Thursday’s ad is another one for Rheingold beer, this one from 1958, featuring Miss Rheingold for that year, Madelyn Darrow, out on a motor boat — the Owens — along with a driver, her dog and at least a six-pack of Rheingold beer, in cans naturally since they’re on the water.
Wednesday’s ad is for Whitbread, from 1937, and the ad shows an illustration of Louis Pasteur working on his fermentation studies in a laboratory at Whitbread Brewing in 1871, nine years after he completed his first test of pasteurization, which took place today in 1862.
Tuesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1957, during one of my favorite ad campaigns by any brewer: Schlitzerland. Schlitzerland featured some great retro-style illustrations (though at the time perhaps they weren’t quite so retro). This one shows the happiest people in the world singing and drinking Schlitz in a tavern — the kind “Where Schutzfellows Get Together.”
Monday’s ad is for Rheingold, from 1952, featuring Miss Rheingold for that year, Anne Hogan, putting up a bird house on a fine Spring day.
A GT Wharton posted an interesting survey that he conducted about the prices people will bay for rare beer on eBay. His article, entitled Market Behavior for Rare Beer: eBay Auction Prices in Review appeared today on Rate Beer’s Hop Press. It appears to be a quite thorough look at auction prices realized over a one-month period. His dataset included 887 auctions. The average price was $122 ($137 w/shipping included). $9.50 was the low price and $999 the highest.
The five most expensive auctions by 12oz volume were:
- Midnight Sun M: $544.77
- Cantillon Don Quijote: $312.40
- Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus 1992 Vintage: $284.00
- Russian River Depuration: $265.07
- Flossmoor Station Wooden Hell: $260.12
And here, for example, is a chart showing “Average Value of Three Floyds Dark Lord by Vintage.”
Interesting stuff. He doesn’t go into the moral dilemma of selling beer on eBay and the fact that most brewers decry the practice, but from a merely numbers perspective it’s worth a read.
This week’s works of art are by Brooklyn illustrator Anthony Picone, whose art can be found on his blog Ant Stuff. This first one is called “Red Beer.”
This second one was created for Houston Beer Week.
And I like the Beer Turtle, similar to the Iroquois creation myth where the world rode on the back of a giant turtle.
Forgivable Sin shows Jesus and Satan sharing a beer. See beer can solve any problem. Good and evil? Have a beer.
Here’s Tiki Beer and Viking with a Beer.
And Tin Man Beer along with Bird Beer.
And Picone seems to have a thing for showing pint glasses affection.
And finally, here’s some Hot Pints.
That’s honestly a small sample of his beer-themed work. He also draws a lot of zombies, monsters, and assorted characters, all of which can be seen at his Antstuff blog.
Our 64th Guinness ad shows the sun beating down on a glass of Guinness, and this delightful bit of text: “When the sun says ‘Morning gone’ Guinness Time will spur you on.” [Note: this artwork is from a coaster, which is why it’s so poor looking. If anyone has better artwork, please be so kind as to send it my way. Thanks.]
A Harris Poll conducted in March of this year concluded that Three in Ten Americans Drink Alcohol at Least Once a Week. The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive, surveyed 2,379 adults between March 7 and 14, 2011. Not surprisingly, beer continues to be the most popular alcoholic beverage, followed by American wine and vodka. And men still drink beer more than women “75% vs. 50%.”
Here are some other findings from the poll:
Question 1: “How often do you drink alcohol, including beer or wine?”
Question 2: “How often do you drink alcohol, including beer or wine?”
Question 3: “Which alcoholic beverages do you personally drink either at home or away from home? If you have mixed drinks, such as sours or martinis, please indicate the type of liquor they contain.”
Question 4: “Although you may drink several types of alcoholic beverages, which one type would you say you drink most often?”
Naturally, I have a couple of quibbles:
Last Sunday, the annual Toronado Belgian Beer Lunch took place, with the food again being done by Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef. The Belgian lunch — or Blunch, as I’ve taken to calling it — began promptly at 11:30 a.m. and went until nearly 5:30 p.m. Now that’s slow food, but really with twelve courses the pacing was just right. I had the pleasure of being seated at a table with Toronado owner Dave Keene, the beer chef Bruce Paton, and my favorite ne’er do well, Dave Suurballe. Here’s a recap of the meal.
