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Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #2067: Who Said It First?

October 18, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Tuesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1939. In this ad, entitled “Who Said It First?,” nine well-known expressions (though to be fair, a few of them I hadn’t heard before) are given their origin stories, explaining where they came from, and then the ad ends with just one more, number ten. That last one is “The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous,” yet curiously, the story doesn’t involve the Schlitz marketing department or ad agency.

Schlitz-1939-who-said

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

Beer In Ads #2066: How To Celebrate A Great Occasion

October 17, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1940. In this ad, entitled “How To Celebrate A Great Occasion,” it tells the story of how people have celebrated occasions throughout history. Toward the end of the history lesson, the author wonders what Shakespeare would have thought of bottled Schlitz. Not the question I would have asked, although he also wants to know if Hamlet was mad.

Schlitz-1940-celebrate-occasion

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

Beer In Ads #2065: Moments We’ll Never Forget

October 16, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Sunday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1940. In this ad, entitled “Moments We’ll Never Forget …,” is features “Six great explorers recall exciting episodes around the world.” But then there’s one more story. And it’s the moment you first tasted Schlitz. There’s even a sidebar with how bad air is for your beer. Another dense double truck filled with text. These may some of the first advertorials.

Schlitz-1940-moments

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

Beer In Ads #2064: What’s In A Name?

October 15, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Saturday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1940. In this ad, a trivia bonanza, all about how things got their names. “What’s in a Name? Everything!” There are sixteen little histories of how different things got their names, which is a lot for an ad, even a double truck. And then there’s just one more origin story:Schlitz.

Schlitz-1940-name

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

Beer In Ads #2063: Favorite Recipes That Go Well With Schlitz

October 14, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Friday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1939. In this ad, with the ridiculously long title “Favorite Recipes of famous Amateur Chefs that go well with that famous flavor found only in Schlitz. The dense ad includes short bios and recipes from ten people (they’re hard to read) and this interesting blanket statement. “The epicure prefers a beer that is neither sweet nor bitter.” I think that depends on what he’s doing with it, how he’s using it or what food he’s pairing or cooking it with. Of course, this was 1939, and Sean Paxton and Bruce Paton hadn’t been born yet.

Schlitz-1939-recipes

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

Beer In Ads #2062: About A Brown Bottle

October 13, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1938. In this ad, it tells the tale of a man from Kansas in India for work, and amazed at the foreign land’s beauty and strangeness. But hen his “boy” brings him a brown bottle of Schlitz, cooled in a waterfall, and all is right with the world once more. In fact, he believes that beer saved his life. That’s a pretty impressive beer.

Schlitz-1938-brown-bottle

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

Beer In Ads #2061: A Geographic Hall Of Fame

October 12, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Wednesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1939. In this ad, it’s an early form of listicle creating “A Geographic Hall of Fame,” meaning what certain places are famous for. Some are obvious, like cigars from Havana or Concord grapes. Others seem less well known, at least to me, like sausage from Bolgna or china from Dresden. (I certainly didn’t see a lot of plates and cups when I was there, though to be fair I wasn’t really looking for china, either.) Naturally, the ad is making the case that what Milwaukee should be in the Hall of Fame for is beer, and not just any beer, but Schlitz.

Schlitz-1939-geographic-fame

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

Beer In Ads #2060: Head Of The Table

October 11, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Tuesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1941. In this ad, oddly about class, it’s really about how we call beer an “affordable luxury,” although the way they say it as a little different. “Not everyone can own the finest pearl, or drive the costliest car. But America’s most distinguished beer is within the reach of everybody. Here, indeed, is democracy in a bottle!”

Schlitz-1941-head-of-the-table

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

Beer In Ads #2058: Hitting The Ceiling For Pictures

October 9, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Sunday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1939. In this ad, all about aerial photography, in addition to American landmarks shot from the air, there’s also a photo of the Schlitz brewery in Milwaukee.

Schlitz-1939-from-above

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries Tagged With: Advertising, History, Schlitz

Beer In Ads #2057: The Whole Nation Enjoys

October 8, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Friday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1888. In this ad, a very patriotic server, in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, is setting down a third glass of beer, as her two customers try to clink their glasses together while staring off into space. And are those the smallest beer glasses you’ve ever seen? And lastly, what about that goat table leg?

Schlitz-Beer-1888-Historic-Advertising-Print

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

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