Born in 1903 at the Lemp Brewery in Saint Louis, I was named after the Shakespearean character of Sir John Falstaff. The owners felt Sir John represented a joyful man who lived to "eat, drink, and be merry". The Lemps were financially ruined with the advent of National Prohibition, and the owner of the brewery committed suicide in his home in dispair.So then I was sold to the Griesedieck family, who had also owned breweries in the area. During Prohibition, they marketed near beer and cured hams under my logo hoping that the law would eventually be repealed. I became a real beer again in 1933 and was the first one to receive a federal permit to be brewed again. I eventually enjoyed national distribution with breweries from coast to coast and become the #3 brand in the country during the 1960s.
However, by 1975 the Griesedieck family was also in severe financial trouble due to intense competition from megabrewers Bud, Schlitz, Miller, and Coors. I was sold to Paul Kalmanovitz, an asset stripper who became a multi-millionaire running down troubled breweries and sticking the profits in his pocket. Never mind that peoples' livelihoods and retirements were ruined in the process. Sigh.Falstaff Beer carried on bravely until 2005, when low sales finally caused production to be stopped by Pabst. But hey, I managed to last for 30 years without any advertising and promotion. Not bad for somebody more than 100 years old.
The King of the Quarter Mile - James Climer
FLASTAFF BEER COMMERCIAL
Myspace Layouts at Pimp-My-Profile.com / Wolf at sunset
