Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #1497: Guinness Time Cried The Oysters

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Tuesday’s ad is for Guinness, from the 1930s. I’m not sure exactly when “Guinness Time Cried The Oysters,” was done, but in the 1930s Guinness, and John Gilroy, worked on several Alice in Wonderland-themed projects, including “The Guinness Alice” (1933), “Jaberwocky Re-Versed and Other Guinness Versions” (1935), “Alice Aforethought,” and “Guinness Carrolls for 1938” (1938). Surely, this illustration from The Walrus and the Carpenter was part of of one of those. Anyway, it seemed like a good ad for St. Patrick’s Day. Sláinte.

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Beer In Ads #1496: Special Lyrics

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Monday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1962. It’ from A-B’s long-running “Where there’s life” series, in this case the “Special Lyrics” are the “101 words” on the Budweiser label. I’m at least pleased to see she’s holding the record on the edge. Back in the day when I managed record stores, there was nothing worse then people just pawing a record with their greasy fingers and leaving fingerprints all over it. But if he keeps pouring that beer it’s going to spill all over her and the album. Also, if you look at the album cover partially show in the background, that photo is from a previous Bud ad.

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Beer In Ads #1495: Most Of The Things I Like Best Begin With ‘B’

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Sunday’s ad is for Rheingold Beer, from 1952. “‘Most of the Things I Like Best Begin with ‘B’ — beagles, bands, beer,’ says TV star Harry James. ‘Here’s my favorite beagle — Bugle. My favorite band instrument? You guessed it — the trumpet. As for beer …'” It seems odd they describe James as a “TV star,” when I always think of him as a trumpet player and a bandleader. Harry James’ birthday is today, born in Albany, Georgia in 1916. When I was younger, and a musician, I was a freak for big band music, and Harry James was one of the best of his time.

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Beer In Ads #1494: Small Talk

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Saturday’s ad is another one for Budweiser, from 1958. By “Small Talk,” they really mean small print, which A-B claims “the tiny printing on the label tells you exactly what makes Budweiser so good.” But I can’t take my eyes off of the two long red nails poking out of her hair. I know she’s just running her fingers through her hair as she’s being poured a beer — I mean, I always do that, don’t you? — but they just look a bit creepy and wrong, for no particular reason. Are they two adjacent fingers or is there one in between the two visible ones? Are those nails fake? They sure look fake. They seem too long, and remind me of devil horns. Okay, I’ve clearly been staring at this ad for too long.

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Beer In Ads #1493: Bowling Night

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Friday’s ad is for Budweiser, from the 1950s. Ah, I remember when bowling night was something millions of people participated in. It used to be extremely popular, and my Aunt’s husband owned the Paramus Lanes in New Jersey, which is where they used to shoot a television show called “Make That Spare.” There was a time, believe it or not, when bowling was the most popular sport on television. I bowled a lot when I was a kid, played in leagues, entered tournaments and even had New Year’s Eve parties at the local lanes. For a short time in high school I dated a girl who was on the girl’s bowling team, and spent a lot of time bowling. Anyway, bowling seems to have really dropped off a cliff in popularity and was even used as a metaphor for the 2000 book “Bowling Alone,” about the collapse of community in America. I do so love the old bowling team shirts, though, and used to pick them up a thrift shops when I find cool ones in my size.

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Beer In Ads #1492: Faust Beer

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Thursday’s ad is for Anheuser-Busch’s “Faust Beer,” from 1915. While you may be familiar with the Faust that Anheuser-Busch put out in 1995, part of a trio of “American Originals” released that year, along with Muenchener and Black and Tan, the original Faust was first brewed in 1885. They were still brewing it at least thirty years later, when this ad is from. Despite the imagery of the Faust of German legend who made a deal with the devil, that’s not who the beer was named for, but for Tony Faust, the Oyster King of St. Louis, a restaurant owner and drinking buddy of Adolphus Busch.

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Beer In Ads #1491: Barley Brings Health And Vigor

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Wednesday’s ad is still another one for Anheuser-Busch’s “Malt-Nutrine,” this one from 1911. This is another ad for A-B’s non-alcoholic health drink, marketed with snake-oil salesman enthusiasm. “Barley Brings Health and Vigor” continues that tradition but works only “when ably malted and fermented with the tonic properties of Saazer Hop as in Anheuser-Busch’s Malt-Nutrine.” But I especially love this testimonial. “Thousands of delicate women will testify to its food and tonic qualities.”

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Beer In Ads #1490: Bountiful Harvests

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Tuesday’s ad is yet another one for Anheuser-Busch’s “Malt-Nutrine,” this one from 1908. This is another ad for A-B’s non-alcoholic health drink, marketed with snake-oil salesman enthusiasm. “Bountiful Harvests” continues that tradition and takes “the living essence waving barley fields, blended and fermented with the tonic juices of Saazer Hops” which apparently “seethes in every bottle” of “this liquid-food,” containing “no artificial compound — but comes direct from nature’s laboratory.” Impressive stuff.

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Beer In Ads #1489: The Daughters Of The Farm

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Monday’s ad is another one for Anheuser-Busch’s “Malt-Nutrine,” this one from 1911. This is another ad for A-B’s non-alcoholic health drink, marketed with snake-oil salesman enthusiasm. “The Daughters of the Farm” continues that tradition with claims that everyone living in rural America are “splendid examples of health and vigor” while the urban among us are “often deprived of outdoor exercise and invigorating country air.” Oh, the humanity!

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Beer In Ads #1488: Life-Giving American Barley

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Sunday’s ad is for Anheuser-Busch’s “Malt-Nutrine,” from 1909. This is another ad for A-B’s non-alcoholic health drink, marketed with snake-oil salesman enthusiasm. “Life-Giving American Barley contains more blood-making properties than any other growth of the soil.” But wait there’s more. “Every drop of Anheuser-Busch’s Malt-Nutrine fairly bubbles and seethes with the life of mother nature’s electrifying earth — the creamy nutriment of ripened barley — the aromatic tonic of Bohemian hops — the vivifying breezes of country air — the warmth of the sun and the blessings of the gentle rains — all instilled into a living liquid food.” Damn, who wouldn’t want to drink that.

A-B-1909-Malt-Nutrine