Olde English 800

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Olde English High Gravity

Brewery Miller Brewing Company
Style Malt Liquor
Alc. vol. 5.9-8.0

Olde English 800 (commonly referred to as OE, Olde E, Olde Gold, Golden Bullet, High-G , Eight Ball or Robin Hood) is a brand of malt liquor produced by the Miller Brewing Company (owned by SABMiller). It is available in a variety of serving sizes but is best known for its forty ounce (1.183 liter) bottle.

The alcohol content of Olde English 800 varies by region, mostly to comply with local regulations. It is 5.9% alcohol by volume (ABV) in the eastern United States, 7.5% ABV in most western U.S. states and 8.0% ABV in Canada. Olde English High Gravity 800 is 8% ABV. There is also a 6.1% ABV version made for the European region. Because of its relatively high alcohol content and low price, it is popular among those on a tight budget wanting to become inebriated quickly. However, in Canada 40 oz bottles of Olde English 800 are more costly than popular domestic brands such as Labatt Blue and Molson Canadian. This is due to a Canadian law which states that a beer must be brewed in the same province that it is sold, otherwise it is considered an imported beer, and an additional tax applies.

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[edit] Awards

Over the years, Olde English has garnered multiple awards. The first of these was in 1990, with the beer awarded a Silver medal in the American Malt Liquor category at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF)[1]. In following years, Olde English has taken home the Gold medal in the American Malt Liquor category in 1992, 1994, and 1995 and in the American Style Specialty Lager category in 1997. Finally, Olde English High Gravity 800 won the Bronze medal in the American Style Specialty Lager category in 2006. The Olde English main brewery is in Southern California, making up to a 12.4 ABV specialty brew.

[edit] Olde English 800 in popular culture

[edit] Olde English in music

  • NYC Hardcore Punk act No Redeeming Social Value has many references in its songs including "Olde-E", "Olde-E, New-E", "New 64" "22 oz of Pain" and "Olde-E Fever" and display 40s of Olde English prominently in their music videos and stage performances.
  • Sacramento rapper Brotha Lynch Hung often references Olde English as one of his motivations for his lyrics.
  • Alternative rock band Third Eye Blind references Olde English in their song "Company" off the album "Out of the Vein," with the lyric "Can we get the chemicals in/Olde English is making me manic."
  • Progressive rock band Umphrey's McGee reference the beverage in the song aptly titled, "40's Theme"
  • Eazy-E appeared on album covers with an Olde English 800 bottle, and frequently mentioned it in his music.
  • In Menace II Society, the film's main characters drink Olde English.
  • It is referenced in LL Cool J's 1990 song "Mama Said Knock You Out", DJ Quik's "8 Ball", KMD's "Sweet Premium Wine", N.W.A.'s "8 Ball", and Old Dirty Bastard's "Sussudio".
  • The Game has recorded a song titled "Ol' English" which appears on the album Doctor's Advocate.
  • Bone Thugs-n-Harmony also refer to the drink in their song "Thuggish Ruggish Bone."
  • In the Beastie Boys song "Hold It Now, Hit It", MCA mentions how "everyday I drink O.E. and I don't go to work!"
  • Hip-hop artist MF Doom mentioned the beverage in his song All Outta Ale with the lyric "All this trouble for a tall glass of Olde E, drink it all fast make you haul ass slowly".
  • It features in "Tales of Kidd Drunkadelic" by People Under The Stairs.
  • D12's stage for the video "40oz" is made from bottles of Olde English 800.
  • A bottle of Olde English 800 can be seen briefly in the beginning of the music video for "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)" by Jay-Z.
  • Afroman has made several references to Olde English 800 on his track "Tall Cans".
  • Andre 3000 references it in "Spottieottiedopaliscious". "I was so engulfed in the Old E, I could hardly make it to the door".
  • Tha Alkaholiks reference it many times - fitting their band name. i.e. in "Hip Hop Drunkies" when Tash raps "I'm leavin' n***** puzzled like i said my s*** in french/ but it's all Olde English that I'm bringin from beneath".
  • Leftover Crack released a single titled "Rock the 40 oz", with the song "Rock the 40 oz" on it.

[edit] Olde English in entertainment

Olde English has also appeared in many other popular culture contexts. Martha Stewart chugged a bottle of Olde English 800 on the Conan O'Brien show.[2] The Olde English 800 bottle logo is used by Olde English, a sketch comedy group. "Olde Fortran," a parody of the beverage, appeared in the animated series Futurama. Olde English makes an appearance in the film Malibu's Most Wanted. The main character, "B-rad," is forced to steal Olde English from the liquor store. He ends up buying the bottles and then pretends that he is robbing the store in an attempt to fool his captors. Olde English can also be seen being drank by Lauren Utter, a contestant in cycle 10 of America's Next Top Model.

[edit] Cocktails

Olde English is the base for numerous cocktails such as Russian Hobo, Blood Juice, Black Eight, Brass Monkey, and Lickasic. Typically, in each case one third of the 40oz is consumed and then additional liquors, beers, or fruit juices are added.

[edit] References