From the land of pleasant living, National Bohemian Beer has always called Baltimore home. Natty Boh became the “official beer” of Baltimore in the mid-1960s after becoming a sponsor of the Baltimore Orioles.
Now, finding Natty Boh inside Camden Yards is like finding Waldo.
“It’s not an O’s game without a Natty Boh,” said O’s fan Spencer.
Before Opening Day, rumors buzzed that Natty Boh would not be returning to Camden Yards, but fans were reassured to see Mr. Boh on April 4.
“They served it for the first weekend and then the bar kind of just kind of magically disappeared,” said Orioles fan Dan.
National Bohemian Beer was founded in 1885. The Bohemian-style beer was brewed by the National Brewing Company in Baltimore. In 1965 Natty Boh became the official sponsor of the Baltimore Orioles and was served at Memorial Stadium.
In 1996 the G. Heileman Brewing Company, which owned Natty Boh at the time was sold to Stroh Brewing Company and eventually to Pabst Brewing Company. Brewing in Maryland stopped in 2000.
Although it hasn’t been brewed in the state for over 15 years, many Baltimoreans still consider Natty Boh a local beer.
“You always talk about crabs and Natty Boh,” Dan said. “And it goes all the way back to Memorial Stadium when you could bring it in yourself, so to not have it here I think it’s almost criminal in a sense. I mean it’s Orioles colors on the can.”
Even though there will be no Boh’s and O’s this season, there are still plenty of beer options inside Camden Yards, including several locally brewed options - B.W. Beer Works USA, Flying Dog, Full Title, Heavy Seas, The Brewer’s Art, Union Craft and Dogfish Head.
Thomas Creegan, owner at The Brewer’s Artsaid across the board, people want to see more local beer.
“I think more people want to drink local,” he said. “There are more breweries in town than ever and everyone seems to be happy and growing.”
Dan said he’d love to see more local and craft beers, but also enjoys his Boh.
“I like any of the local stuff you can get - the Flying Dog, but primarily it’s always been Natty Boh up until this point,” said Orioles fan Dan.
Creegan said it’ll be weird not to see Natty Boh in Camden Yards. He said even though it hasn’t been made in Baltimore in a long time, it’s still a Baltimore brand. He hopes Boh’s departure will lead to new traditions.
“It was part of the game, so it’s weird, it’s something that their fathers and grandfathers did and now they can’t. But things change and hopefully drinking something local will be the norm in the future.”
Even though it’s not crafted in Baltimore, most fans believe Natty Boh is as Baltimore as it gets and they want to see it at Camden Yards.
“But, you know, I’ve gotta stick with the Boh. I’m just Boh all the way, born a Baltimorean and I feel like that’s the pride of Baltimore - Natty Boh,” James Lane said.
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