Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz Famo, from around 1918. Famo was their non-alcohol beer during Prohibition, or as they referred to it, “a pure non-intoxicating beverage.” I’m not sure what the tie-in was with the man in uniform, though it was during World War I, and since today is Veteran’s Day — originally Armistice Day for that war’s end.

Most of the beer companies scrambled to come up with a N/A brand in the years just before Prohibition as they finally started to see the writing on the wall. For an interesting overview of the names they came up with, check out Prohibition and Near-Beer Names.

During the early part of Prohibition, brewers at the time were emphasizing cleanliness by saying that “Schlitz Famo goes through a pulp filter–then through a sterilized pipe line to glass-lined tanks in a cool cellar for aging. A sterilized line carries it to automatic filling machines containing sterilized bottles, thence to Pasteurization” They further stressed the nutritional values of their products. The company boasted that Schlitz Famo is more than a drink. It is a food. Every time you take a glass of Schlitz Famo you are taking something to eat. Every compound essential to the human body is present in Schlitz Famo–protein, carbohydrates, mineral matter and water–the only factor absent being fats, and they are formed in the body from the carbohydrates. These elements repair and build up broken-down tissues and impart to the body heat and muscular energy. That’s why we say Schlitz Famo is a worth-while cereal beverage. It is non-intoxicating. It is healthful, refreshing and satisfying. It has the wonderful hop aroma.