Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #2326: Morale, You’ll Never Understand

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Monday’s ad is by the Brewing Industry Foundation, from 1944, part of a series of ads the beer industry undertook during World War 2 under the title “Morale is a Lot of Little Things.” It was one of the first concerted efforts by the brewing industry after they were getting back on their feet after prohibition finally ended around a decade before. The series tried to show support for the troops and help with morale at home. And it must have worked, because the campaign won awards at the time. In this ad, they try to explain how much a woman’s hair permanent means to her. But it’s just one more small thing that “lift the courage … warm the heart … boost morale.” Just like the “right to enjoy a refreshing glass of beer.”

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Beer In Ads #2325: Morale, I Can See My Hammock Now

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Sunday’s ad is by the Brewing Industry Foundation, from 1944, part of a series of ads the beer industry undertook during World War 2 under the title “Morale is a Lot of Little Things.” It was one of the first concerted efforts by the brewing industry after they were getting back on their feet after prohibition finally ended around a decade before. The series tried to show support for the troops and help with morale at home. And it must have worked, because the campaign won awards at the time. In this ad, a Navy man is writing a letter home, reminiscing about his hammock “hanging in the orchard” and lots of other little things that that help improve his morale.

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Beer In Ads #2324: Morale Is A Lot Of Little Things

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Saturday’s ad is by the Brewing Industry Foundation, part of a series of ads the beer industry undertook during World War 2 under the title “Morale is a Lot of Little Things.” It was one of the first concerted efforts by the brewing industry after they were getting back on their feet after prohibition finally ended around a decade before. The series tried to show support for the troops and help with morale at home. And it must have worked, because the campaign won awards at the time. In this ad, the “little thing” is a wife gave her husband a little extra loving as he was going off to work in the morning, simply a big hug and a kiss, but it made all the difference, making his day a more special one. And it’s those little things, including the “right to enjoy a refreshing glass of beer” that are why and what we’re fighting for in the war.

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Beer In Ads #2323: Carling’s Nine Pints Of The Law

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Friday’s ad is for Carling, from sometime between the early 1900s and the 1950s, sources vary. The ad, or ads, use an illustration entitled “Nine Pints of the Law,” by English artist Lawson Wood. It’s an obvious play on the legal term “nine points of the law,” or more fully “possession is nine points in the Law,” which was apparently a common saying, forst appearing in 1616 by Thomas Draxe, in Adages 163.

One print from the 1940s has text on the back that claims it was “Based On An Original Photograph Taken At Carlings Brewery, London, Ontario – 1881,” although the artist would have been only three at the time. Of course, he could have painted this from the photograph when he was olders. Another sources claims it was created in the early 1900s, and Wood started working as a commercial illustrator at last by 1896, so the timeing works. Other sources give various decades, such as the 1930s, 1940s or 1950s, although it seems likely that Carling continued to use the painting in ads for many decades. Below are several different uses of the artwork in Carling advertising, though I’m uncertain of the exact date of any of them, apart from most likely the first half of the 20th century.

Here’s a simple poster framing the art, with just the brewery name, “Carling’s” below the picture.

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This green poster is for Carling’s Red Cap Ale.

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And so is this one, but with a white background.

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And this tray appears to be from a little later.

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Beer In Ads #2322: Better Than Beer?

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Thursday’s ad is for Carling’s Red Cap Ale, from 1952. In this ad, showing a couple on a sailboat with the usual arrangement of a red cap and a glass of beer with a bottle of Red Cap Ale. Then there’s that headline. What’s better than beer? Why ale, of course, specifically light-hearted ale, whatever that means.

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Beer In Ads #2321: We Tip Our Red Cap To America’s Taverns …

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Wednesday’s ad is for Carling’s Red Cap Ale, from 1959. In this ad, showing an icy outdoor scene with a red cap, along with a mug of beer and a bottle of Red Cap Ale. But it’s again the tagline that stands out: “We Tip Our Red Cap To America’s Taverns….” Although they actually have a red crown, or bottle cap, with Red Cap pronted on it. At least I understand what they’re getting at in this ad, panderng to American bars and asking people to order their beer when they visit one.

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Beer In Ads #2320: How To Win Friends And Affluent People

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Tuesday’s ad is for Carling’s Red Cap Ale, from 1960. In this ad, showing an iron gate with a red cap, along with a mug of beer and a bottle of Red Cap Ale. But it’s again the tagline that stands out: “How to Win Friends and Affluent People.” I’m not even quite sure what they mean by that. It’s similar to Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” but changes the last part to “affluent.” The text offers no answers, so it’s not really clear what they were after.

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Yest Or Yeast?

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While searching for something else this morning, I came across some word nerdery about the word “yeast.” In “Sharpe’s Diamond dictionary of the English Language,” by John Sharpe, John Thompson, and William Harvey, which was published in 1841, they list the following:

Yest, or Yeast, s. the froth in the working of ale or beer
Yest’y, Yea’sty, a. frothy; smeared with yest

I confess to not often paging though old brewing books the way I imagine Martyn and Ron do, so I had not seen this spelling before.

