Here's To You

For once, I'm ahead of the curve on style. I've been a fan of Yuengling for years...

A line of taps pouring elegant brews from Bass to Blue Moon beckon twentysomethings packed into Bomber's bar. But 21-year-old Elliot Cunniff orders something homier for himself and a friend. "Two Yuenglings," he tells the bartender, explaining the attraction after a sip from his pint glass. "Price. Color. Flavor," he says. "And the name alone, 'ying-ling.'"

Cunniff doesn't come out and say it, but it becomes apparent as other Yuengling orders roll in: Old school brews are cool.

Just as young consumers might wear `70s-look sneakers, sip `50s cocktails or download `80s hair band tunes, many are bellying up to the bar for the beers Grandpa drank — maybe a Rheingold, a Leinenkugel's, or a Utica Club.

They're sometimes called "retro beers," brands that might bring to mind old men in ribbed undershirts, and which are now finding a new audience with the young. It worked for Pabst Blue Ribbon and now others are playing the same nostalgic chords.

Getting new life from an old brand is a great deal for brewers because they avoid the cost of launching a new product. The trick is doing it right. Heavy-handed advertising can backfire. Word of mouth seems to work. Television commercials with the Swedish bikini team are a big no-no.

"That's the whole point of the retro thing, I think," said Eric Shepard of Beer Marketer's Insights. "The harder you try to push it, the more skeptical people are going to get."

These are not the happiest days for brewers. Sales are growing slowly and beer is losing ground to spirits as consumers turn more to mixed drinks. Beer's market share dropped from 56 percent in 1999 to 52.9 percent last year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Man, that last paragraph is depressing. What's happening in America? Personally, I blame all you damn coffee-drinkers and the bastion of evil known of Starbucks.