Monday’s ad is from 1900 and is for a German beer, C. Becker. The bottom of the ad says simply: “C. Becker: Die schone bisei, which is “the beautiful ____” something, I’m not sure what the word “besei” means. Anyone know? The ad also features a poem, in German, that’s likely about the beer but it’s a little hard to decipher. But at the heart of it is a great illustration of a beer server from the old days in Germany.
dear friends at BBB- here is the collective reply from German language scholars and myself, a sometimes speaker:
your question about bisei or bisel. There is no German word I know that fits. I think what is meant is Bissel, a diminutive of Biss. A Biss is a bite, so a Bissel is a tasty morsel, a tasty mouthful. I’m not sure I would describe a beer with such a word. Why would one drink only a small amount? Perhaps, the word has another colloquial or dialect meaning for the region or people who produced the beer.
I hope this helps
Rita Kohn
author of True Brew: A Guide to Craft Beer in Indiana [2010, Indiana University Press]
columnist: Beer Buzz, NUVO Newsweekly, Indianapolis