Beer In Ads #2562: My Beer Is Rheingold Says Joan Fontaine

February 25, 2018 By Jay Brooks

Sunday’s ad is for Rheingold, from 1949. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rheingold recruited a number of prominent celebrities to do ads for them, all using the tagline: “My beer is Rheingold — the Dry beer!” In this ad, it features British-American actress Joan Fontaine. “Fontaine appeared in more than 45 feature films in a career that spanned five decades. She was the younger sister of actress Olivia de Havilland.” In this ad, Fontaine admits that when she gives a party, she loves compliments, and that’s why she always serves “everyone’s favorite beer, Rheingold Extra Dry.

Beer In Ads #2561: My Beer Is Rheingold Says John Payne

February 24, 2018 By Jay Brooks

Saturday’s ad is for Rheingold, from 1949. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rheingold recruited a number of prominent celebrities to do ads for them, all using the tagline: “My beer is Rheingold — the Dry beer!” In this ad, it features American film actor John Payne. He is “mainly remembered from film noir crime stories and 20th Century Fox musical films, and for his leading roles in Miracle on 34th Street and the NBC Western television series The Restless Gun.” In the ad, Payne talks about visiting New York and being busy catching up with his many friends from when he used to live there. And usually, when he gets together with those friends, they sit down and share some Rheingold Extra Dry.

Beer In Ads #2560: My Beer Is Rheingold Says Hedda Hopper

February 23, 2018 By Jay Brooks

Friday’s ad is for Rheingold, from 1948. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rheingold recruited a number of prominent celebrities to do ads for them, all using the tagline: “My beer is Rheingold — the Dry beer!” In this 1948 ad, American actress and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, boasts that she owns a staggering 739 hats, in part because hat fashion changes every year, while her favorite beer, Rheingold Extra Dry, does not.

Beer In Ads #2559: My Beer Is Rheingold Says Cedric Hardwicke

February 22, 2018 By Jay Brooks

Thursday’s ad is for Rheingold, from 1955. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rheingold recruited a number of prominent celebrities to do ads for them, all using the tagline: “My beer is Rheingold — the Dry beer!” In this 1948 ad, English stage and film actor Cedric Hardwicke, explains that the most unpredictable part of any performance is the audience, but contrasts that with the consistent positive reaction he gets when after a show he orders a round of Rheingold Extra Dry.

Beer In Ads #2558: My Beer Is Rheingold Says Jane Pickens

February 21, 2018 By Jay Brooks

Wednesday’s ad is for Rheingold, from 1945 and 1948. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rheingold recruited a number of prominent celebrities to do ads for them, all using the tagline: “My beer is Rheingold — the Dry beer!” In this 1948 ad, American singer on Broadway, radio and television Jane Pickens, explains that she’s a perfectionist that practices hours every day to perfect her music, and that carries over to her selection of beer, too, which for her is Rheingold Extra Dry.

“She was the musical leader of the Pickens Sisters, a trio born on a Georgia plantation that reached national stardom in the 1930s with its own radio show, concert tours and records.” In this ad, from 1945, she talks about how sometimes she gets tired out from all the singing she does, and when that happens she likes to relax with a tasty Rheingold Extra Dry.

Beer Birthday: Meg Gill

February 21, 2018 By Jay Brooks

ABI golden-road
Today is the birthday of Meg Gill, founder and owner, along with Tony Yanow, of Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles. Meg is also the former national sales manager for Speakeasy Ales & Lagers in San Francisco. When I first met Meg she was working for Oskar Blues, and later she organized the Opening Gala for SF Beer Week in years two and three, a Herculean undertaking. Golden Road made some waves a few years ago when they were acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev, and I haven’t seen her since she went over to the “winning team,” and alienated us losers. Although she did try to pretend it didn’t happen when Golden Road announced they were building a taproom in the Temescal area of Oakland and were met with some opposition. Ultimately, it was approved and they should be building a brewpub in the near future. Still, join me in wishing Meg a very happy birthday.

