Monday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1963. The ad is fairly simple, just a glass of beer and a half-emptied bottle of High Life next to it, with a plate of food behind it, and slightly out of focus. Is that lobster? It feels like the ad may have been cut off, like there should be more below the headline, but maybe not, it was done in the minimalist 1960s.
Archives for May 11, 2015
Italy’s Tre Fontane Approved As Newest Trappist Brewery
Last week, the International Trappist Association approved the 11th monastery brewery to be allowed to designate their beers as “officially” Trappist. There are now six Trappist breweries in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Austria, the U.S.A. and now Italy. The latest monastery brewery, Abbey at Tre Fontane, is located in Rome, Italy. It was a religious spot since Roman times (from around the first century), and became affiliated with the Cistercian Order in 1625. According to Wikipedia:
Belonging to the monastery are three separate churches. The first, the Church of St. Paul of Three Fountains, was raised on the spot where St. Paul was beheaded by order of Emperor Nero. Legend accounts for the three springs (fontane) with the assertion that, when severed from Paul’s body, his head bounced and struck the earth in three different places, from which fountains sprang up. These still flow and are located in the sanctuary.
That’s where the beer’s name comes from, Three Fountains Tripel, which is an 8.5% a.b.v. Tripel, brewed with Eucalyptus. That’s because the monks of the Tre Fontane Abbey planted fields of eucalyptus to combat malaria beginning in 1870. They also make olive oil, honey (flower, acacia, and eucalyptus), chocolates, and a Trappist liqueur.
The beer is described by the ITA like this:
“The high carbonation gives the mouthfeel a pleasant dry finish. The mildly sweet aftertaste comes from the soothing flavor of eucalyptus herb, which cleanses and refreshes the palate. While the beer gives the impression of being light, it has abundant body. The high alcohol content adds a warm, refined feeling to the soothing highlights of the eucalyptus.”
American Craft Beer Week 2015
Today begins the 10th annual American Craft Beer Week, which is themed this year as Cheers to the Sweet Land of Li-beer-ty. This year it will take place May 11-17, and “all 50 states will hold events including exclusive brewery tours, special craft beer releases, food and beer pairings, tap takeovers and more to honor the ever-advancing craft beer culture and unite tens of thousands of beer lovers nationwide.”
“American Craft Beer Week has provided independent beer fans across the country a chance to support their local breweries since 2006,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and craft beer program director at the Brewers Association. “With celebrations happening in all 50 states, this is truly an annual national event that recognizes all those involved in making craft beer from small breweries in the U.S. such a success.”
You can also follow news of ACBW and see what events have been scheduled and the list can be searched by state. The BA this year has also “created an interactive graphic with fun facts to commemorate each state and their commitment to craft brewing.”
Click here to see the ACBW poster full size.
And here’s a larger view of what they had to say about California.
Patent No. 921032A: Counter-Pressure Bottling-Machine For Beer
Today in 1909, US Patent 921032 A was issued, an invention of Ralph Waldo Webster and Leuig Chew, for their “Counter-Pressure Bottling-Machine for Beer, Mineral Waters, and the Like.” There’s no Abstract, and all it says in the description is that Schwartz “invented new and useful Improvements in Counter-Pressure Bottling-Machines for Beer, Mineral Waters, and the Like,” which is essentially the title. A bit more is subsequently added, saying the “invention relates to improvements in machines for filling bottles, jars, and other like vessels, in which a counter-pressure is created to enable beers, mineral waters, and the like, having a natural or artificial condition or pressure, to be bottled Without undue foaming or loss of condition.” For the rest, you have to dive into a full reading of the application.
Patent No. 227450A: Beer-Cooler
Today in 1880, US Patent 227450 A was issued, an invention of William Schwartz, for his “Beer-Cooler.” There’s no Abstract, and all it says in the description is that Schwartz “invented certain Improvements in Beer-Keg Receptacles.” I guess you have to read through the rest of it to figure it out.