Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

The Etymological Compendium On Beer

By

book
So this is another word nerd find. The book is titled “The Etymological Compendium, or Portfolio of Origins and Inventions,” published in 1828 (although I’ve also come across a copy from 1830).

etymological-compendium

The explanations involving beer are fairly interesting, where in Section XI: Agriculture, Horticulture, Vegetables, Fruits, Plants, Flowers, Beverages, Etc. they have the following:

ec-hops-ia

flourish

ec-barley-ia

flourish

ec-ale

flourish

ec-porter-1-ia
ec-porter-2-ia

flourish

And this is from Section XV: Epithets and Phrases:

take-a-drop-1

take-a-drop-2

flourish

And finally, this odd historical anecdote is from Section XIII: Public Buildings, Inns of Court, Wards, Churches, Streets, and Localities of London and Westminster.”

hyde-park-1
hyde-park-2

flourish

Beer In Ads #2649: How American It Is

By


Wednesday’s ad is for is by Ballantine Ale, from 1943. Most of this month I’ve been posting Brewer’s Gold ads from the 1950s, but I’ve shared all of the ones I could find, so for the remainder of the month there will be random Ballantine ads. In this simple ad, during World War 2, a bottle of Ballantine Ale is the only color in the middle of the ad. The headline is “How American it is … to want something better!” And by something better, they mean Ballantine Ale, of course.

Ballantine-1943-how-american-bottle

Beer In Ads #2648: It Took 100 Years

By


Tuesday’s ad is for is by Ballantine Ale, from 1939. Most of this month I’ve been posting Brewer’s Gold ads from the 1950s, but I’ve shared all of the ones I could find, so for the remainder of the month there will be random Ballantine ads. In this simple ad, they’re celebrating their 100th anniversary (which actually would have been the next year) showing a bottle and can of Ballantine Ale.

Ballantine-1939-100th-anniversar

Beer In Ads #2647: The Emperor For Ballantine’s Brewer’s Gold

By


Monday’s ad is for is by Ballantine Ale, from 1958. In the 1950s, Ballantine advertised the hop variety “Brewer’s Gold” as “a rare straion of choice hops” and even registered it as a trade-mark, although Brewers Gold is widely available today. In this ad, an Emperor is counting his money, I guess to make sure he has enough to buy some beer, because according to him, “It’s the Genuine.”

Ballantine-1958-emperor

Down on The Farmhouse Beers For The Next Session

By

session-the
For our 136th Session, our host will be Dave S, who writes Brewing In A Bedsitter, or “Adventures in small batch homebrew.” For his topic, he’s chosen Farmhouse Beers, by which he’s asking everybody to consider the farmhouse beer or farmhouse brewery and wax philophically about it.

logsdon-2

Here is a fuller explanation of what he’s thinking about ways to approach this month’s topic:

Whether it’s about the success of modern craft breweries like Jester King and Burning Sky, the worldwide spread of saison or the revival of international interest in Northern European traditions, farmhouse brewing is a recurring theme in the beer world. It’s a very resonant idea but also one that invites many perspectives, so it seems like an ideal topic for the collective conversation that is The Session.

I’d invite people to approach the topic however they like — the more creative the better — but here are some ideas to get you started.

You could talk about how the word “farmhouse” is used in modern craft breweries, or about historic brewing traditions. You might want to think about how, if at all, the two are related.

If you think that farmhouse brewing or farmhouse beer refers to something meaningful and relevant in modern beer, you could write something touching on what it means to you. What’s its defining element? Is it about style, ingredients, location or something else? Would you call a crisp, clean pilsner or a hoppy IPA a farmhouse beer if it was brewed from local ingredients in a medieval barn? What about a mixed fermentation barrel-aged saison brewed in a light industrial unit in a suburb of Manchester? Why does any of this matter?

If you want to get specific, maybe talk about one or more beers or breweries that you think embody some aspect of the idea of farmhouse brewing. Or if you’re a homebrewer, you could talk about ways that your own beer has been influenced by it.

