Tuesday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1939. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, for the U.S. market, they’re depicting American businessmen having returned from a trip to England recommending they drink Bass Ale. Although actually, they said it like so: “For A Tall Drink — Order Bass.” That’s certainly an odd way of putting it. I didn’t think “tall” was a qualitative statement of beer, but I may start using it that way. “Hey, that was a really tall thing to say.”
