P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company

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P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company
Industry Alcoholic beverage
Founded1840 in Newark, New Jersey
Founder Peter Ballantine
Headquarters
Products Beer
Owner Pabst Brewing Company

P. Ballantine & Sons Brewing Company is a beer brand that was founded in 1845 in Newark, New Jersey. [1] [2] At its peak in the mid-20th century, it was the third-largest brewer in the United States, trailing only Anheuser-Busch and Schlitz. [3] The brand is currently owned and operated by Pabst Brewing Company. Throughout history, it is best known for its Ballantine XXX Ale.

Contents

History

Ballantine era

Ballantine brewery in Newark, New Jersey 1906 Ballantinebrewerynewark1906.jpg
Ballantine brewery in Newark, New Jersey 1906

The company was founded in 1845 in Newark, New Jersey, by Peter Ballantine (1791–1883), who emigrated from Scotland. [3] The company was originally incorporated as the Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company. [4]

Frelinghuysen era

Following the death of the last son of Peter Ballantine, the company was taken over by George Griswold Frelinghuysen, the company's vice-president, who was married to Ballantine's granddaughter.

Frelinghuysen was the son of Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen and Matilda Elizabeth Griswold. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1870, received his Bachelor of Law from Columbia University Law School in 1872, and was admitted to the New Jersey and New York bars in 1872 and 1876 respectively.

The 18th Amendment took effect in 1920, beginning Prohibition. The company was forced to consolidate, and they manufactured Malt Syrup to stay in business. The Ballantine family continued to own the brewing company all throughout Prohibition. But by the time the 21st amendment was passed in 1933, the family was ready to sell the company. [3]

Badenhausen era

An article announcing the return of Ballantine Ale just after Prohibition was lifted Ballantinereturnpostprohibition.jpg
An article announcing the return of Ballantine Ale just after Prohibition was lifted

In 1933, after Prohibition was lifted, the Ballantine company was acquired by two brothers, Carl and Otto Badenhausen. [5] During the 1940s and 1950s, the brand expanded its market presence, utilizing various advertising strategies. Ballantine Beer was the first television sponsor of the New York Yankees. It was during this period that the brand was elevated to the number three beer in the U.S. It was also during this period that the company grew into one of the largest privately held corporations in the United States. Ballantine Beer enjoyed a high level of success into the early 1960s, however, by the mid-sixties, the brand began losing popularity. In 1965 Carl Badenhausen sold the company but remained at the helm until his retirement in 1969.

Decline

In the mid-1960s the company went into decline. It was losing market share to lighter lagers with less alcohol content. Despite advertising efforts to revive the company, the owners agreed to sell the brand, the company, and all their assets to the Falstaff Brewing Corporation in 1972. [3]

The new owners closed the original brewery in Newark, started brewing elsewhere, and did not strictly adhere to Ballantine's recipes. Falstaff was successfully sued for violating the terms of the sales contract. [6] The general consensus is that, under the stewardship of Falstaff, the beers remained faithful for a time to their original flavor profile. [7] But Falstaff was doing poorly financially and was sold to Pabst in 1985. [8] At an unknown point during these changes, the original recipes were lost.[ citation needed ]

Pabst continued to brew some of the Ballantine portfolios throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. They stopped brewing the IPA in 1996, and gradually all of the beers were discontinued with the exception of the flagship Ballantine XXX Ale. Throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s, Pabst continued to brew Ballantine's signature ale, but the recipe changed several times. The most notable changes are a markedly lower bitterness, lower alcohol content, fewer hops, and in general a much less assertive aromatic character. The use of distilled hop oil was discontinued until 2014 when Pabst Brewing Company relaunched a new version of Ballantine IPA. [9]

Revival

In August 2014, a version of Ballantine IPA was revived by Pabst Brewing Company. Reports indicate that the original recipe has been long lost; however, some pains have been taken to attempt to recreate the palate and distinctive aroma of the original product. [10] The recipe was reverse engineered by Pabst brewmaster Greg Deuhs. Because he had no recipe, he relied on analytical chemistry reports from as far back as the 1930s that tracked the ale's attributes (alcohol, bitterness, gravity level). He also researched what ingredients were likely used, historical accounts of the beer and beer lovers' remembrances. [11] [12]

In an interview in September 2014, brewmaster Greg Deuhs discussed the possibility of bringing back other beers in the Ballantine portfolio: "Just on the Ballantine side we're looking at the Brown Stout, they also made a Bock as well as the Burton Ale, which was highly regarded. I would like to bring out the Burton Ale as the true Barleywine Style Ale that it was.[...]Right now our hands are full with the Ballantine relaunch, but yes, we are starting to stoke the fire on what we can bring back." [13]

On November 13, 2014, Pabst announced that it had completed its sale to Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings, LLC. Blue Ribbon is a partnership between American beer entrepreneur Eugene Kashper and TSG Consumer Partners, a San Francisco–based private equity firm. [14] Prior reports suggested the price agreed upon was around $700 million. [15]

Because Ballantine XXX Ale has in recent years been widely sold in 40-ounce bottles, it is often lumped together with Olde English 800 and other malt liquors in the public mind. [16] This is in direct contradiction with Pabst's vision for the brand today. Pabst revived Ballantine India Pale Ale to enter the craft beer market. [13] It is unclear at this time if Pabst will take steps to align Ballantine XXX Ale more with the brand of the relaunched Ballantine IPA.

