Sunday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1926. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, Bass makes the claim that by using lots of hops in their beer that they made the hop merchant a “man of substance,” which they insist we can clearly “see from his picture” here in this ad. While I know many fine hop merchants, most of whom are indeed men of substance, I’m not quite sure that being 100 feet tall is proof of anything. Or maybe it’s simply how well-dressed he is. If so, not sure that outfit exactly translates as impressive in the modern world.

Saturday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1940. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, another one from the “Great Stuff This Bass” series,” they’re also employing another regular character from this time period, “Bill Sticker,” who in this ad managed to put a banner on the back of man fishing on the bank of some body of water. He’d already had at least three bottles of Bass so that’s probably why he didn’t notice.

Friday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1905. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, an old trade postcard, the fill headline reds. “I know plenty fellows who’d go to bed every night at ten if they could have dreams like this!” And I much as I enjoy dreaming about beer, I’m not sure it quite compares to actually drinking beer while awake. Also, is he sleeping in a suit? Or is he just wearing it in the dream? Still, it’s a pretty nice-looking dream. Who wouldn’t want a bottle of beer that large? Is that a double Nebuchadnezzar?

Thursday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1937. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, another one from the “Great Stuff This Bass” series,” they’re also employing another regular character from this time period, “Bill Sticker,” who in this ad managed to somehow put banners on the bottom of a group of biplanes as they were taking off. Or maybe while they were already in the air — he is carrying a ladder and an umbrella after all — though I’m not sure how that would have worked all the same.

Wednesday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1955. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, when Bass had two pale ales, red triangle and blue triangle (the only difference being that red was bottle-conditioned while blue was not). So two athletes (footballers?) are holding a trophy. They seem to play for the red and blue team and the trophy has crowns for both Red Bass and Blue Bass. How they’re going to decide is unclear to me, because isn’t the trophy usually brought out after the game? They’re both smiling, so who knows.

Tuesday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1937. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, another one from the “Great Stuff This Bass” series,” they’re also employing another regular character from this time period, “Bill Sticker,” who in this ad walked into an empty town square and hung banners everywhere, from the turret of the castle to the fountain in the middle of the square.

Moday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1955. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, when Bass had two pale ales, red triangle and blue triangle (the only difference being that red was bottle-conditioned while blue was not). So they’re apparently having a bicycle race to determine which triangle is the best. I’m not sure what the megaphones are for, however, that’s a bit of mystery.

Sunday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1937. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, another one from the “Great Stuff This Bass” series,” they’re also employing another regular character from this time period, “Bill Sticker,” who in this ad just hung a ginormous banner on an Egyptian pyramid as someone is arriving riding on a camel. And I’ll bet they’re thirsty. What to drink, what to drink?

Saturday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1955. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, when Bass had two pale ales, red triangle and blue triangle (the only difference being that red was bottle-conditioned while blue was not). So they’re apparently having a cow show to determine which triangle is the best. Personally, they’re both lovely bovines, but I’m going to have to go with the bottle-conditioned beer, but I have a feeling they’re both good.

Friday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1937. Bass Ale was one of the beers that helped push me away from the regional lagers I grew up drinking in Eastern Pennsylvania, and toward more flavorful beers. Jazz clubs in New York City in the late 1970s frequently carried Bass, and I really liked how different it tasted, compared to what I was used to. In this ad, another one from the “Great Stuff This Bass” series,” they’re also employing another regular character from this time period, “Bill Sticker,” who in this ad just hung a number of banners all over the train station. They’re on the baggage, suitcases, even a bookings sign.