Our lucky 13th Guinness poster by John Gilroy is another in the “Lovely Day For A Guinness” series, this time featuring a sailor spying a pint of Guinness through his telescope, while two seagulls circle him expectantly.
Beer In Ads #84: Budweiser’s New York Beacon
Friday’s ad is for Budweiser and reflects the optimism of its publication date, which was 1933, just after the end of prohibition. Above cloudy skies, the Empire State Building, like a lighthouse beacon, shines around the city, lighting it up for the fun below. Below the beacon, an orchestra plays, people dine and dance, all, presumably, with the newly legal beer.
Brewing Achievement Awards 2010
Yesterday at the opening session of the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago, the awards were given to “three successful members of the brewing community … for their dedication and service to the industry.” The three awards were as follows.
- The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Larry Bell, Founder and Owner of Bell’s Brewery, Inc.
- The Brewers Association presented the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing to Ken Grossman, CEO/President of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
- The Brewers Association presented the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award to Steve Hindy, Chairman and President of The Brooklyn Brewery.
Dick Cantwell, from Elysian Brewery in Seattle presented the awards.
The first award, from the press release:
The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Larry Bell, Founder and Owner of Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Bell started the Kalamazoo Brewing Company and Bell’s Brewery, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1985, the earliest craft brewery in the eastern half of the United States. Larry’s dedication to the industry includes serving as a former chair of the Brewers Association’s predecessor organization and acting as a driving force with current Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper for the creation of American Beer Month (which evolved into American Craft Beer Week).
“Larry is a leader in our industry known for his innovative beers and the passion he brings to craft brewing,” said Brewers Association Board of Directors Chair Nick Matt, CEO of Matt Brewing Company. Mountain West Brewery Supply’s David Edgar noted in documents supporting Bell’s nomination that “Larry is continually pushing the envelope with experimenting with different grains, different yeast strains and plenty of hops.”
The second award, from the press release:
The Brewers Association presented the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing to Ken Grossman, CEO/President of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Grossman received this year’s award for his leadership in technical brewing science for craft brewers. He is still deeply involved in technical brewing projects at Sierra Nevada and has led numerous initiatives in the area of sustainability and beer quality.
“Ken Grossman founded Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 30 years ago based on one principle, to make the highest quality beer in America,” said Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. in a nominating document. “I think Ken’s never-ending quest in life is to make Sierra Nevada’s beers even better than they already are.”
The Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing was first given in 1997 to honor Russell Schehrer, who died in 1996 at 38 years old, for his contributions to the brewing industry. Schehrer was a founding partner and original head brewer at Colorado’s first brewpub, Wynkoop Brewing Co. He was also one of the first brewers to produce mead, doppel alt, cream stout and chili beer.
The third award, from the press release:
The Brewers Association presented the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award to Steve Hindy, Chairman and President of The Brooklyn Brewery. Hindy recently testified in a Congressional hearing to communicate how state franchise laws can hinder the ability for small brewers to grow their businesses and how self-distribution is important to many small brewers to develop their access to market.
“Steve’s work on behalf of the industry is almost too great to list,” says Brewers Association Past Chair Richard Doyle of Harpoon Brewery. “His involvement on the Beer Institute board established credibility for craft brewers there and reaffirmed our place at the table.”
The F.X. Matt Award is given in honor of a champion of small brewers, F.X. Matt (1933-2001), president of the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, New York from 1980-1989 and chairman from 1989-2001.
Beer In Ads #83: Schlitz Like A Melody
Thursday’s ad is another in the Schlitz “kiss of the hops” series, this one featuring a violinist with the tagline “Like a Melody, No Bitterness.” It’s from 1943, a time when I think ads still tried to cram way to much into their ads, as this one looks much too cluttered to my eye.
Beer In Ads #82: Schaefer All Around
Wednesday’s ad is all about circles and is for Schaefer beer in cans from 1959. Using imagery from the top of the can with round burgers, they make the case that because of their similar roundness, they should — and do, I should add — go great together. But check out this priceless bit of adspeak copy. “Nothing goes with burgers like Schaefer. The flavor’s something special … never sharp, never flat, a smooth round taste. That’s why folks say it’s — REAL BEER!”
