Sunday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from the 1920s or 30s, I think. It was done by Alfred Schmidt, a well-know Danish illustrator, caricaturist and painter. He did four paneled ads, each one with the tagline “Min Deglige Drik,” which means “My Daily Drink.” In this ad, number one of four, a man is ordering a Carlsberg Pilsner, or HOF.
Today in 2008, US Patent WO 2008101298 A1 was issued, an invention of Allan K. Wallace, assigned to Coopers Brewery Limited, for his “Brewing Apparatus and Method.” Here’s the Abstract:
The specification discloses brewing apparatus and a method for testing for end of fermentation of a fermenting brew. It has been determined that, once fermentation is complete, the temperature of a brew (such as beer) shows a tendency to stratify in horizontal layers. However, the activity of fermentation disrupts the tendency of the brew to stratify. Accordingly, the brewing apparatus comprises at least two temperature sensors positioned to measure a temperature difference between the temperature at a first height of the brew and the temperature at a second height of the brew. End of fermentation is identified if the temperature difference is greater than a threshold difference.
Saturday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from the 1910. In this ad, a couple appears to be in their train compartment on their honeymoon. The man’s bag is open on the bed, revealing bottles of Carlsberg Pilsner. They stare lovingly into each other’s eyes, though their minds are most likely on the full glasses of beer they’re clinking together. Now that’s the way to begin a successful marriage.
Between 1951 and 1953, P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company, or simply Ballentine Beer, created a series of ads with at least thirteen different writers. They asked each one “How would you put a glass of Ballantine Ale into words?” Each author wrote a page that included reference to their beer, and in most cases not subtly. One of them was C. S. Forester, who’s best known for his Horatio Hornblower novels.
Today is the birthday of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (August 27, 1899–April 2, 1966), who wrote under the nom de plume Cecil Scott or “C. S.” Forester. He “was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series, depicting a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic wars. Two of the Hornblower books, A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours, were jointly awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1938. His other works include The African Queen (1935) and The General (1936).” His Ballantine ad ran in 1952.
His piece for Ballantine was done in the form of a letter reminiscing about first beers he’d tried doing his travels, including Ballantine the first time he came to New York City:
There’s always a first time for everything, and I still remember my first Ballantine Ale.
I had ordered my first “kleines hells” in Munich, my first Bock in Paris. As a rather bewildered young man in New York, I did a two-hour sight-seeing tour before being shipped to Hollywood, and in the half-hour before my train was to go, I had my first Ballantine Ale.
So my first recollection of Ballantine is linked with the Port of New York, the Empire State Building, and Grand Central Station. All of them were different from anything that had ever come into my experience — and all of them great.
Even then, I realized that the flavor of Ballantine Ale was unique. I thought it better than any brew I had met in Europe’s most famous beer gardens. I still do.
Today in 1907, US Patent 864560 A was issued, an invention of Otto L. R. Ritter, for his “Keg Sprinkling Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:
This invention relates to sprinkling machines for sprinkling kegs, barrels, bottles, jars and analogous articles.
The invention primarily contemplates a machine provided with a rotatable and disappearing nozzle for applying the cleansing medium, the latter actuating the nozzle when supplied to wash or rinse an article gravity when the cleansing medium supply is cut off, thereby permitting the article to be readily removed after it has been washed or rinsed without in the least damaging the nozzle.
The invention further contemplates a machine provided with a support for the article to be washed or rinsed, said support being capable of rotation upon a vertical axis, and provided-with means for opening a hot or cold cleansing medium supply. The nozzle by its rotation projects the cleansing medium outwardly in all directions, and it is thus rendered more effective in treating a greater surface area of the article cleansed. The movement of the nozzle is rendered easy and Without obstruction when rotated by providing a ball bearing therefor, all of which will be more fully hereinafter set forth.
Friday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from the 1980s. In this ad, a pair of blokes are playing snooker, or billiards, although the six bottles of Carlsberg HOF on the table may make the game a little difficult. The sign in the wall reads “A Good Bulletin,” though I’m pretty sure they’re not talking about me. The text at the bottom says “HOF has the clean fresh pilsner taste.”
Today in 1941, US Patent 2253883 A was issued, an invention of Valentine Beecher, for his “Beverage Dispensing Display Bar.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:
The main object of the invention is to provide a beer dispensing system in which a transparent, insulated dispensing riser extends directly from a beer keg in a pre-cooling chamber through a bar or counter provided with transparent windows through which the riser and its contents may be seen at all times.
Another object of the invention is to provide a transparent dispensing riser of the character referred to constructed in the manner of the well known Thermos or vacuum bottle to maintain the temperature of the beer’being dispensed during its passage from kegs in the pre-cooling chamber to a dispensing faucet mounted on the bar or counter, and thereby eliminate the cooling coils, air ducts and ice chambers heretofore used for this purpose.
Today in 1941, US Patent 2253940 A was issued, an invention of Gerald D. Peet, for his “Brew Cooling Equipment.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:
The present invention is concerned with the art of cooling brew within the original shipping and storage package, by the circulation of cooling fluid through hollow structures in heat conductive relation with the brew contents.
As conducive to a clear understanding of the invention, it is noted that in the practical operation of brew cooling and dispensing systems of a it would be sufficient, however, to keep the contents of the kegs on reserve at ‘a temperature well above dispensing temperature and yet sufficiently cool to prevent deterioration. An arrangement which would impart such lesser degree of refrigeration to the contents of the kegs on reserve would bring about economy in power consumption and in the capacity of the refrigerating installation when it is attempted to direct the cooling fluid through cooling passages of constant area, the desired economy is not readily attainable because it is the magnitude of the cooling conduit area submerged in the brew which primarily determines the temperature to which the brew is cooled, assuming that an adequate supply of refrigeration is available, as it is in practice.
Viewed from the aspect of the keg structure per se, rather than as a system and method of operation, it is noted that the cooling instrumentalities which engage the contents of brew kegs of the internally cooled type require periodic inspection to assure their operative and sanitary condition.
For convenience and economy, it is therefore an important object so to construct and arrange such coolers as to facilitate removal thereof from the keg structures for such inspection and for repair and re-installation or replacement as the case may be, and that without bling or breaking down the kegs.
Thursday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from 1930. In this ad, a trio are riding their bicycles toward the same set of buildings as yesterday’s ad, but they’re having to work a lot harder to get there. The cyclist in the lead is pointing up ahead, presumably to their destination. Or perhaps it’s to the car already there and he’s lamenting their choice of transportation. I wonder if that’s the same car from yesterday’s ad and they’ve been there drinking for hours?
Today in 2011, US Patent 20110206487 A1 was issued, an invention of Terry George Morgan, for his “Keg Handling Equipment.” Here’s the Abstract:
A keg conveying trolley has a pair of wheels, a central post and a slide which carries a hook for grasping the keg rim. The slide is lockable at different keg heights. A foot plate assists in tipping the trolley to an inclined position for wheeling the keg from one place to another. The keg stacking version has a winch worked by hand or a cordless drill. The keg is supported by a rise and fall carriage. The carriage can be modified to be multitask. Variants can lift gas bottles on their side, truck tires for placing on wheel studs and odd shaped loads.
