Christmas for the Froth of July

One of America’s most talented and funny radio personalities in the 1950s was a beer drinker. Rege Cordic proved this every morning in Pittsburgh, PA. This pioneering genius of the theatre for the mind loved a good spoof and created a once non-existent brew known as Olde Frothingslosh.

In the beginning, this fictitious beer was just that. But thousands of Pittsburghers began to search for the "pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom." Retailers and tavern owners were inundated with requests for this brew. Finally, under great pressure, radio station KDKA joined with the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. in 1954 and released a small run of this beer. Naturally, it was huge success.

It was decided that Olde Frothingslosh would be released each year during the Christmas Season. At first the bottles were filled with Pittsburgh’s Tech brand. Eventually, the flagship Iron City brand became the liquid of choice. Each year a different radio campaign was created and labels were designed to coincide with the audio theme.

The characters in this spoof included Sir Rege Frothingslosh, the founder. He was said to bathe in the beer. Because the foam was on the bottom, he likened it to a feather bed.

Slogans and tag lines ran the full gamut. Oh my gosh, it’s Olde Frothingslosh. A whale of an ale for the pale stale male. Brewed from the muddy waters of Upper Crudney on the Thames, just down river from the glue factory. The castle-like brewery was built in record time; they worked knights. Hippety Hops makes it Tops. Hi dittom dottom, the foam is on the bottom. Pittsburgh’s favorite josh. Real busto. It’s flexible, guaranteed to fit any shape glass. Neurotically inspected, brewed with the exclusive Dank Tank formula. Sold only once a year! One taste will tell you why! Brewed with just the kiss of the mops.

This beer was a punster’s dream.

In 1969, a beauty contest was held to crown a Miss Olde Frothingslosh. The big winner was Fatima Yechburgh. The various Olde Frothingslosh cans issued over the years have chronicled her life, as follows.

This winning contestant was from a small town outside of Pittsburgh. It is considerably smaller since she left. She was chosen on the basis of beauty, talent, poise and quantity. She’s the girl all others look down on. Her formula for success is "Think Big." Her occupation is listed as trapeze artist, and education has her studying arc welding at night. She reads comic books, racing forms, cereal boxes and other good stuff. Her hobbies include soap carving, arm wrestling, sky diving and ballet.

Miss Olde Frothingslosh became quite the celebrity around Pittsburgh. Events like ribbon cuttings, parades and sidewalk unveilings were right up her alley.

Marsha Majors was her real name. In the spring of 2000, the woman with the big heart left us. As a tribute to her years of service, Pittsburgh Brewing Co. donated the money for her headstone.

About every five years, Pittsburgh Brewing re-releases this Steel City classic.