Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer Saints: St. Urban of Langres

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Today is the feast day of St. Urban of Langres (327 CE– c. 390 CE) was a French saint and bishop. He served as the sixth bishop of Langres from 374 until his death. Saint Leodegaria was his sister. During a period of persecution of the Church, Urban hid for a while in a vineyard. There he converted the vine dressers, who then helped him in his covert ministry. Due to their work, and to Urban’s devotion to the Holy Blood, he developed great affection to all the people in the wine industry, and they for him, which is why he’s a patron saint of vine dressers, vine growers, vintners, but also coopers and barrel-makers.

Wooden sculpture of St. Urban.

While Urban is probably more associated with the wine industry, the fact that coopers and barrel-makers consider him to be their patron, he’s also clearly part of the beer world, as well.

Most depictions of Urban show him with grapes.

Beer In Ads #3684: Coors Golden Beer

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Thursday’s ad is for “Coors Golden Beer,” from maybe the late 19th century, though this one is a reproduction. This ad was made for the Coors Brewing Co., who did not do as much advertising as their competitors. In part, this was because they were not sold nationwide until the 1980s. This one features four bottles of beer in a stream with the commonly used tagline “Brewed with Pure Rocky Mountain Spring Water.”.

Beer In Ads #3683: Miller Lite Beer Camping Trip

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Wednesday’s ad is for “Miller Lite,” from 1984. This ad was made for the Miller Brewing Co., and was part of their long-running “Tastes Great!…Less Filling!” advertising campaign. It was created in 1973 by the McCann-Erickson Worldwide ad agency and was ranked by Advertising Age magazine as the eighth best advertising campaign in history. They were primarily television commercials but they did create print ads to support the TV spots. They began with a trend of using former athletes along with a few notable celebrities that continued throughout the campaign. This one features another celebrity roster of Lite Beer personalities on a camping trip, or at least staged around a fire. At least in this ad, there’s a key at the bottom so you can identify everybody in attendance.

Beer In Ads #3682: Bowling League For Miller Lite

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Tuesday’s ad is for “Miller Lite,” from the 1980s. This ad was made for the Miller Brewing Co., and was part of their long-running “Tastes Great!…Less Filling!” advertising campaign. It was created in 1973 by the McCann-Erickson Worldwide ad agency and was ranked by Advertising Age magazine as the eighth best advertising campaign in history. They were primarily television commercials but they did create print ads to support the TV spots. They began with a trend of using former athletes along with a few notable celebrities that continued throughout the campaign. This one features a celebrity roster of former Lite Beer personalities posing as two bowling teams with the tagline “Lite Beer: The Winner in Any League.” I count at least 22 people in the ad, although I suspect part of the ad is cut off since it feels like something may be missing. I don’t know everyone in the photo, but I do see Bubba Smith, Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus, Ben Davidson, Truman Capote, John Madden, Rodney Dangerfield, and Boog Powell. Who else do you see?

Here’s a better image of the assembled folks.

Beer In Ads #3681: Red Auerbach For Miller Lite

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Monday’s ad is for “Miller Lite,” from 1982. This ad was made for the Miller Brewing Co., and was part of their long-running “Tastes Great!…Less Filling!” advertising campaign. It was created in 1973 by the McCann-Erickson Worldwide ad agency and was ranked by Advertising Age magazine as the eighth best advertising campaign in history. They were primarily television commercials but they did create print ads to support the TV spots. They began with a trend of using former athletes along with a few notable celebrities that continued throughout the campaign. This one features American professional basketball coach and executive Red Auerbach, who was a head coach in the NBA, most notably with the Boston Celtics. He was also the head coach of the Washington Capitols and Tri-Cities Blackhawks. As a coach, Auerbach set NBA records with 938 wins and nine championships.

