Wednesday’s ad is for Guinness, from 1960. Showing a man playing golf, suggesting he could play better by keeping “a Guinness in mind!” But I guess that only holds true for men, and not just any men, but just the tough ones, as the ad copy makes clear. “But for muscular men … who work hard, play hard, live hard … this is it.” And apparently it’s been that way for awhile now. “For 200 years now , this dark Irish brew has been the masculine man’s preference. Frankly, it is not for everyone. But vigorous, vital men are vehement that Guinness stout has the secret of the cool refreshment they need.”
Good find. Once again the meme of 1940’s/50’s beer ads rears its head, i.e., downplay all the elements that really make true beer what it is. It’s not bitter, only “half-bitter”. It’s not black, it’s “ruby”. It’s not a gulp of beer, it’s a “draught”. (How many readers would twig to this narrow meaning of draft is an open question). Finally, it’s not for everyone, only he-men who presumably are so deprived of carbohydrate and energy that they can handle taste of a real beer. Even then they are encouraged to mix it with beer (i.e., American adjunct lager), cola, tonic or ginger ale. Kind of covers the bases.
Was anyone selling beer circa-1960 who had confidence in beer “qua” beer? Anyone? If there was, I’d think you’d have found it, Jay, with your sharp historical eye, but I don’t think it’s surfaced yet. Hope springs eternal..
Gary
That guy doesn’t look too “muscular,vigorous or vital” to me. Give that boy some,straight,Guiness!