Monday’s ad is for the Gluek Stite, from 1964. The ad shows two women water-skiing and screaming with (delight?) If they had a couple of bottles of malt liquor, it might be something else. The ad is for Gluek Malt Liquor, which was called Stite for some reason. And that tagline: “pour RIGHT pour STITE,” followed by “Aquatenniel time … Anytime … Stite’s Right for Fun.” Also, they claim it’s the “Original Malt Liquor.” Can that be right? It was launched in 1942, and was undoubtedly one of the earlier offerings, but was it first? I’m really not sure who holds that dubious title.
Gluek’s Stite was originally called Gluek’s Stout (“Pale and Dry as Champagne”) but the ATF objected to a light-colored beer called “stout” so they changed it, I guess making up the name “Stite”?
There are some claims for an earlier beer labeled just “malt liquor” (like Clix Malt Liquor, from the Grand Valley Brewing Company of Michigan in the late 30’s) but Alvin O. Gluek did patent a process for the MANUFACTURE OF A NEW MALT LIQUOR FROM CEREAL PRODUCTS, in which he described the beer as:
“…a very thin malt liquor of relatively high alcoholic content, brewed and fermented wholly from cereal products and having a very pleasing, dry distinctive taste not akin to beer, ale, malt, porter, stout, or other fermented beverages commonly brewed from cereal products.”
“Malt Liquor” in the US, of course, was a legal term in the pre-Prohibition for all beers, ales, porters, etc, (just as wines were “Vinous Liquors” and distilled alcoholic beverages were “Spirituous Liquors”).
For example, Black’s Law Dictionary:
“Malt liquor. A general term, including all alcoholic beverages prepared essentially by the fermentation of an infusion of malt (as distinguished from such liquors as are produced by the process of distillation), and particularly such beverages as are made from malt and hops, like beer, ale, and porter.”
After Repeal, the Feds tended to use “malt beverage” but lots of post-Repeal state laws continued to use “malt liquor”.