Olde English
Olde English
The history of Olde English 800 begins in Duluth, Minnesota, where the People's Brewing Company brewed the beer in the late 1940s under the name Ruff's Stout, laying the foundation for what would become one of America's most iconic cult beverages. After several changes of ownership and rebranding – first to Olde English 600 and ultimately to Olde English 800 at the Blitz-Weinhard Brewery in Portland, Oregon – the brand was sold to the Pabst Brewing Company in 1979, which marketed the malt liquor specifically to a young, urban audience and in doing so laid the groundwork for an unparalleled cult status. Since 1999, Olde English 800 has been produced by Miller Brewing Company and today as part of the Molson Coors Beverage Company.
The explosive growth of the brand in the late 1980s and early 1990s was inseparably linked to the rising hip-hop and rap culture of the American West Coast, when groups like N.W.A. – consisting of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and the late Eazy-E – celebrated the beer in their lyrics and had themselves photographed with several bottles on the cover of the album «The Posse». Cult films like «Boyz N The Hood» and «Menace II Society», which portrayed life in urban Los Angeles, immortalised the iconic 40-ounce format of OE800 on the cinema screen, and countless further rap artists from Snoop Dogg to The Game contributed with song lyrics and album titles like «Ol' English» to making the beer the undisputed symbol of an entire cultural generation.
Olde English 800, affectionately known as OE, Old E, 8-Ball or Olde E, is an American malt liquor – a beer category with a higher alcohol content than conventional lagers – that in its smooth, malty and slightly fruity character combines a clear golden-yellow appearance with an accessible and uncomplicated flavour profile that has accompanied its devotees through decades of urban American beer culture. As the self-proclaimed «King of Malt Liquors», Olde English 800 today is far more than a beer – it is a living and unmistakable piece of American popular culture that stands as an honest and grounded symbol of the spirit and solidarity of an entire generation and continues to captivate its fanbase far beyond the borders of the United States.