One of the more obscure and mysterious malt liquor brands is the regionally available Silver Thunder Malt Liquor, which is "Brewed with classic natural ingredients for a smooth full flavor", meaning, it is made with cheap, six-row barley malt, corn syrup, hop extract, water, and yeast. What do we know about this extra-strong lager beer brand? We do not know its alcohol content, because that is not available on the Pabst website, and beyond that, this beer is not even referenced on that same site. We do know that it was a Stroh Brewing brand, introduced sometime in the 20th Century, and we also know that it won a silver medal at the 1992 Great American Beer Festival. We also know that it is sold in at least these vessels- 40 ounce bottles and 16 ounce cans, which is verified by my first-hand observation of such on a recent East Coast road trip. I notice that the label design has not been altered since at least 1996, as evidenced by literature produced by Stroh Brewing in 1996, which was sent to me by that company.
This writer has never seen it sold anywhere but in states ranging from Virginia to New York, but it is probably available, elsewhere. Since 1999 it has been a Pabst brand, and it is, like Big Bear Malt Liquor, one of their most unattended and unacknowledged brands. This beer receives absolutely no advertising attention of any kind, yet it does seem to move at a steady, if unremarkable pace. This is known to be the case, because other beers, like Falstaff and Ice Man Malt Liquor, which did not sell at an acceptable level, have been dropped by Pabst without the least sentiment or public notification.
I have tried this product on one occasion (16 oz. can in 2010), and I found it to be comparable to other mass-produced, value-priced malt liquors, such as Colt 45 and Schlitz Malt Liquor. It is recommended that the reader sample this beer, if the opportunity presents itself.
NOTE: Silver Thunder will be discontinued after 2013.
