I am on a quest. A quest for the beer of my college days (or before). Before micro brews and the mega breweries of Anheiser Busch and Miller took over everything. Lately hipster bars have put Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap. In the old days I would have never touched PBR but I have to admit I kind of enjoy it now. My buddy Jack picked up a case of Gennese Cream Ale for the World Cup this summer and that started this whole old school beer idea. I was in Milwaukee a few weeks ago and my mission was to find Schlitz on tap somewhere. It didn't happen and the one place I went that had Schlitz (and Blatz) on the menu were out of both. Curses, foiled again. I did find the Blatz Brewery which is now condos as is the old Pabst Brewery complex. I have to admit I would love to live in a condo in Brewery Building #2. Since then I have been looking up all of the old beers that I remember seeing commercials of as a child. Schaefer, Rheingold, Piels, Schlitz, PBR, I'm searching for them all (except Ballantine and Carling Black Label which sucked, not to keen on Stroh's either). They are the new microbreweries, reviving the old formulas and selling in small geographic areas. Strange that I can get Schlitz Malt Liquor at my 7-11 but not Schlitz beer. My friends have decided to help me in my quest. Jack went up to Pennsylvania and brought back Schmidts and Stegmaier (although it's now called Lionshead). Another friend is headed up to Staten Island where he will hopefully score some Rheingold and Schaefer (and maybe some Piels). "Schaefer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one", a prelude to college binge drinking? I don't know what's driving this, maybe a look back at simpler times. All I know is that I need a Schlitz because "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer."
