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Beer In Art #87: Paul Wehr’s Drewrys Beer

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art-beer
Today’s work of art was originally advertising art, illustration really, but it’s so good it deserves to be considered fine art. Paul Wehr was an artist/illustrator from Indiana who lived from 1914-1973. This piece, for Drewrys Beer of South Bend, Indiana was done in the 1950s. Drewrys was actually a Canadian brand, but for most of its history was brewed in Indiana. That’s why you can see a Canadian Mountie in the logo. I love hyperrealists — artists like Richard Estes and Ralph Goings — and Wehr’s work reminds me of theirs. Though arguably not quite as photo-realistic, it does seem to presage that art movement and the detail is amazing. I’d love to see how the final ad looked, but alas all I could fine was the artwork Wehr did, a beautiful looking picnic laid out with Drewry beer cans in the center.

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In the detailed look below, you can even see the salt on the potato chips. Yum, I’m hungry.

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You can also read more about Drewry’s cans at Rusty Cans.

Guinness Ad #29: Horsing Around Again

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guinness-toucan
Our 29th Guinness poster by John Gilroy is, I think, also part of the zoo animal series and features a horse drinking the ringmaster’s Guinness with the slogan “My Goodness — My Guinness.” I’m sorry to say this is the largest version of the ad I could find. If anyone has a larger one, please be kind enough to share it with me.

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Beer In Ads #161: Schaefer All Around

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ad-billboard
Thursday’s ad is for Schaefer, from before the early 1960s, when the pull tab can was introduced. This was before that. The photo is hyperfocused on only the top half of the can at above it is the phrase “What D’Ya Hear in the Best of Circles.” And below is “Schaefer All Around” and Nothing goes with burgers like Schaefer.”

schaeferbeer

EU Rules ABI Cannot Trademark Budweiser

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budvar bud-crown
Reuters is reporting that the EU equivalent of Europe’s supreme court ruled today that Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) “may not register ‘Budweiser’ as a trademark in the bloc, ending a 14-year legal battle over the name with a Czech brewer.” The battle over the naming rights from the town in the Czech Republic has been raging for more than a hundred years and may now finally be over. ABI’s response, predictable from a multi-national company used to getting its own way, “said the ruling would have no effect on its business,” and continued to refer to the trademark as one they “continue to believe [is] rightfully [theirs].”

New Leader Emerges In Battle of Strongest Beer?

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For the past couple of years, the battle for the world’s strongest beers has been between the Scottish BrewDog and the German brewery Schorschbräu, with the last volley mere days ago with BrewDog’s controversial 55% The End of History. Seemingly out of nowhere a new contender for the title emerged. The Dutch brewer Brouwerij Het ‘t Koelship announced today they’re releasing a new beer, Start the Future, no doubt a response to BrewDog’s name for their 55% beer. Start the Future is 60% a.b.v.

Here’s ‘t Koelship’s description, as auto-translated by Google:

It presents Reefer Biggest beer in the world now the Scots a 55% beer on the market was the question: what do we do now? He is START THE FUTURE 60% alc. In response to the Scottish reaction; Obilix 45% was a success, but this is even better!

START THE FUTURE is like a beer OBILX product, a heavy alcoholic drink with the ingredients Water, malt, hops and yeast. The beer is then processed into a product, a beer-based beer product. START THE FUTURE is like OBILIX is a product made of 100% beer beer. How? Ask the brewer. You drink our START THE FUTURE and Obilix from a small glass and not from a beer glass.

According to Reuters:

Nijboer’s Almere-based brewery, ‘t Koelschip (The Refrigerated Ship), sells the new beer, which is 120 proof and dubbed “Start the Future,” in a one-third litre bottle for 35 euros ($45) each.

Nijboer told ANP he developed the new brew to keep up with Scottish outfits that were also pushing the boundaries of beer’s alcohol content. His previous record-holder, a beer called Oblix that was 90 proof (45 per cent alcohol by volume), was eclipsed by a Scottish beer that reached 55 per cent.

“It has become a little competition,” Nijboer said. “You should see it as a joke.”

