Bringing back Ballantine
 

My dad used to drink Ballantine, and everyone I've asked who's at least my age remembers it. Here's a great story about Pabst’s Master Brewer’s efforts to bring back the original Ballantine IPA, very possibly the first IPA brewed in the US, as far back as 1878.

It reminds me of my brother-in-law's wedding reception back in '74. His grandmother, a farmer in her 80's, arrived at the door and one of her grandchildren asked if they could get her a beer. No dear, she said, bring me an ale. She got a Ballentine. I never tried the stuff. I will make it a point to if they bring it back. I am, however, prepared for disappointment.

A childhood friend collected beer cans and bottles, and amassed a pretty good sized collection as a teenager in the 1970s (with plenty of help from his parents). My parents primarily drank Rolling Rock and Black Label in those days, so as a little kid I wouldn't have encountered many other brands were it not for this friend. Of those that stick out in my mind, Ballantine is pretty prominent -- also, Champale and Pink Champale.

Mable! Black Label!

I can picture it too. I'm sure Ballentine is one of the brands my father bought in quarts for Wednesday night poker games with his buddies. Pale green label with 3 rings? The Wednesday night beer fridge would consist of Ballentine, Schlitz, Miller, Utica Club, Piels, Schafer, Narragansett or Genessee - whatever was cheapest.

It appears that sales of the reincarnated Ballentine IPA will begin in the northeastern US. I hope it eventually shows up here in the Midwest; I'd like to try it for old times' sake, at least.

One year my parents and two other couples went as a six-pack of Black Label for Halloween (using trash cans with the bottoms cut off, I think. As beer labels go, painting a Black Label is probably easier than most.

During the 17 years of my adult life that I went without a drink, I would swear that Black Label made the least offensive non-alcoholic beer. I can find no reference to it on the internet, however.

Really? Google 'mabel black label' and you get 164,000 hits!

Oh, you're talking about a "non-alcoholic version". I also have no memory of that.

Actually, here's a picture:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carling-Blac...-/261147496965

If memory serves, I seem to recall that there is a Ballantine can in one of the display exhibits at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian. Kind of in the same area as Archie Bunker's chair.

I was kind of into beer can collecting for awhile and it is amazing how many regional brands of beer in the US once existed. Seems like most (including Ballantine)were long ago absorbed by one of the majors.

What happened to them all? It's lousy there's no variety at the bottom now. It's natty, keystone or the bud/miller/coors lights.

You answered your own question. You could probably track most of those old labels to an acquisition by one of the above. In the case of Ballantine it appears that it went Ballantine->Falstaff, then eventually Pabst->Miller, who apparently only markets the Ballantine brand, not the original recipe.

I believe that's it! You would think I'd have clearer memories from that era.

It looks like Pabst snapped up a lot of the old low end brands: Pearl, Lone Star, Olympia, Schafer, Piels.

If Ballentine makes a comeback, what's next - Andeker?

If they bring back Ballentine, it's essential that they bring back the rebuses on the inside of the bottle caps! I think I still have a couple of the rebus caps from old Ballentine bottles somewhere in my house...