Wednesday’s ad is for Blatz Beer, and features Hollywood leading man George Sanders, whose most famous role was probably in All About Eve in 1950, though I know him for playing Simon Templar in the Saint series in the 1940s (I’m a huge fan of Leslie Charteris’ “The Saint” books, movies and TV shows). The funniest part of this ad is the headline: “I’ve been to Milwaukee, I ought to know … Blatz is Milwaukee’s Finest Beer!. Yeah, ’cause to visit a place is to know everything about it. I’m not exactly sure when the ads is from, though there’s a small “100” in the lower right-hand corner suggesting 1951, which would have been the Blatz Brewery‘s 100th anniversary, having been founded in 1851.
Of the lousy choices available for “Milwaukee’s Finest Beer” before craft brews, PBR wins hands down in my mind – but is it even brewed there these days since being bought out by a label-owning megabrewer? It was malty, but had enough hops for reasonable balance
Blatz (if it still exists) & Schlitz (” the beer that made Milwaukee famous” per their ads, & which, like Miller, lacked hops) have been reduced to generic status, as have many of the older regional lagers throughout the country. Forget Miller products – they never heard of hops! LMAO when I see their current ads for “triple hopped” Lite – must be one cluster each at 3 stages during the boil 🙂
I’m a “hophead”, but if circumstances in a bar (no micros/good imports available on tap/bottled) reduce me to drinking “old name” lager, my #1 is Yeungling back east; here in CA, I don’t worry much, except in Korean, Chinese, Mexican, & low-end “chain” restaurants or the occasional “dive” I might find myself in.
That ad was not preposterous for its time (few knew better), but certainly would be over the edge now.