Monday’s ad is from 1951 and ran in Newsweek. It was produced by the U.S. Brewers Foundation, one of a series of historical ads showing the positive side of beer in a post-Prohibition America, a world, like today, in which the neo-prohibitionists continued nipping at their heels despite Prohibition’s massive, unmitigated failure. The ad answers the question “What Great Americans Favored Beer As A Beverage Of Moderation?” with “Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Patrick Henry—to name just a few.” Since today is Presidents Day, and their list includes three early American presidents, it seemed a good way to celebrate by remembering there was a time when beer wasn’t under constant attack and our most popular politicians openly supported it. Happy Presidents Day.
