Help me remember this brand of beer!

March 27, 2006 7:40 AM

Dad used to drink a specific brand of beer 10+ years ago, and I can't remember what kind it was!

I believe it was a German beer, but very well might not have been. The bottle was short and stocky, similar to Red Stripe, with a similar colored glass.

It's most unique characteristic was a small picture-word game on the under side of each bottle cap. Something like a picture of a police badge + a picture of an X under a blanket = "undercover cop," with the solution left out so you could guess. Horrible example, I know, but hopefully you get the idea.

Unfortunately, Dad's completely clueless when I describe this to him, and he claims to have no idea wtf I'm talking about, so he's not much of a help. Anyone out there have any idea what beer I might be talking about?

posted by nitsuj to food & drink (19 comments total)

Pearl beer had a picture-word game but was a cheap American lager.
posted by poodlemouthe at 7:50 AM on March 27, 2006

Ranier Beer also had these rebus-style puzzles under their caps. Here's a website with solutions to those.
posted by Chrischris at 7:55 AM on March 27, 2006

Ballantine also had the puzzles.
posted by Otis at 7:57 AM on March 27, 2006

Lucky Lager, too.
posted by fandango_matt at 8:06 AM on March 27, 2006

Looks like pearl & ballantine were both made by pabst. FWIW, a case of pearl just sold last week on e-bay for $20. I'm not sure when they stopped making the stubbies
posted by poodlemouthe at 8:06 AM on March 27, 2006

Sterling? Gerst? Wiedmann?

All were made in Evansville, Indiana and about 10 years ago were on the list of your budget beers as the Brewery in Evansville was in its last death throes. All used the cheaper, stubby bottles at the time as they could get them cheap from the local manufacturer who was also on its way out.

I recall buying a full case of Wiedmann in about 1996 for $4, let me repeat that in case I was unclear, I bought 24 of the fat stubby bottles of Wiedmann for four US dollars. So, if your father is a connoisseur of the, shall we say, more thrifty brews it might have been one of these.
posted by Pollomacho at 8:07 AM on March 27, 2006

The puzzles and the shape of the bottle sound like you're describing Lucky Lager.
posted by fandango_matt at 8:11 AM on March 27, 2006

Could also be Olympia Beer, as I remember drinking it in the stubby bottles Red Stripe-ish bottles. Here's a page showing the puzzles from both Ranier and Olympia caps.
posted by dual_action at 8:16 AM on March 27, 2006

I think it might have been Lucky Lager.
posted by mwhybark at 8:19 AM on March 27, 2006

Nope. It's Haffenreffer.
link.
posted by tom_g at 8:35 AM on March 27, 2006

Haffenreffer?
posted by popechunk at 8:38 AM on March 27, 2006

I'll get you someday, tom_g, if it's the last thing I do!
posted by popechunk at 8:39 AM on March 27, 2006

Haffenreffer.

Green Death. Drink two and the puzzles become impossible.
posted by bondcliff at 9:42 AM on March 27, 2006

>The bottle was short and stocky

i seem to remember the bottles being tall and chunky
posted by Coax at 10:29 AM on March 27, 2006

Up until they closed in the mid 60's, the main Haffenreffer Brewery in Boston had a free, open to the public, tap. People could literally just stroll up with an empty pitcher or barrel, fill it and go.

God that must've been great ;-)
posted by jalexei at 10:46 AM on March 27, 2006

Ortlieb's used to have that stubby bottle, and under-the-cap rebuses as well. It was the beer of choice for my gang of college chums at the time (early nineties) in Providence, RI. I think the brewery shut down around '93, though.
posted by TonyRobots at 10:59 AM on March 27, 2006

I think Falstaff used to have short bottles with puzzles on the caps in the late '80s. They were owned by Pabst at that time, according to the internet, but I can't find any pictures. I do remember drinking alot of it though and they came in yellow plastic crates, I think. But like I said, I was drinking alot, so I may be mistaken...
posted by Roger Dodger at 6:47 PM on March 27, 2006

Jesus... I had no idea there were so many brands with short, stocky beer bottles and puzzles under the caps. Unfortunately, none of these are ringing a bell, but I'm leaning towards Pearl.

We lived in San Antonio, TX, and there was a brewery there. That's my bet. Though Dad drank many, many cheap beers!

Thanks everyone!
posted by nitsuj at 6:53 PM on March 27, 2006

Um... yeah, if you had this beer in San Antonio, Pearl is definitely one to check out.
posted by rkent at 8:40 PM on March 27, 2006