Old Style Brewing Is Returning Home To The Midwest

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jul 20, 2016 7:02PM

Old Style Oktoberfest

Chicago’s adopted hometown beer will be celebrating a homecoming of its own. Old Style, the chosen beer of Wrigley Field bleacher brawls and local corner-bar signage, will reveal on Thursday a new blend, Old Style Oktoberfest. Even more exciting: the new brew will be produced in Old Style’s hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin, at City Brewery.

Old Style Oktoberfest actually has roots in La Crosse—it was brewed there in 1902 at G Heileman Brewing Company, the forerunner of City Brewery. It will be the Old Style’s first new blend in 15 years. The Märzen-style Oktoberfest is expected to arrive in retailers in August.

"It's the first product out of La Crosse with the Heileman shield and name since mid-1999. That for me is enough to celebrate," City Brewing Co. brewmaster Randy Hughes told the La Crosse Tribune.

G. Heileman was in operation from 1858 to 1996, when it was acquired by Stroh’s. Old Style is currently owned by Pabst Brewing Co.

Also coming in August is a cosmetic re-design for Old Style and Old Style Light: cans, bottles, and packaging will feature a "nostalgic" makeover—which, as Miller Light will attest, is probably a good call.

“The Midwest is and always will be the true home of Old Style,” said Dan McHugh, CMO for Pabst Brewing Co., in a press release. “Old Style’s fans are a loyal group and continue to be a large part of the brand’s legacy and what makes it such a staple. The packaging re-design and launch of Old Style’s Oktoberfest are the perfect way for us to both honor our past heritage and to celebrate with our fans the future of what is to come.”