light up and are _very cool._ Not the one you’re all probably thinking of, but good ones none the less. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/10 "2017-05-31T22:37:39Z")
Hamm is a family name, and although not durectly connected with the brewing company, it is still fun to see the name back in circulation. “Hamm’s the beer refreshing, Hamm’s the beer refreshing” ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/11 "2017-05-31T22:46:43Z")
Did Hamm not want it anymore? Was there an estate sale? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/12 "2017-05-31T22:51:58Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Yep. It’s back in distribution, and in tall-boys! I picked up a six-pack a few months ago myself. Not a bad lawnmower beer and it’s perfect for doing brats and making chili. I had a Hamm’s for the first time in many years about five years ago at a local pub that had a “bartender’s choice buck-beer-of-the-night” kind of thing going on. It was okay, but way sweeter than most of the lawnmower beers in its class. Or maybe I was just particularly sweet sensitive that night, who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/13 "2017-05-31T22:52:28Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I’ve also got a couple vintage Hamm’s beer bar signs, that light up and are _very cool._ Not the one you’re all probably thinking of, but good ones none the less. :smack: Crap! They are _Olympia_ signs! :smack: > **[Hamm's Beer Barrel - Bing](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=%2fZti7qc2&id=7FDDA36CD7386D074E6C743E352D912CC5992984&thid=OIP._Zti7qc2pkkuNuJZBDtiSQDhEs&q=Hamm%27s%2BBeer%2BBarrel&simid=607992011400742383&selectedIndex=50&ajaxhist=0)** > > Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/14 "2017-05-31T23:19:22Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Did Hamm not want it anymore? Was there an estate sale? My Uncle tried for years to buy into Shell’s Deer Beer, but the family refused to sell any part of it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/15 "2017-05-31T23:21:22Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > :smack: Crap! They are _Olympia_ signs! :smack: > > [Hamm's Beer Barrel - Search](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=%2fZti7qc2&id=7FDDA36CD7386D074E6C743E352D912CC5992984&thid=OIP._Zti7qc2pkkuNuJZBDtiSQDhEs&q=Hamm%27s+Beer+Barrel&simid=607992011400742383&selectedIndex=50&ajaxhist=0) Forgive me, **Gato** , but the one time I had an Oly (recommended by my Dad), I thought I was gonna spit up dinner from three days ago. The absolute worst; Dad agreed. And was shocked–he loved it in Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/16 "2017-06-01T00:48:50Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Did Hamm not want it anymore? Was there an estate sale? The Hamm family actually sold out in 1965 to Heublein. The brand changed hands a number of times since then and is currently owned by MillerCoors and brewed in Milwaukee. I have no idea whether today’s Hamm’s tastes anything like the original formula. Did the original Hamm’s formula include corn syrup? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/17 "2017-06-01T01:22:52Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Forgive me, **Gato** , but the one time I had an Oly (recommended by my Dad), I thought I was gonna spit up dinner from three days ago. The absolute worst; Dad agreed. And was shocked–he loved it in Seattle. Olympia was bought by Pabst in 1999 and has since moved production to a MillerCoors facility in Southern California. So depending on your timeline, your dad probably did drink a different beer. Of course, it was never a premium, top-of-the-line beer. There might also be some overly-fond memories involved. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/18 "2017-06-01T01:34:19Z")
[music]Here in the big beer-drinkin’ brotherhood of Hamm’s![/music] They had cartoon bears first (in my recollection anyway). One of them changed the second E in “beer” on a Hamm’s billboard to an A. They were fun commercials. I liked them just fine. Then they switched to a live action thing of a guy and his pet bear moving from bar to bar in lumberjack territory. Very uninteresting next to the cartoon bears. I have probably told this story before–my son was passionately interested in Broadway musicals when he was a kid and kept coming home from the library with a CD of something he didn;t know. One night I’m sitting at my desk and vaguely working while vaguely listenig to his music–a show I wasn;t very familiar with, How to Succeed in Business w/out Really Trying. All of a sudden a very familar song comes on. “Hey!” I call out. “Why is there a beer commercial in this show?” (It wasn;t a beer commercial, of course…still, “there is a brotherhood/Of Hamm’s” is awfully close to “there is a brotherhood/Of Man” and I think the mistake was understandable.) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/19 "2017-06-01T01:37:58Z")
Michigan here. I don’t drink at all anymore, but Hamm’s is available here for around $10-$12 for a 30 pack and has been the last few years. I have never had it. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795/20 "2017-06-01T02:01:44Z")
Yeah, **Burpo** , Oly’s not the best, but the signs are still cool! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-bought-hamms-beer/787795.md?page=2)