Collaborating On The Next Session
May’s Session should not be a lonely affair, but instead should bring more of us together to collaborate. That’s because the next Session’s host, Mario Rubio, has chosen as the theme, Collaborations, which he describes as follows.
Feel free to have fun with the topic. Drink a collaborative beer. Who’s brewed some of your favorite collaborations? Who have been some of your favorite collaborators? Who would you like to see in a future collaboration?
As the topic is collaborations, working with each other is encouraged.
So alone, or in groups, join us in collaborating on the Session Friday, May 7. Afterward, group hug.
Beer In Ads #81: National Beer’s Private Signals
Tuesday’s ad is a maritime ad complete with the signal flags ships use to communicate with one another. The ad is from 1960 and is for National Brewing, from Baltimore. Did you know the Chesapeake Bay area is the “Land of Pleasant Living?” Me neither. I also love the unusual glass, no doubt chosen so we could see more of the poster of flags through it. The bottom stem looks a bit like an upside down bottle neck, doesn’t it?
Beer In Ads #80: Ballantine At The Beach
Monday’s ad finds us at the beach with Ballantine Ale, probably from the late 50s, early 60s. The slogan “Try it for a change … and you’ll never change back!” is pretty interesting, though I’ve no idea what it has to do with being at the shore. The other text, “Ballantine Ale begins where other brews leaves off … in flavor … in satisfaction” is likewise great adspeak.
Beer In Art #72: Shawn Kenney’s Will Work For Food (& Beer)
Today’s works are from a series entitled Will Work For Food by an artist from Providence, Rhode Island, Shawn Kenney. There’s a story behind the project, and a portion of each sale is “donated to agencies working to end hunger through education, outreach, and food distribution.” All of the beer paintings are already sold, but plenty of food paintings remain available in the food inventory. The first beer painting below is of a can of Narragansett beer, which is Rhode Island local.
Then there’s this bottle of Red Stripe.
And finally, a pint of Guinness. There are also a few more beer paintings at the Will Work For Food main web page.
Here’s a portion of Kenney’s biography:
I was tremendously fortunate to study under a stellar lineup of professors during my time at [the Rhode Island School of Design]. Among them: Tom Sgouros, Dean Richardson, Victor Lara, and David Macaulay. They, along with some amazing classmates, opened my eyes to a much larger world.
In the years since, I have worked as an illustrator, designer and art director, never leaving my love of the craft of drawing and painting behind.
You can also see more of Kenney’s work at his Studio Work and his blog. You can also see a few more pieces at the Charlestown Gallery.
Joyeuses Paques
Easter has to be one of the oddest holidays, a curious mix of religious and pagan traditions. Chocolate, bunny rabbits, eggs, and the newly undead happily mix for a curious stew of fertility rites and resurrection.
Joyeuses Paques — a.k.a. Happy Easter — with beer-drinking eggs.
There are very few true Easter beers, Het Anker’s Gouden Carolus Easter Beer being perhaps the most obvious exception. Russian River’s Redemption also springs to mind for the name alone. My friend and UK colleague, Jeff Evans, has a great list of Ten Beers For Easter. There’s also the Swedish Påsköl. Carlsberg used to brew Påskeøl and Paaske Bryg, which has been replaced by Semper Ardens Easter Brew, along with Tuborg’s Easter Brew — Kylle, Kylle. And let’s not forget De Dolle’s Boskeun.
But notice how the dedicated Easter beers are all European? That’s hardly an accident as American puritanism seems to bristle at the idea of Easter beer, though wine, as usual, gets a pass for the holiday. When I worked for BevMo I recall that we virtually ignored beer entirely, promoting only wine for Easter. I’m sure there was market research behind that decision, but never understood the rationale underlying it. Plenty of beers go great with ham, yet only wines were given as recommended pairings. I’m probably not even having ham today, but I can guarantee there will be beer.
