Heileman's Old Style Beer was introduced in 1902, by Heileman Brewing (itself, established in 1858 by Gottlieb Heileman) of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. For many decades Old Style was a very popular Midwestern brand, and had an especially strong following in Chicago, Illinois, where it was considered the hometown brand, although it originated out of state. As with most regional favorites, the Heileman company found itself unable to compete against the onslaught of national beer brands, and sales of Old Style (and the other Heileman brands) had slipped badly by the 1990s. In 1996, Heileman was bought out by Stroh Brewing Company of Detroit, Michigan. Stroh's, was snatched up by Pabst Brewing Company in 1999, and, today, all Pabst brands are contract-brewed by others, mainly Miller Brewing, although some Pabst beers are still produced at the old LaCrosse brewery, today under independent ownership as City Brewery.
Heileman's Old Style, at 4.72% alcohol and 134 calories, has made a bit of a comeback in the present century, and is heavily promoted at Chicago Cubs baseball games and at local events, although it is still only sold on a regional basis and enjoys no national advertising attention of any sort. Old Style Light, at 3.8% alcohol and with 110 calories, is an even rarer commodity.
Since 2007, Heileman's Old Style has undergone a kraeusening process, meaning it is double fermented. This is not a particularly rare process (Budweiser is kraesened), but it is heavily emphasized on the Old Style website, which even features a graphic of how the process works. http://www.oldstylebeer.com/think-local/what-is-kraeusening/#silvermedal
This writer has sampled Old Style on occasion and found it to be comparable to other mass-produced American-style lager brands.
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