
Sunday’s ad is for Bières La Semeuse, from 1900. From the late 1800s until the 1940s, poster art really came into its own, and in

By Jay Brooks
Sunday’s ad is for Bières La Semeuse, from 1900. From the late 1800s until the 1940s, poster art really came into its own, and in
By Jay Brooks
Today is the birthday of Charles Lamb, who “was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his Essays of Elia and for the children’s book Tales from Shakespeare, co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb.” In addition to his own works, and adapting others, he also collected works of earlier authors. One such work was entitled “Specimens of English Dramatic Poets, Selected by Charles Lamb,” published in 1803.
One of his choices has an anonymous author, and is ascribed to the London Chanticleers, and is characterized as “a rude sketch of a play, printed 1659, but evidently much older.” It’s entitled “Song in praise of Ale.”
I.
Submit, bunch of Grapes,
To the strong Barley ear;
The weak Vine no longer,
The Laurel shall wear.
II.
Sack and drinks else,
Desist from the strife,
Ale’s th’ only Aqua vitae,
And liquor of life.
III.
Then come my boon fellows,
Let’s drink it around;
It keeps us from th’ grave,
Though it lays us o’ th’ ground.
IV.
Ale’s a Physcian,
No Mountebank bragger,
Can cure the chill ague,
Though ’t be with the stagger.
V.
Ale’s a strong wrestler,
Flings all it hath met;
And makes the ground slippery,
Though ’t be not wet.
VI.
Ale is both Ceres,
And good Neptune too,
Ale’s froth was the Sea,
From whence Venus grew.
VII.
Ale is immortal:
And be there no stops,
In bonny Lads’ quaffing,
Can live without hops.
VIII.
Then come my boon fellows,
Let’s drink it around;
It keeps us from the grave,
Though it lays us o’ th’ ground.
By Jay Brooks
Saturday’s ad is for the
By Jay Brooks
Friday’s ad is for Brands Bier, from the 1950s, I believe, though some sources say it’s 1950. From the late 1800s until the 1940s, poster art really came into its own, and in
By Jay Brooks
Thursday’s ad is for Van Roy Wieze, from the 1940s, I believe, though some sources say it’s 1950. From the late 1800s until the 1940s, poster art really came into its own, and in
By Jay Brooks
Wednesday’s ad is for Van Roy Wieze, from the 1940s, I believe, though some sources say it’s 1950. From the late 1800s until the 1940s, poster art really came into its own, and in Europe a lot of really cool posters, many of them for breweries, were produced. This poster is for Brouwerij Van Roy (a.k.a. Brouwerij Het Anker Wieze), which was located in the East Flanders town of Weize since it was founded in 1866. The poster was created by an artist whose name appears to be
By Jay Brooks
Tuesday’s ad is for Biere Titan, from 1933-34, though some sources say it’s 1926. From the late 1800s until the 1940s, poster art really came into its own, and in Europe a lot of really cool posters, many of them for breweries, were produced. This poster is for Grandes Brasseries de Jarny et Uckange, which was located in the Moselle region of Eastern France. The company was created in 1926 by the merger of two breweries. The poster was created by Dutch artist Gabrielle Favre.
By Jay Brooks
Monday’s ad is for 3 Hoefijzersbier, or three horseshoes, from around 1935. From the late 1800s until the 1940s, poster art really came into its own, and in
By Jay Brooks
Today, Sierra Nevada Brewing announced the
Here’s the press release:
“While still in its infancy, Sufferfest is at the front of the wave of ‘functional’ alcoholic beverages,” said Sierra Nevada President and CEO Jeff White. “By joining with
Sierra Nevada, Sufferfest will be better positioned to grow and continue to lead the way in a rapidly growing and highly competitive space.”Sufferfest, which launched in 2016, is beloved by athletes for its gluten-removed line of beers like its 95-calorie Kolsch brewed with bee pollen and
its FKT (Fastest Known Time) Pale Ale brewed with salt and black currant.“The complementary nature of our offerings and their position at the cusp of this emerging category are not the only reasons Sufferfest made sense,” said White. “From the moment we met, it was clear that our two companies are deeply aligned in our values and our commitment to do the right thing.”
Sufferfest is a Certified B Corporation and a values-driven company. Founder and CEO Caitlin Landesberg, a long-distance trail runner, started the company with a vision to create the perfect post-sweat beer for herself and fellow sufferers.
“I’ve always craved a beer after a race, but when I couldn’t find a beer that agreed with my dietary and performance needs, it left a genuine void in the post-race social experience,” explained Landesberg. “The finish line is where we get to celebrate the ail, anguish
and suffering we’ve all been through together. I so wanted to continue to be part of this occasion, but didn’t want to keep compromising on taste or ingredients.”A homebrewers course in 2012 followed by coursework at UC Davis enlightened her on the microbiology of beer and its many positive attributes. She started her quest to develop a beer by athletes, for athletes, and after years of improvements and sampling her beers among fellow runners, local heroes
and professional athletes, Sufferfest Beer Company was born.“
Sierra Nevada is the perfect fit,” explained Landesberg. “If it were any other company, this would not be a consideration for us.Sierra Nevada is a family-owned and operated business that isn’t driven by shareholder pressure to meet quarterly numbers,” she continued. “I’ve always been so impressed by their commitment to the communities they serve. They are really driven by their own north star.”“Sufferfest represents an authentic and genuine platform for us to connect with more and different people,” said White. “This isn’t something cooked up by an ad agency. Sufferfest is a group of tireless, deeply committed people who love to have fun. In other words, they feel like us.”
And on Sufferfest’s website, founder Caitlin Landesberg issued a statement about the acquisition:
When I think back to the early days of Sufferfest Beer Company, it’s humbling and gratifying to remember the coursework I pursued at UC Davis School of Brewing. And the time I spent sitting in line at the City Planning office, or haggling at the Alcohol Beverage Control. There were also the days I hand labeled each of our beers and personally visited each account on a weekly basis. We are aptly named because building this company has been nothing but a
sufferfest .The most fulfilling part, however, has been the people I’ve met and have had the pleasure to work with along the way. Our team of employees are truly a family — we are connected by our belief in this company’s values and purpose. Despite never belonging, we’ve changed the craft beer landscape and created something lasting. Thank you for believing in me and taking this leap of faith with me.
It is with great excitement that I’m announcing the next chapter in Sufferfest’s wild and wonderful story. Today, we officially join the Sierra Nevada Beer Company family.
As a founder, this partnership feels like a dream:
Sierra Nevada not only possesses the operational and manufacturing muscle we need to grow Sufferfest, but also is so aligned with Sufferfest in terms of values: sustainability, conservation, and a deep love of the outdoors. They are masters of their craft, and we have a lot to learn from them. Given any choice of a strategic partner, I would chooseSierra Nevada each and every time. The stars aligned.The most exciting thing here is the vote of confidence in our ability to change the craft beer landscape. We’ve spent the last few years doing things differently, and it speaks volumes to the power of what we’re building that we were able to secure the partnership of
Sierra Nevada, a leader in the craft beer space.This partnership with
Sierra Nevada enables us to do more of what we love: brew award-winning, functional beer, grow our tribe, and be in the hands of sweaty consumers all over the country. I am so proud of this team and so moved by all that we’ve done to bring Sufferfest to this exciting day. 2019 is going to be a wild ride, and I couldn’t more confident in the ability of this team to rise to the occasion and keep winning.
By Jay Brooks
Sunday’s ad is for Bière Allary, from 1928. From the late 1800s until the 1940s, poster art really came into its own, and in