It’s probably not a coincidence that the brewery also operates a distillery, too.

t-Koelship

Below is a bad photo of the bottle, from ‘t Koelship’s website.

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UPDATE: It looks like the Start the Future may have whisky added to it, making it doubtful most people will consider it a beer. (Thanks to Ken W. for the info.) The controversy is unfolding on Rate Beer — and probably elsewhere — where many people are questioning that this is truly a beer.

Even Schorsch from Schorschbräu weighed in:

What Mr. Nijboer is doing is not only trying to fool all others who do a fair contest (at the moment I got 43% Vol) and I will try more, but not for the price of leaving the way of Reinheitsgebot (German purity law). It’s a regional special German law and I do not expect that beer must be produced in that way worldwide…but what Koelschip does is pure customer deception. This is also illegal by national Dutch law.

Beer In Ads #160: Schlitz Fishing

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ad-billboard
Wednesday’s ad is for Schlitz, most likely from the 1950s. I assume there was likely text with this ad, but I have only the art. But I like it this way, nice and simple. Cool art featuring three people enjoying the outdoors, with two cans of Schlitz in view and the logo hanging in the sky.

schlitz-fishing

North American Breweries Close To Deal To Buy Magic Hat & Pyramid

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magic-hat-oval pyramid
Beer News is reporting, via Harry Schuhmacher, that the Magic Hat/Pyramid Breweries is very close, possibly days away, from announcing that they’re being acquired by North American Breweries, the entity created to take over Labatt’s distribution in the wake of the Anheuser-Busch / InBev merger. NAB also owns the Genesee and Dundee beer brands. Check out the full story at BeerNews.org.
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Action Alert: SF Alcohol Fee Vote Fast Tracked

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san-francisco
Well we thought the vote was going to be delayed on the proposed ordinance in San Francisco to impose a fee on all alcohol sold in the city, but it turns out that’s no longer the case, which is a blow to fair play and common sense. Apparently the ordinance’s sponsor, supervisor John Avalos, recently realized that if Prop. 26 passes this November then a vote on the fee will be moot, because that proposition ends the practice of taxes masquerading as fees and all taxes, whether they pretend they’re fees or not, will be subject to a 2/3 margin instead of a simple majority. The proposition is sponsored by the group Stop Hidden Taxes.

To avoid that possibility, supervisor Avalos is instead fast tracking the ordinance and, according to the Small Business Commission, will present it “at the Budget and Finance committee meeting of the Board of Supervisors on August 4 — this is BEFORE the Small Business Commission will be able to make its recommendation (due to happen on August 9) and before he said he would be presenting the ordinance during the last Small Business Commission meeting. He is not sticking to his promises. He is changing the game.”

What Can You Do?

August 2:

If you own a small business in San Francisco, please consider attending the Small Business Commission meeting on Monday August 2 and most important at the Supervisor’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting at 1:00 pm on August 4 (though some earlier sources say the meeting is at 11:00 a.m., so check to be sure). There is expected to be a major rally at 11:00 in front of City Hall by proponents of the tax (firefighters union, healthcare union, etc.). At this hearing, the committee will take public comment.

August 10:

The ordinance will then go to the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, August 10th at 2:00 pm. If you’re a San Francisco consumer of alcoholic beverages, please consider attending this meeting and telling the board of supervisors that you drink responsibly and do not burden the city’s services and should therefore not be punished by having this tax imposed.

September 7:

On this day, the ordinance will go to the Board of Supervisors again for a second vote. There is no public comment or discussion — this is a formality vote.

September 8:

It then goes to the Mayor, who has 10 days to veto or sign. If he vetoes it, there will be a major effort by the Marin Institute to get the Supervisors to override the veto with a 2/3 vote.

The Two Most Important Things You Can Do

  1. Write or e-mail your supervisor and urge him or her to vote no against the Alcohol Mitigation Fee Ordinance. There is information to assist you in letter-writing or e-mailing at the California Alliance for Hospitality Jobs website.
  2. Attend the August 10th, 2:00 pm, Board of Supervisors meeting.