Heilemans Old Style Kraeusened Lager

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

Rating for style, I think this is a solid lawnmower beer. Far better than Bud or Miller. My first sip and I was transported straight back to when I was four years old, and my dad wouldn’t be able to crack open an Old Style without me begging for just one sip. If it’s not the same flavor as the Old Style of yesteryear, it’s pretty damn close. Compared to regular Old Style, it’s got a drier, less sweet finish. If I have to drink light American adjunct macrobrew lagers, this is my go-to beer.

Purchased from Cellars Wine & Spirits in Shorewood, MN and sampled from 12-oz can, pours a clear golden straw brew with a decent white head that slowly dissipates to a thin white ring and film top. A little more golden grain malt and citrus hop aroma than the previous version with a hint of corn. Taste is smoother and not as gritty as the previous version, light bodied, some carbonation with a nice balanced flavors of golden grain malt, corn, citrus hops and a hint of white bread dough. Finish is light, crisp and clean cut with very little aftertaste. Definitely a smoother and easy drinking light beer compared to the previous version but not as semi-sweet as the historical Heileman product of the 1970s and 1980s. A decent session beer for hot summers and mass market light beer drinkers but not a beer geek caliper beer. Along with the recent Schlitz 1960s formula revival I am happy to see another historical brand returned with a decent light beer formula.

Thanks to Skyview for sharing! Yellow color with a medium head. Light grain and corn aroma. Pretty much the same flavor. Cleanly fermented, nothing offensive at all. Certainly drinkable.

9/06/2009: Old Style "Authentically Kraeusened"... I used to drink quite a bit of the "regular" Old Style when I was in college. It was decent but not really that great even then, so I was a bit reluctant to buy this now. But alas, we ran out of beer at our little cookout and the grocery store was the closest place to get some beer that was still opened. Anyway... I was quite pleased with the "new" (old?) Old Style that is "authentically kraeusened" (I know this because it is plastered all over the box and label!). The aroma and flavor are quite similar in that they are malty, slightly sweet, and don’t have an abundance of cereal grain characteristics coming through. There is actually a really mild, but definitely there hoppiness that is just enough to keep everything in balanced. This beer is feel soft in the mouth and goes down extremely smoothly. The alcohol seems like -5% though since I grank 6+ other beers before putting down 6 of these over a 2-3 hour period and felt really quite well! In the end, I was glad that we pulled the trigger on the Old Style and would buy it again in the future.

12 fl. oz. bottles Ɩ) from a 12-pack purchased at Fred Meyer in Aurora, IL and shared by Jason. Rating #19 for this beer.

Pours a clear yellow with a thin, fizzy, white "head" that had a small hole in the center. Within a matter of seconds I watched the hole spread and eat the rest of the head within a matter of 3 seconds or so. Now is completely decapitated. Pils malt aroma with sweet corn and faint hops. Wow. The flavor is actually not that bad. Sweet, but you can tell there are actual beer ingredients in there. It fades away as fast as the head did, in a rush of bubbles. The finish is really clean, all that is left is the feel of sweet water in your mouth and whatever you can burp up. This is a above average macro at least. Not terrible.

Drank from a 12 ounce can. Not bad for what it is. More flavor than Bud or Miller with a nice clean finish and decent carbonation. Drinkable.

12 oz. can shared by Skyview. Clear golden pour with noticeable carbonation and a finger thick white head. Aroma is very straight forward with grains and corn. The flavor is much the same with a faint touch of hops but mainly corn and grains.

12oz 2009 Chicago Cubs Ivy bottle, "-Local Lore- of the Friendly Confines - 4 of 5 While trying to find a ball lost in the ivy, an opposing player once came out firing an empty soda cup instead of the ball. The runner was safe." Pours a very light super clear golden with a fairly decent white frothy head 2.5. Aroma is nice and grassy with some quite sweet malt. You know what, this Kraeusened version isn’t terrible. Bready, malty, for some reason a tad hot though, I think I can actually taste some hops, I’m serious. Light bodied with a fuller mouthfeel, actually pretty clean with softer ubiquitous smooth carbonation. For what purpose this beer is supposed to serve, and living less than 300 ft from Wrigley Field, I understand that purpose PERFECTLY, it really hits the mark; Clean, non-offensive, refreshing, and way more flavor, relatively, than Miller Lite, thats for sure. GO CUBS!!! (oh wait, I forgot I’m a Cards fan!)