Before the Blunch began.
Pre-Lunch Reception:
Handmade Toronado bread.
Beer #1: Van Steenberge Ertveld’s Wit
First Course
Belgian Sushi: Wit-flavored brioche infused with foie gras, roasted eel, Poperings Hommel Bier duck egg green aioli, pea shoots
Paired with DuPont Avril
Second Course
Charcuturie Platter: Duck rillettes braised in Russian River Consecration with a Supplication gelee, duck pistachio apricot infused with Sanctification terrine, pork/duck liver and Orval beer pâté, cornichons, heirloom radishes, house-made Goulden Carolus Noel mustard, currant & Consecration compote
Served with local The Bejkr breads
Paired with Chimay Grand Reserve 3 Liter and Duvel Triple Hop
Third Course
DuPont Avec Les Bons Voeux Poached Sole: On a bed of leek and turnip purée, topped with a lobster crawfish mussel Tripel Karmeliet waterzooi sauce
Paired with De Dolle Arabier and Moinette Blond
Fourth Course
Goat Butter Poached Sea Scallop: Smoked in Mort Subite lambic barrel staves, De Ranke Guldenburg demi glaze, celery root purée infused with Affligem Noel, fennel pollen
Paired with Petrus Aged Pale
Fifth Course
Seared Duck Breast with Sour Cherry Sauce: Sonoma County duck breasts cooked sous vide with shallots, thyme, with a dried sour cherries Hannsen Oude Kriek sauce on a bed of black barley simmer in Delirium Noel and TCHO cocoa nibs
Paired with Bocker Cuvee De Jacobins and Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek
The Homebrew Chef, Sean Paxton.
Sixth Course
Medium Rare Short Ribs: Cooked sous vide for 48 hours in Rochefort 8, caramelized shallots and thyme, served on a bed of Flemish-style mashed potatoes, with a fig, date Petrus Oud Bruin gravy
Paired with Echt Kriekenbier and Rochefort 10
Seventh Course
Crepenette: Westmalle Dubbel infused Spring Sonoma lamb, mixed with creamed leeks, wrapped in caul fat topped with a sirop de Liége (pears, date simmered in a Chimay Red ale syrup) and Belgian endive salad
Paired with Rodenbach Grand Cru 2008 keg
Eighth Course
Foie Gras: Lobes of foie gras poached in Boon Kriek, made into truffles and coated in Cantillon Rosé De Gambrinus gelee, garnished with hibiscus sea salt
Paired with Malheur Brut Reserve 2006
Ninth Course
French Lentil Salad: Lentils simmered in Fantôme Saison, curry-scented green cauliflower, ‘wit’ candied cashews, mâche greens and toasted hemp seeds tossed in a Straus yogurt bergamot orange Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René dressing
Paired with Oud Beersal Oude Geueze Vieille
Tenth Course
Assorted Belgian Cheeses: Grevenbroecker, Wavreumont, “St. Maure,” Charmoix, Meikaas, and Kriek Washed Fromage served with pomegranate Supplication honey, the Bejkr Biologlque bread, hazelnut fig crackers, dried fruit, honey blood orange peel candied pistachios
Cheese Plate #2
Paired with Liefmans Cuvee Brut and Orval, along with the bread and crackers.
Eleventh Course
Crêpe: Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait beer curd, Hanssens Oudbeitje rhubarb jam, Westmalle Tripel chamomile syrup wrapped in a Sara Buckwheat Ale crepe
Paired with De Struise T’sjeeses
Twelfth Course
Chocolate Pot de Crème Deconstructed Pie: Speculoos cookie crust, Belgian dark chocolate infused custard, Chantilly cream
Paired with De Struise Pannepot 2007, Scaldis Noel 1998 Magnums and De Struise Black Albert 2009, beers 18 through 20.
Okay, well that didn’t suck. Another spectacular meal. Thanks Sean and Dave.
Friday’s ad is for Schlitz, playing on one of their earlier ads. An architect or draftsman stares longingly at the older ad on his wall, instead of working on the blueprints on the desk in front of him. The original ad was their iconic slogan “Just the kiss of hops” so for this ad it’s “Memories of a kiss.”