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Merrian-Webster states simply that “yest” is an “archaic variant of yeast.” And Webster’s 1913 Dictionary just refers you to Yeast: “n. 1. See Yeast.” And my 1971 O.E.D. states that it’s an obselete form of yeast.

That same O.E.D. gives a number of different forms of the word yeat, most of which I was unfamiliar with.

Forms 1. zist, zyst, 3. zest(e, zeest, yeest 6-9 yest, 7 eyst (?) 8-9 dial. east, dial. yist, 7- yeast.

From what I can tell, the first evidence of “yest” in print is from 1530: “Yest or barme for ale” whereas our modern spelling, “yeast” doesn’t show up until 1600.

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Beer In Ads #2319: It’s All A Matter Of Humulus Lupulus*

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Monday’s ad is for Carling’s Red Cap Ale, from 1960. In this ad, showing a stained glass window with a red cap, along with a mug of beer and a bottle of Red Cap Ale. But it’s the tagline that stands out: “It’s All A Matter Of Humulus Lupulus*.” It’s certainly interesting to see a nearly 60-year-old ad singing the praises of hop flavor, saying their beer “is laced with more of those tangy, aromatic hops” and further describing it as a “bold, brawny, body-full brew with a taste you remember.”

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Harry Potter’s Historic Butterbeer

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Today, June 26, in 1997, twenty years ago, the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was published in the United Kingdom. If that title looks wrong to you, that’s because in America it was titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone because the publisher “thought that a child would not want to read a book with the word ‘philosopher’ in the title.” They may have been right, but it’s still a little sad. At any rate, in the seven novels there was something called “Butterbeer,” described as a drink that “can be served either cold with a taste similar to cream soda or frozen as a slush with a butterscotch-like foam on top.” Basically, it’s fake beer for kids. Although it’s also” described as being able to make house elves intoxicated, and having only a slight effect on wizards.” So it actually is alcoholic, although how much is uncertain.

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And apparently J.K. Rowling didn’t completely make it up. A few years ago, Food in Literature writer Brayton Taylor discovered that a recipe for butterbeer, or Buttered Beere, was part of a manuscript from 1594 entitled The good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin. And all this time I’d been thinking she’d been inspired by Redhook ESB, the craft beer era’s original butter beer. Here’s the text of the original butterbeer from at least 1594:

To make Buttered Beere.

TAke three pintes of Beere, put fiue yolkes of Egges to it, straine them together, and set it in a pewter pot to the fyre, and put to it halfe a pound of Sugar, one penniworth of Nutmegs beaten, one penniworth of Cloues beaten, and a halfepenniworth of Ginger beaten, and when it is all in, take another pewter pot and brewe them together, and set it to the fire againe, and when it is readie to boyle, take it from the fire, and put a dish of sweet butter into it, and brewe them together out of one pot into an other.

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Here’s Taylor’s modern recipe for Harry Potter Alcoholic Butter Beer:

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle of British Ale (we used Old Peculiar originally but Speckled Hen is now my favourite)
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ⅓ cup of brown sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2.5 tbsp of unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. Start by pouring the ale into a saucepan. To keep it from ‘exciting’ (foaming up), angle the saucepan and gently pour the ale down the side into the pan.
  2. Stir in the 1 tsp of spices.
  3. Gently heat until it comes to a boil, before lowering the heat and simmering for a few minutes.
  4. In these few minutes, whisk together the yolks and sugar.
  5. Lower the heat even more and add in the yolks and sugar to the ale.
  6. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes and remove from heat.
  7. Stir in the butter until fully mixed in.
  8. With a hand blender, froth the ale until foam forms. Let sit to cool.
  9. Using a spoon, hold back the froth as you pour the butterbeer into the beer stein. Leave about an inch of room on the top, spoon on the froth and serve.

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And here’s another adaptation of the same recipe, from 12 Bottle Bar, although they give the date of the original manuscript as 1588.

  1. 3 pint (16.9 oz) Bottles of real Ale
  2. 0.5 tsp ground Cloves
  3. 0.5 tsp ground Cinnamon
  4. 0.25 tsp ground Ginger
  5. 5 Egg Yolks
  6. 1 Cup Brown Sugar (Demerara)
  7. 12 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  1. Add ale and spices to a saucepan
  2. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn to lowest setting
  3. Beat together eggs and sugar until light and creamy
  4. Remove ale from heat, whisk in egg mixture, returning to low heat
  5. Whisk constantly over low until mixture begins to thicken slightly (about 5 minutes)
  6. Remove from heat and whisk in butter quickly until a nice foam forms
  7. Serve warm

Notes: If you’re concerned about the alcohol level, here are some notes: We used Fuller’s London Pride, which is 4.7% ABV. Before adding the egg mixture, letting the beer simmer longer (20 minutes or so) should boil off all the alcohol, if that’s what you’re after. Use your discretion.