Beer and Ballparks

[tonypug]

Nowadays when you enter most ballparks, one of the first things you see is a huge Budweiser sign. It wasn't always that way. Each city had their own local beers at the ballpark. In New York The Brooklyn Dodgers Had Schaefer, the Yankees Ballantine, The New York Giants had Knickebocker, and the Mets had Rheingold. What were some of the local beers at other ballparks? I am especially interested in the old ballparks.

[64Cards]

It was before my time, but in Sportsmans Park in St. Louis, before Anheuser-Busch bought the Cards and bought the park from the Browns in 53, the Cards and Brownies had their own seperate beer sponsors and signs in the park. The Browns were sponsored by Falstaff, who had Dizzy Dean, their announcer, as the pitchman, while the Cards were sponsored by Griesedick Beer [pronounced GREEZE-A-DICK, which undoubtably lead to a lot of dumb pick-up lines in bars] with Harry Caray doing the ads. After AB bought the park, they put up a huge neon Budweiser sign above the LF scoreboard and changed the name of the park to Busch Stadium. Shortly after, would come up with a new brand, Busch Bavarian, that Harry pitched.

[PopTop]

I always liked old Crosley field with it's inclined warning track. The young bucks and buckettes who pitch hissy fits about the hill in CF at Houston's park either have no memory or no clue.

[tonypug]

Did Falstaff and Hyde Park have anything to do with Busch?

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Hello all, wasnt burger beer sold at crosley field. Donald

[westsidegrounds]

Hello all, wasnt burger beer sold at crosley field. Donald

Hey, somebody really knows his beer and ballparks!

[64Cards]

Did Falstaff and Hyde Park have anything to do with Busch?

No, they were 2 other local breweries. There was about a dozen, besides AB that started back up in St. Louis after the end of prohibition. Falstaff and Stag, a beer made across the river in Illinois, were the last 2 other local survivors, both closed down in early 80's. Some other brewery bought the names to those beers.

[driver62]

Another Cincinnati beer that was sold at the park was Schoenling.

[64Cards]

I'm not sure what brands were sold at Sportsman's Park before AB bought the team and the park in 53, my guess is they sold local St. Louis brands, Bud, Falstaff, Griesedick, others. After AB bought the park, they sold nothing but Bud and Busch. After they moved into the present stadium in 66, besides Busch products, they also sold Falstaff and Stag, local beers, since the stadium wasn't owned exclusively by AB any more. But after Falstaff and Stag closed, the park pretty much only served Busch products. And considering the brewery is 2 miles away, the prices they charge should be considered extortion. But you're a prisoner, and hey, what's bb without a cold beer?

[Aa3rt]

I've searched in vain for a photo of the scoreboard from either Forbes Field or Three Rivers Stadium. In the late 1960's and early 1970's I remember listening to Pirates broadcasts on KDKA and listening to Bob Prince encouraging listeners to "Pour on the Iron" with an ice cold Iron City Beer.

[tonypug]

One of the best beer advertisements in a ballpark was the Knickebocker Beer sign in the polo Grounds. It was a huge sign in centerfield. Some years it alternated with Pall Mall cigarettes, but it was a great piece of advertising.

[lamearm]

I've searched in vain for a photo of the scoreboard from either Forbes Field or Three Rivers Stadium. In the late 1960's and early 1970's I remember listening to Pirates broadcasts on KDKA and listening to Bob Prince encouraging listeners to "Pour on the Iron" with an ice cold Iron City Beer.

Best I could come up with. That's Maz' ball going out of the park and Yogi to the left. Yep, the Gunner and the Possum telling us about Iron City Beer, the Best Beer Around Here....Remember the Iron City Tub of Beer?

[ElHalo]

Forbes' Field scoreboard:

[Chisox73]

I remember in thee 70s,Harry Caray would be hawking Falstaff at White Sox park.Everytime i would go to the ballpark when I was a kid,we would pass by the huge Falstaff silo on the Chicago Skyway.

That reminded me that we were getting close to the park.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Hello here is a old knickerbocker beer ad from a new york giants 1956 program enjoy

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is another ad from a 1957 new york giants polo grounds program Enjoy

[tonypug]

Nice memories, thanks Donald.

[64Cards]

Here is another ad from a 1957 new york giants polo grounds program Enjoy

Do they still sell Knick in the Northeast? What about Ballantine,Narragansett or Gennesee? Or Heffenreffer?

[tonypug]

Does anyone know what beer was advertised in Griffith Stadium or RFK?

[Aa3rt]

Tony, a couple of views I have of Griffith Stadium show a National Bohemian (National Brewing) billboard in the left field stands and another big sign in center-right over the scoreboard. In fact, it was Jerry Hoffberger of National Brewingwho held back the Senators from moving to Los Angeles in the late 1950s which we discussed in this thread last year. This always seemed a bit strange to me as "Natty Boh" was a Baltimore beer. (Who sponsored the Orioles when they came to town?) Sorry, I can't help you with RFK. I just can't remember and can't find a picture offhand-will have to do some digging.

[tonypug]

Tony, a couple of views I have of Griffith Stadium show a National Bohemian (National Brewing) billboard in the left field stands and another big sign in center-right over the scoreboard. In fact, it was Jerry Hoffberger of National Brewingwho held back the Senators from moving to Los Angeles in the late 1950s which we discussed in this thread last year. This always seemed a bit strange to me as "Natty Boh" was a Baltimore beer. (Who sponsored the Orioles when they came to town?) Sorry, I can't help you with RFK. I just can't remember and can't find a picture offhand-will have to do some digging.

Thanks for the replyAa3rt. I am trying to find out the different beers in all the ballparks, and this helps.

[tonypug]

Are there any current ballparks serving a beer other then Bud? I was at Tropicanan Field the other night, and they serve Bud, although they offer other beer in their resteraunts.

[Baseball Nut]

Does anyone in Detroit remember the reason Ernie Harwell was invited to come to Detroit in 1960? There was a change in beer sponsers from Goebel to Stroh's. Van Patrick the Tigers #1 announcer was considered by management too closely associated with Goebel. George Kell #2 man, had only been the announcer for 1 season and suggested Harwell from their Baltimore Oriole days.

Ernie came over and the rest is history. Van Patrick contined to broadcast Detroit Lion games and Notre Dame football until his death in 1974.

[tonypug]

Does anyone in Detroit remember the reason Ernie Harwell was invited to come to Detroit in 1960? There was a change in beer sponsers from Goebel to Stroh's. Van Patrick the Tigers #1 announcer was considered by management too closely associated with Goebel. George Kell #2 man, had only been the announcer for 1 season and suggested Harwell from their Baltimore Oriole days.

Ernie came over and the rest is history. Van Patrick contined to broadcast Detroit Lion games and Notre Dame football until his death in 1974.

Did Patrick have an affiliation with Goebel. I always associated Patrick and Thanksgiving, when he did the Lions, Packers football game.

[Augustin_"Gus"]

Are there any current ballparks serving a beer other then Bud? I was at Tropicanan Field the other night, and they serve Bud, although they offer other beer in their resteraunts.

I have never been there myself, but I would guess that Rogers Center must serve something else. They were property of Labatt brewery for quite a while, don't know if there is still some form of sponsorship there. At Olympic Stadium (I know, it's not current, but it hasn't been a year still) they served Molson Export for the last few years, after having been under contract with Labatt for the longest time.