Tuesday’s ad is for Bunker Hill Lager, from 1899. In Massachusetts, today is Bunker Hill Day, commemorating the Battle of Breed’s Hill, commonly known as the Battle of Bunker Hill, which took place today in 1775. The beer, Bunker Hill Lager, was brewed by Bunker Hill Breweries in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Monday’s ad is Schlitz, from 1946. This ad is from Schlitz’s long-running “Just the kiss of the hops …” campaign. Even though it’s an illustration, I love the idea of the hop cone seen through the glass of beer. I’ll have to try that as a photograph this harvest time.
Sunday’s Father’s Day ad is another trade ad by the United States Brewers Foundation, from 1956. This is #96 in the “Home Life in America” series, part of the Beer Belongs campaign by the USBF. It originally ran in prominent magazines in late June and early July of 1954. The artwork was by Douglass Crockwell, a well-known illustrator of the day, and was entitled “Dad Takes On All Comers.” And Dad’s sport of choice?: croquet. BUt he may have met his match. His daughter, one presumes, is going for the peg, as Mom shushes the crowd so she can concentrate on beating Dad. You have to admit, that’s a pretty impressive back yard. But who puts the barbecue right next to a tree? If I’m not mistaken, trees are what they make firewood out of.
Saturday’s ad is a trade ad by the United States Brewers Foundation, from 1959. Featuring a foursome bowling, the text starts with “What a great feeling to see all the pins go down…” followed by the tagline “Good for you!” “A strike! You did it.” Ah, bowling. But I especially love the end. “A glass of beer adds so much fun to so many occasions. And it really picks you up, too!”
This would make a great Father’s Day gift, if only I had found it sooner. This beautiful-looking poster was created by Russell van Kraayenburg for Chasing Delicious. It’s in their Kitchen 101 section, which is a series of educational culinary infographic posters. The Beer 101 poster is available in several sizes, including 8.5 x 11, 12 x 18 and 24 x 36. It’s not perfect. I didn’t look at every single beer on it, but they did call IPAs “Indian Pale Ale.” Given that for each of the 72 beers, they show color, carbonation, head characteristics, suggested glass, food pairing, alcohol range, hoppiness, maltiness, fruity esters and adjuncts, it’s an ambitious job. There’s bound to be things we can quibble with, but overall it seems to be a nice job, and it certainly packs a lot of information into its attractive design.
Friday’s ad is for Pabst, from 1939. Set at what the refer to as “Boston’s Swank Copley-Plaza,” which today is part of the Fairmont chain, the ad features a couple dressed to the nines and out for a night on the town. But what really makes this ad a hoot, is how they refer to the beer. “For Keener Refreshment … It’s Lighter … Brighter … Brisk-Bodied, Not Logy!” Whew, well thank goodness it’s not logy. Wait, what the hell is “logy?” Apparently it means “dull and heavy in motion or thought; sluggish.”
Thursday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1939. Showing a handy new way to order a Ballantine, make the OK sign by placing your thumb and forefinger in a circle, for a ring, and sticking the remaining three fingers in the air, for the number three. So that’s three rings, and as the ad asks: “Get It?”
Wednesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1938. It’s a very text heavy ad, with a long story about how making a show on Broadway a hit is like goof beer. Yeah, I don’t get it either.
Tuesday’s ad is a pro industry ad by the United Brewers Industrial Foundation from the early 1930s, shortly after the repeal of prohibition. The C.C.C. in question is the Civilian Conservation Corps, which involved 300,000 boys in 3,000 camps who through their efforts improved over three-billion acres of forest, but at a cost to taxpayers of $326 million. The beer industry’s post-prohibition contribution to the American economy is one million dollars per day in taxes. And that was the industry just beginning to rebound after thirteen dry years. But that’s just as true today as it was then, but with even larger numbers and greater intangible contributions from so many smaller community-based breweries.
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from the 1930s. Touting their new smaller steinie brown bottles, flanked by an actual stein on either side, I love that the neck label reads “Bottled at the Brewery.” Is that really a selling point customers would care about? Were other breweries bottling their beer elsewhere?
