St. Ides
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| Manufacturer | Pabst Brewing Company |
|---|---|
| Alcohol by volume | 8.2% |
| Style | Malt Liquor |
St. Ides is a malt liquor manufactured by the Pabst Brewing Company. The beverage contains 8.2% alcohol by volume, which is stronger than many high-alcohol malt liquors. It was launched by the McKenzie River Corporation in 1987. St. Ides gained prominence during the late 1980s and early 1990s through the use of celebrity endorsements by rap artists.
The beer is also available in a number of "St. Ides Special Brews" which have a variety of flavorings, including various fruit flavors.
Marketing
The St. Ides brand has used celebrity endorsements by rappers and was unique in its early use of hip hop to build the brand's identity. DJ Pooh was brought in to design advertisements for the liquor and was given broad artistic license.[1] In such contexts, the beer was often referred to as the "Crooked I".[2]
Chuck D took a stance against malt liquor advertising and sued the brand's then-owner, the McKenzie River Brewing Company, for using his voice without his permission.[3] The controversy generated significant publicity for St. Ides and placed it on the average hip hop listener's radar.[1]
McKenzie discontinued the brand in 1998 before it was purchased by Pabst Brewing Company.[1]
Trivia
- St. Ides was originally called St. Ides Premium Malt Liquor and was 6.2% and 7.3% ABV, then the brew was reformulated in the early 2000s and the alcohol content became 8.1 & 8.2% ABV and St Ides became St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor.
- St. Ides has been parodied in the movie Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood with the name "St. DiES".
- Rappers that have mentioned St. Ides in their music include Andre Nickatina, Ice Cube, 2Pac, Kool G Rap, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Nate Dogg, Afroman, MC Eiht, Spice 1, Scarface, Wu-Tang Clan, Project Pat, King Tee, DJ Pooh, The Notorious B.I.G., Eric B & Rakim, EPMD, Method Man & Redman, Eazy-E, Cypress Hill, RBL Posse, Luniz, Jarren Benton, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Phantom Balance, Tha Dogg Pound, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Beanie Sigel and the Geto Boys as well as KMD.
- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis had a song titled "St. Ides" on the album This Unruly Mess I've Made.
- Comedian Chris Rock has a line in the song "Champagne", "My baby's father, brought me a case of St. Ides (did you like it?)"
- Musician Elliott Smith recorded a song titled "St. Ides Heaven" for his 1995 self-titled album.
References
- ^ a b c Coward, Kyle (April 21, 2015). "When Hip-Hop First Went Corporate". The Atlantic. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- ^ Charne Graham. "St. Ides & Hip-Hop: Would Today's Rappers Endorse Malt Liquor?" Houston Press. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ CHUCK D: 'THIS ONE'S NOT FOR YOU', Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 27, 1994.