A review of...Stroh's?

by Jack Horzempa originally posted on Beer Advocate

Editor's Note:  Jack is a longtime friend of the store. An extremely knowledgeable home brewer, brewing some of the best beer I have ever tasted. Jack's palate is well seasoned and he has been a valuable source of beer expertise to the store. He has graciously allowed us to repost his review/posts from Beer Advocate where he has achieved Poo-bah status. Since joining Beer Advocate 12 yrs ago, Jack has posted more than 20,000 times and earned over 25,000 likes. 

In this first repost Jack reviewed a beer some of us remember from our younger days. But this isn't the Stroh's some of us shotgunned in college...

The first time that I had a Stroh’s beer in my hand was a loooong time ago. I was just a couple of years out of college and I was invited to a Fourth of July picnic/party. One of the beers available there was Stroh’s and since this was the first time I have actually seen this beer I figured I would give it a try. The only thing I really knew about Stroh’s was their advertising slogan of “Fire-brewed” and since at that time I knew nothing of the brewing process I was uncertain what meaning this had. As I was drinking my first can of Stroh’s (and yes I did drink it from the can) I heard some guy at the party loudly exclaim: “Who brought Stroh’s? I hate that beer, it gives me gas!!” I will admit that this statement gave me a bit of pause but I thought to myself: who is this loud mouthed Bozo and what does he know? I am glad to report that I did not suffer any gas issues, well no more than usual.


I am guessing (older) folks who originate from Michigan have a pretty good understanding of Stroh Brewing Company but for the uninitiated (like me) a few details. Stroh Brewing Company was started by Bernhard Stroh in 1850 in Detroit, Michigan so this was one of the early breweries started by German immigrants (e.g. Schlitz – 1849, Miller – 1855). Wikipedia makes the claim that Bernhard Stroh “immediately started producing Bohemian-style pilsner”. Sometime in the 1960s a decision was made to expand distribution of Stoh’s beer and by the late 1970’s: ”By 1978, Stroh's served 17 states when it produced 6.4 million barrels of beer.” In the early 1980’s Stroh Brewing purchased Schaefer Brewing Company which included the Schaefer brewery near Allentown, PA which is reportedly the last large efficient brewery in the US not built by one of the major national brewers. My guess is this was the timeframe when Stroh’s was first made available in my area of Pennsylvania (SEPA). Two years after the Schaefer purchase, they beat out Heileman in the race to buy the failing Schlitz - which leapfrogged Stroh into the #3 brewer in the US (behind only AB and Miller) with 13% of the US market, selling 23.5 m bbl. yr. With Schlitz came 4 modern breweries (CA, TX, NC, TN), with capacities of 3-6 million barrels a year and what would become Schlitz best selling beer for much of its last two decades - the "popular-priced" Old Milwaukee.

In the mid-1990s, Stroh added to its already large brand portfolio (and to its problems) by taking over the failing Heileman, accumulating dozens of more brands and a few more breweries. Well, as with many Regional Breweries all good things must come to an end and Stroh’s sold their brands to Pabst and Miller in 1999. Present day beers with the Stroh’s label are Pabst products brewed at Miller breweries via contract brewing.

But wait, there is more!

In August 2016, a brewery in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood called Brew Detroit began brewing batches of Stroh's Bohemian-Style Pilsner* beer. And this brings us to today’s beer: Stroh’s Bohemian-Style Pilsner.

On the back label of the bottle is the following story:

“Established in 1850, the Stroh Brewing Co. is proud to honor our brewing heritage by reintroducing Stroh’s Bohemian-Style Pilsner. Our Master Brewer has crafted an exceptional European-style pilsner in the heart of Detroit, using Saaz and Magnum hops with Vienna Malt. The result is a crisp, balanced pilsner with a floral aroma, subtle hop spice, and a rich, bready maltiness. Brewed for everyday enjoyment, this is a Bohemian-Style Pilsner worthy of the Stroh’s name.”

Well, I will frankly admit that this has me salivating but can a small brewery in Detroit suitably create a beer like Bernhard Stroh brewed in 1850? We shall see.

Served in a new Christmas present – Firestone Walker Pivo Pils glass

Appearance:

A nice medium golden color with a BIG rocky white head. Nice Belgian Lace as the beer is consumed.

Aroma:

The first smell that I perceive is Pilsner Malt aroma (sweet-ish & cracker/biscuit like) and in the background is some herbal/spicy hop aromas.

Taste:

The flavor for the most part follows the nose. The Pilsner Malt flavors are there but there is more here from a malt flavor perspective; there is a depth of malt flavor which I presume is from a judicious addition of Vienna Malt to the grain bill. The hop flavors of herbal/spicy is more prominent resulting is a pleasing balance of the malt and hop flavors. There is a firm bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a pleasant dry-ish finish.

Overall:

This is a very tasty Bohemian Pilsner beer. I found the balance of malt and hop flavors to be an excellent feature of this beer. When I was finished I very, very much wanted a second Stroh’s Bohemian-Style Pilsner.

I have no absolute way of knowing but I strongly suspect that Bernhard Stroh would be very proud of this rendition of his beer and would be very happy seeing his name on the label.


I have two other new Pilsners in my existing inventory and I have another locally produced Pilsner ‘on my radar screen’ for purchase. Stay tuned!!

Cheers!

*please note that this beer is currently not available in PA