Beer In Ads #3680: Miller Lite On Mt. Rushmore

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Sunday’s ad is for “Miller Lite,” from 1983. This ad was made for the Miller Brewing Co., and was part of their long-running “Tastes Great!…Less Filling!” advertising campaign. It was created in 1973 by the McCann-Erickson Worldwide ad agency and was ranked by Advertising Age magazine as the eighth best advertising campaign in history. They were primarily television commercials but they did create print ads to support the TV spots. They began with a trend of using former athletes along with a few notable celebrities that continued throughout the campaign. This one features four Lite Beer spokesmen on caricature drawing of Mt. Rushmore, including American former professional baseball player who played first base for the Baltimore Orioles Boog Powell, American professional football player and actor Bubba Smith, American former football player, sports commentator, and actor Dick Butkus, and American football player, a defensive end best known for his play with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League Ben Davidson.

Beer In Ads #3679: L.C. Greenwood & Bob Uecker For Miller Lite

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Saturday’s ad is for “Miller Lite,” from 1986. This ad was made for the Miller Brewing Co., and was part of their long-running “Tastes Great!…Less Filling!” advertising campaign. It was created in 1973 by the McCann-Erickson Worldwide ad agency and was ranked by Advertising Age magazine as the eighth best advertising campaign in history. They were primarily television commercials but they did create print ads to support the TV spots. They began with a trend of using former athletes along with a few notable celebrities that continued throughout the campaign. This one mentions American politician, actor, television presenter, political commentator, author, and retired professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, but in the text it turns out he was really American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers L.C. Greenwood, and there’s also American former Major League Baseball player and current sportscaster, comedian, and actor Bob Uecker as the Masked Marauder.

Beer In Ads #3678: Jesse Ventura For Miller Lite

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Friday’s ad is for “Miller Lite,” from 1989. This ad was made for the Miller Brewing Co., and was part of their long-running “Tastes Great!…Less Filling!” advertising campaign. It was created in 1973 by the McCann-Erickson Worldwide ad agency and was ranked by Advertising Age magazine as the eighth best advertising campaign in history. They were primarily television commercials but they did create print ads to support the TV spots. They began with a trend of using former athletes along with a few notable celebrities that continued throughout the campaign. This one features American politician, actor, television presenter, political commentator, author, and retired professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, and also American former Major League Baseball player and current sportscaster, comedian, and actor Bob Uecker as the Masked Marauder.

It looks like Ventura was the ultimate winner, unsurprisingly.

Robert Frost’s Beer Bath

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Here’s a fun story. Today is the birthday of American poet Robert Frost. “His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England in the early 20th century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime and is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He became one of America’s rare ‘public literary figures, almost an artistic institution.’ He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works.”

Publisher and author Bill Peschel related a story from 1935 that involved some beer that found its way to Frost.

Robert Frost was an irascible poet, jealous of rivals, and called by at least one friend as Yahweh. Any slight, real or perceived, was paid back, with interest.

Such as the case in Santa Fe, N.M., where Frost had been invited to speak at the city’s New Mexico Museum. At the event the day before, local poet Witter Bynner had been scheduled to introduce the poet, but had showed up late. While there may have been a good reason for his tardiness, it may also have been an intentional slight over Frost’s greater success with the public.

So Frost was deliberately late the next day at a lunch held in his honor at Bynner’s house. Then, they clashed over a book of poetry that praised homosexuality. While Frost found the subject distasteful, he went along with Bynner’s praise, even saying that he had a favorite poem. Could he read it aloud?

Bynner passed the book to him. Frost read one of the more erotically charged passages, then teased Bynner, saying he was “too young and innocent to understand such verse.” Bynner responded angrily by pouring a mug of beer over Frost’s head.

Frost got the explosion he wanted, so he took the bath in good humor. As a friend later remarked, “Robert took great pleasure in setting the cat among the pigeons.”

Beer In Ads #3677: L.C. Greenwood & Bert Jones For Miller Lite

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Thursday’s ad is for “Miller Lite,” from 1984. This ad was made for the Miller Brewing Co., and was part of their long-running “Tastes Great!…Less Filling!” advertising campaign. It was created in 1973 by the McCann-Erickson Worldwide ad agency and was ranked by Advertising Age magazine as the eighth best advertising campaign in history. They were primarily television commercials but they did create print ads to support the TV spots. They began with a trend of using former athletes along with a few notable celebrities that continued throughout the campaign. This one features former American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers L.C. Greenwood and former American football quarterback Bert Jones, who played for the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams.