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.
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!”
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Our twelfth Guinness poster by John Gilroy is another in the “Guinness For Strength” series, this time featuring a stone statue pining for a Guinness.
Thursday night, April 1, I attended a five-course beer dinner at the Anchor Brewery in San Francisco celebrating Sierra Nevada Brewing‘s 30th anniversary and the release of their first collaboration of the year, Fritz & Ken’s Ale, which is a stout.
The evening was great fun with terrific company, food and, of course, beer. There was one feature of the evening I haven’t seen at a beer dinner before, but I fervently hope more will adopt. They served in-between-course beers so we had a new beer to sample while waiting for each course. That made the anticipation of each new course far more manageable. Also, between each course, both Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada, and Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor Brewery, got up and told great stories from their early days. That may have been my favorite part of the night. Below is one round of tales, broken into two parts because of YouTube’s 10 minute max rule.
And here’s Part 2:
Having been at beer dinners and events at Anchor numerous times, they also made the space next to the brewhouse the most comfortable it’s ever been. They added sound-proof panels along the exterior wall, rented a carpet and hung banners of Anchor beer labels. It definitely worked.
But by far, this was my favorite story of the evening.
If you ever have an occasion to talk with Sam Calagione, ask him about a similar story where he had no trouble getting arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport with a brick of hops.
Ken Grossman, me and Fritz Maytag and the end of the beer dinner.
Below is a slideshow of the Sierra Nevada beer dinner at Anchor. This Flickr gallery is best viewed in full screen. To view it that way, after clicking on the arrow in the center to start the slideshow, click on the button on the bottom right with the four arrows pointing outward on it, to see the photos in glorious full screen. Once in full screen slideshow mode, click on “Show Info” to identify each photo.
Friday’s ad is for a brand I’m not familiar with, Sodibo, which I believe was a French beer. I love the highly stylized pastel drawing with the sophisticated-looking woman partially obscured by a bright blue fog. It’s from the 1920s and the art is by a Jean Rousseau.
You can see more of the art in the poster below, but I still prefer the simpler one with almost no text. Below seems cluttered, above, elegant.
