My brother-in-law sent me this video this morning. There are a million ways to open a beer bottle, and this video includes a lot of different ones, including a few that seem pretty impractical (rendering the beer undrinkable) and some that look downright dangerous, but then there also some clever and funny ones, too. Enjoy.
Beer In Ads #927: Satisfy Your Thirst For Better Beer!
Tuesday’s ad for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1954. Part of PBR’s “What’ll You Have” series, this one is tennis-themed, with a white tennis sweater emblazoned with Pabst’s tagline by the courts, back in the days when they still used white balls and … well, wore sweaters. Still not quite sure what made the beer better, though.
The Essential Map Of Europe & Environs
Today’s infographic was sent to me last night by my good friend Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew, and the soon-to-be-published In Meat We Trust. She knows of my love of language and especially beer words. I have my own growing collection of the word Beer in Other Languages, but Feòrag NicBhrìde of Scotland created the Essential Map of Europe and Environs, which is essentially a map showing the various ways in which Europeans refer to beer, helpfully divided by language types or origins.
Beer In Ads #926: Deportment Excellent
Monday’s ad for Budweiser, from 1947. Showing a young boy whose report card was less than stellar trying to soothe the beating he was about to get by bringing his father a tray of Budweiser. I’m not quite sure he really thought this through. Is getting Dad drunk really the way to go here? And what exactly does “Deportment Excellent” mean? I guess I’m getting a failing grade, too.
The Geography Of Bars
Today’s infographic comes from an Atlantic article on The Geography of Bars and Restaurants. The map uses data from the 2012 census and county business patterns. According to their data, New Orleans has the most bars per households, and San Francisco ranked 8th, with 6 bars for every 10,000 people. It’s also hard to see because the map is relatively small, but there’s a high-density bar area in Northern California in what I believe is Mendocino County.
And while I was mostly interested in the bars, the restaurant data is quite interesting, as well. San Francisco ranked #1 for restaurants per household, with 39.3 per 10,000 residents. That’s roughly one restaurant for every 255 persons.
Click here to see the map full size (and sorry that’s as big as it gets).
Beer In Ads #925: I Was Curious About Model Trains
Friday’s ad for Schlitz, from 1949. It’s from their long-running “I was curious …” series, that featured three-panel stories that always ended with people drinking Schlitz beer. This one features a younger couple visiting the home of an older one, with the older man showing off his model train layout … and, of course, his superior taste in beer.
Beer In Ads #924: Early American Pioneer
Thursday’s ad is an Independence Day ad featuring Early American Pioneer Ben Franklin. In this ad, he’s flying a kite — at night, oddly — but I guess that’s so we can see the three-ring Ballantine logo in lightning.
July 4 Infographic
Today’s bonus infographic, since this is the only day I can really use it, is about all things “4th of July.” It was created by DegreeSearch.org, and includes a mention o beer as one of the historical factoids in the infographic.
Click here to see the infographic full size.
Presidential Drinks Of Choice
Today’s infographic, in honor of Independence Day, is entitled Presidential Drugs of Choice, showing each out U.S. Presidents favorite alcohol, tobacco or other pleasures. It was originally part of a Kickstarter campaign by Turncoat Wine. It shows each president and then lists their preferences, of which a dozen list beer as one of their favorites.
Click here to see the poster full size.
A Beer A Day Is Good For Your Heart
A new study out of Greece, conducted by the Harokopio University in Athens, appears to show that drinking a pint of beer a day may be beneficial to your heart. According to the abstract from the journal Nutrition:
In a randomized, single-blind, crossover study, 17 healthy, non-smoking, men (ages 28.5 ± 5.2 y with body mass index 24.4 ± 2.5 kg/m2) consumed on three separate occasions, at least 1 wk apart: 1. 400 mL of beer and 400 mL water, 2. 800 mL of dealcoholized beer (same amount of polyphenols as in the 400 mL of beer), and 3. 67 mL of vodka and 733 mL water (same amount of alcohol as in the 400 mL of beer).
Each time aortic stiffness (pulse wave velocity), pressure wave reflections (AΙx), aortic and brachial pressure (Sphygmocor device), and endothelial function (brachial flow mediated dilatation) were assessed at fast and 1 and 2 h postprandial.
Aortic stiffness was significantly and similarly reduced by all three interventions. However, endothelial function was significantly improved only after beer consumption (average 1.33%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15–2.53). Although wave reflections were significantly reduced by all three interventions (average of beer: 9.1%, dealcoholized beer: 2.8%, vodka 8.5%, all CI within limits of significance), the reduction was higher after beer consumption compared with dealcoholized beer (P = 0.018). Pulse pressure amplification (i.e., brachial/aortic) was increased by all three test drinks.
From which, they drew the following conclusion. “Beer acutely improves parameters of arterial function and structure, in healthy non-smokers. This benefit seems to be mediated by the additive or synergistic effects of alcohol and antioxidants and merits further investigation.” So the results are preliminary and further studies need to be done. Still, it’s a step in the right direction if drinking beer in moderation can add one more benefit to the growing number of reasons why having a beer day isn’t just an enjoyable way to live, but may also be good for you, too. I’ll drink to that.
