Olde Frothingslosh revived

Modern Brewery Age,  Jan 10, 2005  

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Olde Frothingslosh, a boldly satiric beer brand called the "pale, stale ale with the foam on the bottom" has returned to Pittsburgh. The beer was promoted by Rege Cordic, a deejay and morning host of KDKA-AM (and WWSW) in the 1950s. One of Cordic & Company's most popular creations was Olde Frothingslosh, a beer so light, he surmised, "that the beer floated on the top of the foam"; and "a beer so pale, the first few cases fainted." The mythical beer caught on so strongly with listeners that, in 1955, Pittsburgh Brewing Co. actually brewed up the beer. Through the next several decades, dozens of bottles and cans bearing the Olde Frothingslosh name were released in limited quantities. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Olde Frothingslosh, PBC is releasing a limited edition can. The front of the gold can features the original "founder," Sir Reginald P. Frothingslosh, with his bowtie, pencil mustache, eye monocle and high-hat. The back of the can sports a circa 1960s picture of Cordic, who passed away in 1999. It also features a short history of the Olde Frothingslosh legend.

Walt Wolff, a historian and former employee of PBC, notes the original Olde Frothingslosh labels were available on bottles of the now-defunct Tech beer brand. The first bottle in the series mainly was for PBC shareholders at the time, but soon after Cordic became a spokesperson for the "beer," it took on a life of its own. Each label was limited to only 10,000 cases and was distributed mostly during the holidays. Through the 1950s and mid-1960s, 32 bottles were made bearing the Frothingslosh name or founder. In 1969, a new chapter began, with the creation of Fatima Yechbergh, or "Miss Olde Frothingslosh. "With her full figure and beauty-pageant charms, she became the focal point of a new era of Frothingslosh. A local Olde Frothingslosh chapter of the Beer Can Collectors of America (now the Beer Collectibles Club of America) started in Pittsburgh in 1972. Jerry Lorenz, current president of the Olde Frothingslosh chapter, notes, "It was Rege's genius that kicked off the phenomenon, and it continued with Miss Olde Frothingslosh." PBC's commemorative 50th anniversary can of Olde Frothingslosh is available in limited quantities in the Pittsburgh area.

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