About Ballantine Ale

Ballantine Ale -
An American Classic

The Three-Ring Sign was the Ballantine Logo. Legend says Peter Ballantine picked up his glass and set it down leaving three rings. He then decided to use this as the logo for his beer.

"Ballantine Blast"
The New York Yankees always had a lively crew. From Babe Ruth to Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin. And Ballantine was the team's primary sponsor during their eras. (After games, the sponsors had the coolers well stocked, preparing these players for what lay in store in their now legendary assaults on the Manhattan night scene) In these days, announcers were allowed to quaff a beer on camera, showing viewers their enjoyment ("aaaah"). The Yankees' Hall of Fame announcer Mel Allen was no exception inning after inning. On camera, Mel did quite a few aaaah's, until, by the 7th inning his proclamation after Yankee home runs became "It'sh a Ballantine Blasht!" Soon, TV regulators ceased on-air sampling, and Mel found himself out of work, but his patented "Ballantine Blast" is part of the Yankees lore.

In 1912, when Eugene O'Neill was a cub reporter with a thirst for ale, a 10 ounce Narragansett or Ballantine could be had for a nickel in any of the 27 taverns that lined Bank Street. After a day of covering society weddings or sleeping off a hangover in the newsroom of the New London Telegraph, O'Niell would find himself within walking distance of 69 bars where he could drink away the pain of his family life on Pequot Ave.

"Bob Benchley first introduced me to Ballantine Ale. It has been a good companion to me ever since. You have to work hard to deserve to drink it. But I would rather have a bottle of Ballantine Ale than any other drink after fighting a really big fish. We keep it iced in the bait box with chunks of ice packed around it. And you ought to taste it on a hot day when you have worked a big martin fast because there were sharks after him."
- Ernest Hemingway

Falstaff
In 1972 Falstaff Brewing Company of St. Louis bought Ballantine in hopes of making a broader impact to the New York market. This never happened for Falstaff, they thought it could be done without marketing or advertising. Molson's Ale was being introduced and Ballantine's once tight hold on the ale market was eroded (Falstaff has itself been sold, first to Pabst, then as part of a package to Miller. Ballantine was the stepbrother which went with every transaction, but saw reduced distribution and marketing benefits with each sale.)