Conversely, if you think that the modern idea of a farmhouse brewery is largely just about marketing and aesthetics then you could have a go at dissecting and deconstructing it. Where did it originate and what are its roots? Who popularized it? How is it constructed and signaled? Most importantly, why are people so keen to buy into it?

farmhouse-ales

This month, the first Friday is also the first day of the month, June 1, so don’t accidentally miss it. To participate in the June Session, simply post a link to your session post by commenting at the original announcement.

Beer In Ads #2646: Airport Bar Time With Ballantine’s Brewer’s Gold

By


Sunday’s ad is for is by Ballantine Ale, from 1957. In the 1950s, Ballantine advertised the hop variety “Brewer’s Gold” as “a rare strain of choice hops” and even registered it as a trade-mark, although Brewers Gold is widely available today. In this ad, three couples are sharing beers in an airport bar, a plane visible through the window behind them. I think the couple seated at the table are newlyweds and they’re about to fly to their honeymoon destination. He’s got what looks like it could be rice on his shoulders, and she’s got flowers pinned to the lapel of her dress. Plus, the others are standing around them, as if they’re toasting them and giving them a proper send-off.

Ballantine-1957-travel-time

Beer In Ads #2645: Soup Time With Ballantine’s Brewer’s Gold

By


Saturday’s ad is for is by Ballantine Ale, from 1957. In the 1950s, Ballantine advertised the hop variety “Brewer’s Gold” as “a rare strain of choice hops” and even registered it as a trade-mark, although Brewers Gold is widely available today. In this ad, a party is going on at somebody’s house, with several couples in attendance. But as far as I can tell, there’s Ballantine Ale … and soup. That’s it. Just soup. That’s the only food seen in the ad. Which seems odd; I’ve never been to a soup and beer pairing, or even a soup and beer party.

Ballantine-1957-soup-time

Beer In Ads #2644: Charades Time With Ballantine’s Brewer’s Gold

By


Friday’s ad is for is by Ballantine Ale, from 1957. In the 1950s, Ballantine advertised the hop variety “Brewer’s Gold” as “a rare strain of choice hops” and even registered it as a trade-mark, although Brewers Gold is widely available today. In this ad, a large party is being held in a tavern or some such. I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing but a good guess seems that they’re playing charades and the woman in the green dress is trying to get people to guess what she’s doing. Of course, she could just be waving to somebody, but everyone except the server is staring at her intently, as if they’re trying to figure it all out. So my money’s on charades.

Ballantine-1957-night-at-the-tavern

This scan of the ad is clearer, but it’s only the right half of the double truck.

Ballantine-1957-chrades

Beer In Ads #2643: Football Time With Ballantine’s Brewer’s Gold

By


Thursday’s ad is for is by Ballantine Ale, from 1957. In the 1950s, Ballantine advertised the hop variety “Brewer’s Gold” as “a rare strain of choice hops” and even registered it as a trade-mark, although Brewers Gold is widely available today. In this ad, two couples are meeting at a local tavern after attending a college footbll game at “State.” One couple arrived early and is already working on their first Ballantine Ale.

Ballantine-1957-state

The other scan of the ad is clearer, but this one shows a little bit more of the right edge of the ad.

Ballantine-1957-game-time

Beer In Ads #2642: Backyard Time With Ballantine’s Brewer’s Gold

By


Wednesday’s ad is for is by Ballantine Ale, from 1957. In the 1950s, Ballantine advertised the hop variety “Brewer’s Gold” as “a rare strain of choice hops” and even registered it as a trade-mark, although Brewers Gold is widely available today. In this ad, a couple is enjoying some beer on their back porch. Across their lawn their neighbors appear to be mowing the lawn and working in their garden. But the first couple poured them glasses of Ballantine Ale and are beckoning them to take a break and come over and join them for a beer. Now that’s being neighborly.

Ballantine-1957-backyard-time