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Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #2135: Damsleth’s Julöl

December 24, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Saturday’s holiday ad is for a Norwegian beer, from 1940. It was created by well-known Norwegian cartoonist, illustrator and ad-man Harald Damsleth. It depicts a young girl flying in a red boat filled with at least five kegs and two dragon’s heads at either end. The word “Julöl” is in the snow below, and the “J” is a broom. Maybe it’s from some Norwegian folktale I’m unfamiliar with, but it looks like it’s from an odd dream. Although the girls is smiling, and there are birds flitting about nearby, so it can’t be all bad.

juleol-plakat-1940

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, Christmas, History, Holidays, Norway

Anchor Christmas Ale 2015

December 24, 2016 By Jay Brooks

xmas-christmas-ale
It’s day forty-one of my jolly jog to Christmas featuring all 42 labels from Anchor’s Christmas Ale — a.k.a. Our Special Ale — all different beers (well, mostly different) and all different labels, each one designed by local artist Jim Stitt, up to and including this year’s label.

2015 was the forty-first year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and from 1987 through the present day, each year Anchor’s Our Special Ale has included spices, a different combination of them every time. Generally the base beer has been a spiced brown ale, although it has been varied from time to time, as well. This forty-first label was was a “California Christmas Tree,” or “Cedrus Deodara.”

Anchor-Xmas-2015

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Anchor Brewery, Beer Labels, Christmas, History, Holidays

Beer In Ads #2134: Season’s Greetings

December 23, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Friday’s holiday ad is for Schaefer Beer, from 1939. In this simple ad, there’s an illustration of three bells, with the Schaefer motto on a crest on the ribbon and just “Season’s Greetings,” along with a paragraph of ad copy.

Schaefer-1939-seasons-greetings

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, Christmas, History, Holidays, Schaefer

Anchor Christmas Ale 2014

December 23, 2016 By Jay Brooks

xmas-christmas-ale
It’s day forty of my fast festive flurry to Christmas featuring all 42 labels from Anchor’s Christmas Ale — a.k.a. Our Special Ale — all different beers (well, mostly different) and all different labels, each one designed by local artist Jim Stitt, up to and including this year’s label.

2014 was the fortieth year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and from 1987 through the present day, each year Anchor’s Our Special Ale has included spices, a different combination of them every time. Generally the base beer has been a spiced brown ale, although it has been varied from time to time, as well. This fortieth label was was a “Giant Sequoia,” or “Sequoiadendron giganteum.”

Anchor-Xmas-2014

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Anchor Brewery, Beer Labels, Christmas, History, Holidays

Beer In Ads #2133: Cain’s Special Ales

December 22, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s holiday ad is for Cain’s Special Ale, from 1908. In this ad, Santa is pulling a beer wagon and holding a beer in his hand.

Cains-1908-santa

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, Christmas, England, Great Britain, History, Holidays

Anchor Christmas Ale 2013

December 22, 2016 By Jay Brooks

xmas-christmas-ale
It’s day thirty-nine of my Rudolph’s run to Christmas featuring all 42 labels from Anchor’s Christmas Ale — a.k.a. Our Special Ale — all different beers (well, mostly different) and all different labels, each one designed by local artist Jim Stitt, up to and including this year’s label.

2013 was the thirty-ninth year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and from 1987 through the present day, each year Anchor’s Our Special Ale has included spices, a different combination of them every time. Generally the base beer has been a spiced brown ale, although it has been varied from time to time, as well. This thirty-ninth label was was a “California White Fir,” or “Abies concolor var. Lowiana.”

Anchor-Xmas-2013

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Anchor Brewery, Beer Labels, Christmas, History, Holidays

Beer In Ads #2132: Good Cheer From The Land Of Sky Blue Waters

December 21, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Wednesday’s holiday ad is for Hamm’s, from 1956. The newspaper ad shows a idyllic winter forest scene with the Hamm’s bear in a Santa hat delivering a wrapped case of beer. Or maybe just drink that giant glass of beer on the ginormous silver tray which just happened to be there in the snow.

Hamms-1956-good-cheer

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, Christmas, History, Holidays

Anchor Christmas Ale 2012

December 21, 2016 By Jay Brooks

xmas-christmas-ale
It’s day thirty-eight of my holiday hotfoot to Christmas featuring all 42 labels from Anchor’s Christmas Ale — a.k.a. Our Special Ale — all different beers (well, mostly different) and all different labels, each one designed by local artist Jim Stitt, up to and including this year’s label.

2012 was the thirty-eighth year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and from 1987 through the present day, each year Anchor’s Our Special Ale has included spices, a different combination of them every time. Generally the base beer has been a spiced brown ale, although it has been varied from time to time, as well. This thirty-eighth label was was a “Norfolk Island Pine,” or “Araucaria heterophylla.”

Anchor-Xmas-2012

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Anchor Brewery, Beer Labels, Christmas, History, Holidays

Beer In Ads #2131: For A Tree-Trimming Treat

December 20, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Tuesday’s holiday ad is for Carling’s Red Cap Ale, from 1957. It’s a frenetic scene, as an unseen person’s hand opens — or snaps a cap open — of beer as he watches the army of cartoons he’s invited over to trim his cartoon Christmas tree. The dog’s loose and grandpa’s smoking his pipe by the tree. What could go wrong? Have a beer.

Carling-red-cap-xmas-tree-french

That was version of the ad in French, below is the same ad, though not nearly as good a scan, in English.

Carling-red-cap-xmas-tree-english-1957

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, Canada, Christmas, History, Holidays

Anchor Christmas Ale 2011

December 20, 2016 By Jay Brooks

xmas-christmas-ale
It’s day thirty-seven of my seasonal scurry to Christmas featuring all 42 labels from Anchor’s Christmas Ale — a.k.a. Our Special Ale — all different beers (well, mostly different) and all different labels, each one designed by local artist Jim Stitt, up to and including this year’s label.

2011 was the thirty-seventh year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and from 1987 through the present day, each year Anchor’s Our Special Ale has included spices, a different combination of them every time. Generally the base beer has been a spiced brown ale, although it has been varied from time to time, as well. This thirty-seventh label was was a “Great Basin Bristlecone Pine,” or “Pinus longaeva.”

Anchor-Xmas-2011

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Anchor Brewery, Beer Labels, Christmas, History, Holidays

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