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Pabst Is Bringing Back Extinct Ballantine India Pale Ale
By
Nell Casey
Published Aug 14, 2014
Modified Aug 14, 2014
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By
Nell Casey
Published Aug 14, 2014
Modified Aug 14, 2014
Share
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Before its rise to prominence in the 40s section of your local bodega, Ballantine Brewing Co.—a New Jersey company started in 1878—offered a highly respected India Pale Ale. Unfortunately, the original brew was pushed out in the 1970s when big box brewers dominated America's beer production. Now, like all hipsters before it, Pabst—which has owned the company since 1975—will re-release the spicy brew for modern palates, who are increasingly enjoying more complex, hoppy brews.
As USA Today notes, there's no surviving recipe for the original, which was modeled after a nineteenth century British brew. To resurrect as close a facsimile as he could, Pabst master brewer Greg Deuhs analyzed historical accounts of the beer's attributes and what ingredients were likely used at the time. The resulting brew uses "four different malts and eight different hops" plus hop oil and American oak chips.
The beer returns next month in both six packs and 750-milliliter bottles; "We are hoping that the current (Pabst Blue Ribbon) consumers will embrace the Ballantine IPA," says Deuhs. As far as its XXX variety goes, it's definitely your best bet among the "large format" beers lining the bottom shelf of the deli case. Just take it from the Beastie Boys:
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