Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #672: Watch Out, You’ll Drop The Schlitz

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Tuesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1947. It’s from the series of mishaps where people are more concerned that nothing happens to the beer than whatever else is going wrong. In this one, it’s a windy day and a man carrying not one, but two, six-packs of Schlitz has just lost his hat. He could reach for it … or he could save the Schlitz from falling. The three by-standers all seem to be reaching to save the beer. It must have ben weird to live in a time when you expected to wear a hat at all times outdoors.

Schlitz-1951-windy

Beer In Ads #671: It’s An Old American Custom

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Monday’s ad is also for Ballantine Ale, this one from 1948. There’s a nice illustration of a bottle of Ballantine Ale and two beer glasses in the foreground. The background shows a well-dressed couple out to dinner, with the waiter presenting a bottle of beer like wine, which is both weird and awesome at the same time. It may be “an Old American Custom,” but somehow I don’t see them looking for the Borromean rings on that white tablecloth.

Ballantine-1948-2

Beer In Ads #670: Step Back A Hundred Years And More

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Friday’s ad is for Ballantine Ale, from 1947. It’s from their late-40s diorama series, this one showing the most likely apocryphal origin of the Ballantine logo, told in a poem:

Step back a hundred years and more,
     And take your place inside yon door.

That’s Peter Ballantine at the table,
     A brewer from Scotland, skilled and able.

He’s testing his ale — and now you’ll see
     How the 3-ring trade mark came to be.

One healthy drink, “Aye lads,” says he,
     “This ale o’ mine ha ‘PUR-R-RITY!”

A second drink of his fine old brew,
     “Ah,” he declares, “It ha’ BODY, too!”

A third drink now, see him slowly savor,
     “An’ sur-r-rely,” he says,
               “It ha’ FLAVOR-R-R!”

The spying 3 rings on the table dark,
     “Lads,” cries Peter,
               “I ha’ my mar-r-rk.”

That would have been 1840. Ah, to be a fly on the wall.

Ballantine-1947-peter

Beer In Ads #668: Some Things Can’t Be Hurried …

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Wednesday’s ad is for Ruppert beer — which is “the ‘slow-aged’ beer!” It’s from 1947 and shows a simple cartoon of an apparently long-winded speech that is going on and on, causing one listener to nod off and the other to check his watch. Like Ruppert, they’re in no rush. The claim that “Ruppert beer is aged s-l-o-w-l-y” is a curious one. Ignoring relativity, I’m pretty sure time is a constant, at least on planet beer, and the beer can’t age any slower or faster than the clock runs. You can age it for a shorter amount of time, or a longer amount of time, but that’s a different kettle of isinglass.

Ruppert-1947

Beer In Ads #667: Nationally Famous For Good Taste

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Tuesday’s ad is for Goebel beer, from 1951. Having just been through California gold country, the mining illustration, by George Shephard, was fun to see, though I’m not sure I see the connection to the text, “Nationally famous for good taste.” But the real gem is the claim just below the beer’s name in the inset box, “it’s Mello-ized.” I want to find more drinks that have been Mello-ized. That just has to be a good thing.

Goebel-1951-George-Shepherd

Beer In Ads #663: For Real Enjoyment …

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Wednesday’s ad is for Schaefer from 1957. It’s a clever one, showing a bottle of Schaefer Beer with a beer glass perpendicular with the text “For real enjoyment … turn this ad slowly to the right.” So if you did, the beer would pour out of the bottle and into the glass. I love the other tagline. “Schaefer beer it’s Real beer!”

Schaefer-1957