Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #1409: Blatz Mistletoe

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Friday’s holiday ad is for Blatz, from 1952. According to the ad, while many things have changed in the last century (or more), some things have remained the same, including beer and the use of predatory mistletoe. Who uses such a long ribbon to position it directly above the intended victim’s head? And is it just me, or is the ad showing the backwards slide of women’s rights? The 19th century picture depicts a couple courting, but on somewhat equal footing, sitting side by side on a couch. By contrast, the 20th century (albeit the 1950s) shows the woman standing, serving her beau, as a good woman of that decade was supposed to. I’m not sure I’d call that progress.

Blatz-1952-mistletoe

Beer In Ads #1406: 62 Individual Reasons To Drink

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Tuesday’s ad is for the Coopers 62, from 2011. Although it’s a newer ad, given that I post my own reasons to drink for any given day, this ad certainly spoke to me, despite most of the reasons being fairly pedestrian. But in a sense, that was the point, that any reason was good enough to drink this Australian beer. Whether that’s true, I couldn’t tell you. I like their sparkling ale, but they don’t strike me as a pilsner brewery.

Coopers62

Beer In Ads #1405: Hay, Good Wholesome Beer

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Monday’s ad is for the Brewers’ Society, from 1956. Similar to the ads in America by the United States Brewers Foundation that ran around the same time, the British ads used taglines like “Good Wholesome BEER” and “The best long drink in the world!” After working in the fields all day, making giant hay bales, who wouldn’t be dreaming of a pint of beery goodness? But I love the way they put it. “Beer refreshes you all right — but it does much more than that. It’s an invigorating drink. Beer bucks you up as well as cools you down.”

UK-Beer-Ad

Beer In Ads #1404: The Height Of Hospitality

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Sunday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1911. I love the outfit on the server, that must be some posh establishment he works for. I love that Pabst is working so hard to position PBR as the classy beer, and especially this sentiment: “Pabst Blue Ribbon is the ultimate choice of all who have a keen faculty of selection.” Priceless. People who who are good at picking things?

Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. Judge magazine, June 10, 1911

Beer In Ads #1402: Bud Waterfall

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Friday’s ad is for Budweiser, a later one from 1983. We just had 5-7 inches of rain dumped on us (not that it will help the drought) but this ad of a waterfall of Budweiser flowing from Bud Can Mountain seemed appropriate. They do say shampooing with beer is good for your hair, but taking a shower under a waterfall would be even cooler.

Bud-waterfall-1983

Beer In Ads #1401: Every Drop Tells You Why

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Thursday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1965. It’s gatefold two-pager, with an empty bottle of Bud on its side. Only some residual foam remains in the bottle, slowly dripping out, with the tagline “… Every drop tells you why Budweiser is the largest-selling beer in the world.” But does it? Does it really? I remain unconvinced.

Bud-bottle-ad

Beer In Ads #1400: Windisch-Muhlhauser Brewing Co.

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Wednesday’s ad is for the Windisch-Muhlhauser Brewing Co., from some time in the late 1800s. The brewery was founded in 1866, in Cincinnati, by Conrad Windisch and Gottleib and Heinrich Muhlhauser, but was later known as the Lion Brewery and later the Burger Brewing Co., before closing in either 1934 or 1973, depending on whose account you believe.

Windisch-Muhlhauser-1800s