Monday’s ad is for “The New Big Name In Beer,” whose name you undoubtedly know. No? I guess this ad campaign from the later 1940s for Brewer’s Best Premium Pilsener Beer wasn’t quite as successful as they’d hoped.
Beer In Ads #966: Three Horse Ale
Friday’s ad is for Three Horse Ale, from 1884. The beer was produced by the Long Island Brewery, and that’s about all I know about it.
Beer In Ads #965: Taste The Gusto Life
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1974, when they were still using the globe with the Schlitz buckle on it. Still, I can’t help but wonder what the heck a “Gusto life” might be? But apparently it involves sailboats.
Beer In Ads #964: El Toro Bravo
Wednesday’s ad is for Schlitz Malt Liquor, from — guessing by the pull-tab — around the 1960s or early 70s. The bull logo and the skirt design around the bottom look positively Aztec. But the bull in the ad, he just looks mad.
Beer In Ads #963: America’s Party Beer
Tuesday’s ad is for Grain Belt, from 1953. According to the ad, Grain Belt is “America’s Party Beer.” But my favorite part of the ad copy is that Grain Belt is also a “friendly” beer, a term common in 1950s advertising. So if you want to have a kick ass party, you’ll need “the friendly Beer with the friendly flavor.”
Beer In Ads #962: Birra Pedavena
Monday’s ad is an another early ad for the Italian brewery Birra Pedavena, which closed in 1937, but reopened again in 1998 as La Bierreria Pedavena. The man struggling with the giant beer glass looks to me like he might be King Gambrinus.
Beer In Ads #961: Indianapolis Brewing Co.
Friday’s ad is an early 20th century ad for the Indianapolis Brewing Co., which was founded in 1887. It’s most popular beer was Circle City Beer, although they eventually closed in 1948. One interesting note, their second president, Albert Lieber, was the maternal grandfather of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Captain America Drinks Beer
As a long time geek of many stripes, not just beer, I’ve been a longtime reader of comic books. I still regularly read a number of comics, and I’ve gotten Porter into them as well. We have our weekly father/son ritual of going to our local comic book store each Wednesday to pick up the new books. He’s a big fan of Captain America. He loved the movie and started reading the comics shortly after it came out. So an item about some new superhero art in the new issue of Playboy stood out.
A French artist, Grégoire Guillemin, did a series of works under the title “The Secret Life of Heroes,” where he drew many of the classic comic book superheroes, and few other fictional folks, engaged in mundane pursuits, many quite ordinary and few others downright racy and subversive. They remind me of a cross between Roy Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
The series includes such images as Wonder Woman scratching her butt, Batman eating a doughnut, Hulk rolling a joint, Superman eating a hamburger, Spiderman brushing his teeth and … well, you get the idea. Go take a look. There’s one more that stood out as a favotite, and that was one of a number featuring Captain America; this one’s entitled Captain Drinks, and features him knocking back a cold bottle of beer. Enjoy.
Beer In Ads #960: Cargo Is Securely Locked, Crew Have No Access To Keys
Thursday’s ad is yet another one for Tiger Beer, from a nautical series of beautiful illustrations. This ship has “Cargo Is Securely Locked, Crew Have No Access To Keys” painted on the back of the ship. Damn, and I wanted to open one.
Beer In Ads #959: No Tiger Beer Left Onboard Overnight
Wednesday’s ad is another one for Tiger Beer, from a nautical series of beautiful illustrations. This ship has “No Tiger Beer Left Onboard Overnight” painted on its side. I wonder where they store it each evening? Or maybe the crew drinks it all every night?
