Thursday’s ad is for Knickerbocker Beer, from 1954. This is number 1 in a series by the Jacob Ruppert Brewing Co. The first one shows the “Purchase Of The Island Of Manhattan,” illustrated by Lumen Martin Winter. It depicts a rather fanciful origin story for the Purchase of the Island of Manhattan, as told in the text.
Wednesday’s ad is for Buckeye Sparkling Dry Beer, from 1961. Buckeye Brewing was in Toledo, Ohio. The ad shows three different size bottles of Buckeye Beer bowling. This is at a time when the TV show “Bowling for Dollars” was the highest rated sports show on television, so it makes sense. But the anthropomorphized bottles still look a little unsettling to me, though I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why.
Tuesday’s ad is for Goetz Country Club Malt Liquor, from 1955. These ads are closer to when Country Club malt liquor debuted, and I found three ads that are very similar, with almost the same ad copy, but with different illustrations, but all sending the same message, that malt liquor is a “Party Brew.” “So smooth — so different! Looks inviting … tastes exciting!”
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Whereas this one is inside, in what looks like a rec. room. The woman holding the beer looks like the same one from the first ad above.
Thi last one looks like someone’s living room, or perhaps all those white sweaters means it’s a frat house or some other organization. Either way, there’s some real partying going on.
Monday’s ad is for Goetz Country Club Malt Liquor, from 1967. Goetz Brewing by this time had been bought by Pearl Brewing, and they were brewing the Country Club brand. The ad shows a can of Country Club next to a full glass of beer, er … I mean malt liquor. These are surrounded by a bunch of empty brown bottles, with the following ad copy: “If you like beer a lot, you’ll like Country Club more.” And why would that be the case, you may be wondering. Well, they do offer an answer. “Because it is.” It certainly is.
Sunday’s ad is for Goetz Country Club Malt Liquor, from 1967. Goetz Brewing by this time had been bought by Pearl Brewing, and they were brewing the Country Club brand. The ad shows a can of Country Club seen through a half-empty (or is that half-full?), which apparently “Starts Where Beer Leaves Off.” And I love this descriptor, I’m going to have to add it into my rotation. It apparently has “walloping good taste.”
Saturday’s ad is for Goetz Country Club Malt Liquor, from 1967. Goetz Brewing by this time had been bought by Pearl Brewing, and they were brewing the Country Club brand. The ad shows a small crumpled can of malt liquor on a black background. The ad refers to malt liquor as “a masculine cousin of the other brews” and “not a beer or ale.” But perhaps most hilarious is this. “Country Club’s special fermenting agent gives it a lively quality that, frankly, appeals mostly to men.” Way to cut off half the population to your product. That seems like a good idea, doesn’t it?
Friday’s ad is for Goetz Country Club Malt Liquor, from 1967. Goetz Brewing by this time had been bought by Pearl Brewing, and they were brewing the Country Club brand. The ad shows a hand pouring Country Club into a glass, with a hand squeezing the can so hard that the last drop empties from the can. But my favorite line is this one. “You’ll never mistake Country Club for beer.” That’s certainly true.
Wednesday’s ad is for Grain Belt Beer, from 1973 or 74. The ad shows three panels with plays on words, but they’re not particularly funny or clever. The first one is “Sure Glad I Fondue,” the second is Feast and Foremost, while the third is simply “Ho! Ho! Ho!” I think that’s meant to be the Green Giant rather than The Hulk, which is perhaps even odder. These seem more like drawing board ideas rather than finished ads. But what do I know.
Tuesday’s ad is for Golden Grain Belt Beer, from 1910. The ad shows a baseball game, with a man sliding into a base in a cloud of dust. As I mentioned earlier, today in 1839 is the date given when baseball was invented, and while that’s undoubtedly not accurate, it’s still nice to have a date to celebrate baseball. The tagline, almost certainly illegal today, “Quick Thought — Responsive Muscles” goes on to say that “athletes know the great value of good beer as a healthful builder of tissues wasted by exertion.” Don’t they just, though.
Monday’s ad is for the Gluek Stite, from 1964. The ad shows two women water-skiing and screaming with (delight?) If they had a couple of bottles of malt liquor, it might be something else. The ad is for Gluek Malt Liquor, which was called Stite for some reason. And that tagline: “pour RIGHT pour STITE,” followed by “Aquatenniel time … Anytime … Stite’s Right for Fun.” Also, they claim it’s the “Original Malt Liquor.” Can that be right? It was launched in 1942, and was undoubtedly one of the earlier offerings, but was it first? I’m really not sure who holds that dubious title.