The Brewing Network's Justin Crossley interviewing Meg Gill from Speakeasy
Justin Crossley, from the Brewing Network, with Meg at the 22nd Celebrator Anniversary Party in 2010.

Forest Gray, Brian Lenzo and Meg Gill
Speakeasy owner Forest Gray, Brian Lenzo, from Blue Palms in L.A., and Meg at a Speakeasy Anniversary event several years ago.

P1020925
Faction’s (then Triple Rock’s) Rodger Davis, struggling to keep the sun out of his eyes, with Meg at the Sour Fest.

Meg and me at SF Beer Week’s Opening Gala a few years ago. (Photo by Mike Condie.)

meg-and-dave
An older photo of Meg and Dave Hopwood, from Stone Brewing. (Photo purloined from Facebook.)

Beer In Ads #2557: My Beer Is Rheingold Says David Wayne

February 20, 2018 By Jay Brooks

Tuesday’s ad is for Rheingold, from 1956. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rheingold recruited a number of prominent celebrities to do ads for them, all using the tagline: “My beer is Rheingold — the Dry beer!” In this ad, American stage and screen actor David Wayne, explains that in acting, “the suit must fit the character,” just as your beer should fir the tavern you drink in, which in New York means Rheingold Extra Dry.

Chalybeate Beer

February 20, 2018 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of Henry James Pye, who “was an English poet, and Poet Laureate from 1790 until his death” in 1813. In one of his works, entitled “The sportsman’s dictionary: or, The gentleman’s companion: for town and country.” and his version was based on an earlier anthology work which he “Improved and Enlarged” and published in 1807. Under the entry for “Glanders” — an infectious disease primarily in horses — something was prescribed called “Chalybeate Beer” that included directions for how to make it. From what I can tell, “Chalybeate waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.” They were apparently thought to be good for you and “in the 17th century, chalybeate water was said to have health-giving properties and many people have promoted its qualities.” Water from the springs was bottles and sold as medicine. Chalybeate springs were located throughout Europe, though especially in England, Scotland Wales, and there were at least seventeen prominent springs in the United States.

A chalybeate spring, identifiable because of how the iron turns the color of the water.

Here’s the passage about how to make Chalybeate beer (followed by the original):

A Chalybeate Beer, may be made as follows: Steel filings, sixteen ounces; cinnamon and mace, each two ounces; gentian-root bruised, four ounces, anniseeds bruised, three ounces. Infuse in one gallon, fine, clear, old, strong beer for a month, stopped close, shaking often, then strain. Give half a pint for s dose, in a pint of cold water, once or twice a day, upon an empty stomach, leaving the horse an hour or two to his repose. I have taken this from the Vinum Chalybeatum of Boerhaave, substituting old beer, which I have reason to believe a good menstruum for the steel, instead of Rhenish wine; and adding one of the best bitters. Should cinnamon and mace be thought too expensive, Jamaica pepper, or allspice, would be a cheap and proper substitute. It was the opinion of that great man, that no drug, diet, or regimen, could equal the preparations of iron, for promoting that power in the animal body by which blood is made; of course, it must be a powerful specific, in all cases of over-relaxed solids, debilitation and consumption. Would not chalybeate beer be a cheap and efficacious medicine for the poor?

Now doesn’t that sound tasty?

The Sandrock Spring, looking towards Blackgang Chine, located on the Isle of Wight.

Beer In Ads #2556: My Beer Is Rheingold Says Ilka Chase

February 19, 2018 By Jay Brooks

Monday’s ad is for Rheingold, from 1951. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rheingold recruited a number of prominent celebrities to do ads for them, all using the tagline: “My beer is Rheingold — the Dry beer!” In this ad, American actress of stage, television and film, radio host and novelist Ilka Chase, talks about how much she’s a New Yorker, even naming her latest book “New York 22,” and preferring a New York beer, too, like Rheingold Extra Dry.

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