The Classic Midwest Beer That’s Getting Harder And Harder To Find

Today’s crowded beer landscape is brimming with high-quality craft beers produced and distributed on a local or regional scale. This may seem like a fairly new development in an age where national and international brands dominate liquor store shelves. But long before nationwide distribution became the norm, many beers were consumed close to where they were brewed. In the Midwest, Stag was one such brand. First in Belleville, Illinois – just across the Mississippi River from St. Produced by Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, Stag has grown to become one of the region’s best-known labels. However, the evolving industry environment will make this vintage beer difficult to find.

Stag was introduced in 1906 as a Christmas season special at the Western Brewery in Belleville. Its official name was later determined through a public competition. The beer later became a year-round offering. At one point, the company also adopted the slogan “Golden Quality Since 1851,” a reference to the brewery’s founding date rather than Stag’s own debut.

Stag will stand out as one of the first breweries in the area to resume production after Prohibition halted operations. By the mid-20th century, increasing popularity brought the brand to Belleville-St. Louis area. At its peak, it reached 22 states. St. In the St. Louis metro area, Stag was one of the leading beers, outselling even national brands in some markets. Its simple, slightly hoppy, American-style, golden beer profile, along with affordable pricing and consistent availability, helped lock in Stag as an everyday beer for generations of Midwesterners.

Read more: This Is How You Ruin Your Beer

What happened to Stag?

By the late 20th century, the American beer industry was undergoing rapid consolidation, with major brewers absorbing many once-independent regional labels. (An important reason for this is Many of your favorite beers are owned by the same establishment.) Accordingly Illinois Digital Research LibraryIn 1979, G. Heileman Brewery purchased Stag’s Belleville factory, which had already been sold several times in the mid-1900s. The new parent company was later named Bond Corporation Holdings Ltd. merged with. This period of ownership was interrupted by the closure of the Stag facility in 1988, ending more than a century of brewing at the facility.

After the Belleville brewery closed, Stag continued to exist as a brand under corporate management. The label ultimately became part of Pabst Brewing Company’s portfolio and continues to exist today. It is now produced through contract brewing. As of 2019, this was through MillerCoors, which became Molson Coors after another merger. Stag remains a legacy label rather than an independent brewery product.

Although its popularity has waned since its mid-century peak, Stag Golden Lager continues to be available at both retailers and various taverns in select Midwestern markets. Even decades after the Western Brewery’s closure, it continues to carry local significance and pride.

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Read Original article on Mash.