Friday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1963. In this ad, part of series entitled “This calls for …,” in this case “The Camping Trip.” Three men sit at a table in a tent, with what looks to be a lake outside, as they play cards, smoke and drink beer. Sounds like a pretty good way to spend a weekend.
It’s day twelve of my Black Friday bound 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.
1986 was the twelfth year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and this year the beer was another brown ale, their third one, though it was different from the two previous year’s offering, and still with no spices added. But this was also the last beer Anchor made without spices. This twelfth label was a “Golden Chinquapin,” or “Castanopsis chrysophylla.”
Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day ad is for Budweiser, from 1963. Because of the holiday, I’m taking a break from the “This calls for …” series to bring you “A Tradition in Hospitality,” a holiday-themed ad with a big ass turkey. Ours actually looked beer (it was a Willie Bird, after all) and I served better beer, and we also didn’t have a Jell-O mold anything, but otherwise a beautifully festive setting. Happy Thanksgiving!
It’s day eleven of my Thanksgiving escape 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.
1985 was the eleventh year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and this year the beer was another brown ale, their second one, though it was different from the previous year’s offering, and still with no spices added. This eleventh label was a “Pacific Madrone,” or “Arbutus menziesii.”
Wednesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1962. In this ad, part of series entitled “This calls for …,” in this case “Out In The Kitchen.” Curiously, this ad almost exactly mirrors another ad from the same year, one that was called the Neighbors. But that ad had four African-American men in virtually the same positions as the four caucasians in this one. It’s even the same kitchen, although it’s been redecorated. You see that the chairs and cabinets are absolutely the same, but the tablecloth and wallpaper have been changed. It’s kind of hilarious. For all I know, they ran at the same time, but in publications with very different readerships.
It’s day ten of my turkey trot 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.
1984 was the tenth year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and it was a radical departure from their previous holiday beers. The 1983 version proved so popular that they changed the Liberty Ale recipe to match it, and ever since, your Liberty Ale is the same as Anchor’s 1983 Christmas Ale. But that also led them to conclude that they should do something different for 1984, so that year the beer was a brown ale, still with no spices added. This tenth label was based on a “Tree of Life.”
Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1962. In this ad, part of series entitled “This calls for …,” in this case “Bowling Night.” Ah, in 1962, bowling was in its heyday, about to peak. It’s unfortunately fallen off a cliff since then when both casual and serious bowling has been declining unabated. It’s hard not to love any sport where drinking beer in between playing is not only allowed, but encouraged.
It’s day nine 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.
1983 was the ninth year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and it was similar to the eight previous year’s beers, another variation based on Liberty Ale, still a hoppy pale ale, with no spices added. It was the last year that they based their Christmas Ale on Liberty. From this year forward, also, the label design became relatively fixed and each subsequent label was similar in design. This ninth label was a “Greek Fir,” or “Abies cephalonica.”
It’s day eight 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.
1982 was the eighth year that Anchor made their Christmas Ale, and it was similar to the seven previous year’s beers, another variation based on Liberty Ale, still a hoppy pale ale, with no spices added. This eighth label was a “Tanoak,” or “Notholithocarpus densiflorus.”
Sunday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1963. In this ad, part of series entitled “This calls for …,” in this case “the Midway.” At a fair, a couple stops for a hot dog and a beer. I love the hat and outfit the guy pouring the beer is forced to wear. Priceless. But I also can’t help but wonder what’s so funny about having a hot dog waved in one’s face? Or am I misreading that? What I see is the dude holding a hot dog up to his date’s face and her laughing hysterically, throwing her head back, so much so that’s she holding on to her hat so it won’t fall off. That must have been some serious joke he just made. Or are we witnessing a simple double entendre on the Midway?
