Falstaff Beer: Kerouac's brand on his last day

Back about 20 years ago (in my childhood) I remember Falstaff Beer being a fairly prevalent brand (at least in northern Illinois). After that it just faded from existence. I was under the impression that the brand suffered a demise and that the brewery went out of business... Until a few weeks ago when I saw a couple cases at the local liquor store. I picked up a case and found it to be pretty much on par with the typical domestic brands - a nice inexpensive beer. On my next trip it was out of stock. I'm just curious to know if anyone is familiar with it or the brewery, and if it's available anywhere else.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Schlumpf University of Illinois snipped-for-privacy@deja-vu.aiss.uiuc.edu snipped-for-privacy@uicvmc.aiss.uiuc.edu

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is Falstaff Beer still being made? I haven't seen one in many years.

Of literary/poetry interest, on the day Jack Kerouac died, he was sitting in his armchair, watching "Galloping Gourmet" with the sound turned off, classical music playing, working on his last [incomplete] novel, "Beat Spotlight". He ate a can of tuna, and was sipping whiskey from his flask, which he chased with beer [Falstaff]. One account has it that when he popped the top on the Falstaff, it was the begining of the end... he made it to the bathroom, collapsed, and later in the day, died.

His last words: "Stella, I hurt."

Falstaff was, of course, a reference to one of Shakespeare's most beloved characters, as well as the subject of a great, overlooked Orson Welles film... anyone have any info on the current status of Falstaff? Is it still available somewhere? Will

formatting link

Reply to
Will Dockery
Loading thread data ...

Apparently, Falstaff Beer still exists, in name, if not the actual original beer:

formatting link

Reply to
Ironywaves

If you're a fan of Falstaff (or Ballantine Ale or Carling or many other small, long-gone breweries' beers) that's a great site but it's a "fan" site, not a company site.

The company, S&P, that bought Falstaff Brewing Co. also owned General Brewing (Lucky Lager) on the West Coast, and eventually bought the famous Pearl Brewery in Texas as well. Eventually they took over the Pabst company and it's by that name they are now known. They don't brew any beer, but instead have Miller make all their beers for them- and they own MANY of the once famous local and regional brands of the US. See their website for just a partial listing-

formatting link

Reply to
yournamehere

Thanks, I'll check that out! Will

formatting link

Reply to
Ironywaves

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.