In July 2015, during an interview with John Holl, Kashper hinted at the possibility of building a small brewery in Newark, NJ, where the company was founded. [17]

On November 16, 2015, Pabst announced that it would be reviving Ballantine Burton Ale for the 2015 holiday season. This new version was reverse engineered by Pabst brewmaster Greg Deuhs as was Ballantine IPA from 2014. This barleywine style ale had 11.3% ABV, 75 IBUs, and a starting gravity of 26.5 Plato. It was no longer aged 10–20 years in oak barrels, but to help recreate the flavor of the original, Pabst aged this reboot for several months in barrels lined with American oak. The major difference was that this rendition would be sold to the general public, while the original was only given as gifts to high ranking executives at the company, friends of the company, and VIPs such as President Harry S. Truman. Pabst said it was a seasonal brew and made no comment as to any further plans with Ballantine Burton Ale after the 2015 holiday season. [18] [19] [20]

There is no confirmed evidence that Ballantine Burton Ale has been produced or distributed after 2015, and the brand is not currently listed among Pabst Brewing Company’s active offerings.

One of the first logos ever created for Ballantine 1800sballantinethreerings.jpg
One of the first logos ever created for Ballantine

The Ballantine logo is three interlocking rings, a design known as the Borromean rings. According to legend, Peter Ballantine was inspired to use the symbol when he noticed the overlapping condensation rings left by beer glasses on a table; however, this logo was not created until 1879. [21] In some advertising campaigns in the mid-1900s, Peter Ballantine was referred to as "Three-Ring Pete"; however, it is unknown if this was his nickname when he was alive. The rings represent "Purity, Body, and Flavor". [16] [22] New York Yankees announcer Mel Allen called it "the Three-Ring Sign". [23]

Products

Promotion for the Ale and Beer Ballantine party tip. . . you may prefer one, your friends may prefer the other, buy both! Ballantine Ale & Beer.jpg
Promotion for the Ale and Beer

Throughout the years, Ballantine offered a wide range of different products, some of these include:

In literature

Lesser known writers who participated include: J.B. Priestley, A.J. Cronin, Paul Gallico, James Hilton, and Clarence Budington Kelland.

In art

In the military

In politics

In music

In radio

In television

Sponsorships

Since the relaunch

Presidents

See also

References

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  2. Oliver, Garrett (2011). The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press, Inc. ISBN   978-0195367133.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Yenne, Bill (2004). Great American Beers: Twelve Brands That Became Icons. St. Paul, MN: MBI Publishing Company. pp. 23–29. ISBN   0-7603-1789-5. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  4. "Ballantine Beer A Journey Through American Brewing History". saigonspecial.com. June 18, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
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  6. Bloor v. Falstaff Brewing Corp., 601 F.2d 609 (1979).
  7. 1 2 O'Hara, Christopher B. (2006). Great American Beer: 50 Brands That Shaped the 20th Century (First ed.). New York, NY: Clarkson Potter. p. 59. ISBN   978-0-307-23853-5.
  8. Rose, Brent (August 30, 2014). "How Pabst Brought a 136-Year-Old Beer Back From the Dead". Gizmodo. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  9. Snider, Mike. "Going hipster, Pabst resurrecting Ballantine IPA". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  10. "Ballantine India Pale Ale, Storied 136-Year-Old Craft Beer, Re-Launches in Northeast" (Press release). Pabst Brewing Company. August 14, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2015 via GlobeNewswire.
  11. Snider, Mike. "Going hipster, Pabst resurrecting Ballantine IPA". USA Today. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
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  13. 1 2 Nkosi, Nkosi (September 20, 2014). "The Return of Ballantine". Chicago Beer Geeks. None. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  14. "Pabst Brewing Company Completes Sale To Blue Ribbon Holdings" (Press release). Pabst Blue Ribbon. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2015 via TSG Consumer Partners.
  15. Wilmore, James (November 14, 2014). "Pabst Brewing Co sale finalised as Eugene Kashper, TSG take reins". Just-Drinks. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 "Ballantine XXX Ale". Falstaff Brewing Company. February 20, 2012. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  17. Holl, John. "A conversation with Eugene Kashper of Pabst Brewing". My Central Jersey. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  18. "Pabst's Newest Craft Beer Revival: Limited Release of Ballantine Burton Ale for the Holidays" (Press release). Pabst. November 16, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015 via GlobeNewswire.
  19. Dzen, Gary. "Pabst revives a legendary Ballantine ale". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  20. Green, Loren. "Pabst Revives Ballantine Burton Ale". Paste Magazine. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  21. Deuhs, Greg. "Ballantine". Pabst Brewing Company. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  22. "Borromean rings". Impossible World. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
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  30. Eames, Alan D. (1986). A Beer Drinker's Companion. Harvard, MA: Ayers Rock Press. pp. 100, 101. ISBN   0-929159-00-4.
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Preceded by Boston Celtics principal owner
1968–1969
Succeeded by
Preceded by Boston Celtics principal owner
1971–1972
Succeeded by