Monday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1939. Tennis – Golf – Baseball. “Wherever there’s action — wherever people are doing things — you’ll find Miller Hight Life.” Are there any places where people aren’t doing things? But by far my favorite line is this sentence. “There’s a blithe lift to this sparkling, amber brew that puts it in time with action and fun.” Pure poetry.
Today in 1971, US Patent 3610478 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, for his “Tapping Device For Beer Kegs and the Like.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes only this summary:
Disclosed is a novel tapping device for beer kegs and the like including a keg adapter mounted in the opening of a keg at the brewery and a probe-type coupler secured to the keg adapter at the dispensing establishment to dispense beer.
For our 104th Session, our host is Alan McLeod, who writes A Good Beer Blog. For the topic, he’s extending the discussion I started a few weeks ago in The Monthly Session: Should It Continue Or Should We Let It Go? Twenty people weighed and cast a vote, and the ayes held the day, 15 to 5. So there you have it, we’re still alive, though perhaps on life support. Alan, who magnanimously offered to step in this month, did just that, donning his cape and wearing his matching knickers on the outside, is here to save the day. In his announcement, Session 104: Quick! Write… And Make It Good!!, he’s challenged people to step up, calling us all a “bunch of sookie babies” and get to it, meaning writing blog posts.
So, time to suck it up. I am hosting and you bunch of sookie babies are writing blog posts. Got it? I was going to tell you to write anything you feel like whether it makes any sense or not… but then I realized that’s what you do anyway. Especially you. Yes, you!! So you are going to write about this: if we just “take the philosophical approach, that the Session has run its course” aren’t we really admitting that beer blogging is a massive failure? I say no. I say this is a fabulous way to cover up problem drinking with anti-social internet addictions. Maybe you know of another reason we should keep writing and try to make some sense of the beer and brewing world. Well, goodie for you. Write about it. Explain yourself. Because if you can’t you are really admitting (i) you’ve wasted the best part of the last decade or (ii) you live in a fantasy world where think you are a beer writer and not a beer blogger and that’s soooooo much more important… as if your friends don’t share concerned messages about you behind your back:
Linda? It’s Barry. Yes, I saw him. He still pretends he writes about alcohol as a job… she’s the strong one… poor things… where will it end?
Make it good.
So I’m obviously late with my Session post this month, being that it’s Monday and The Session really took place last Friday. But this time I wasn’t just busy, I waited until today on purpose. I wanted to see what people had to say. As Alan noted, I had the shakes and even was a bit verklempt, as Stan and I wondered aloud and in print if The Session might have run its course. At best, it was on life support as people were no longer volunteering to host and keep it going.
Between the polls I took and my post, The Monthly Session: Should It Continue Or Should We Let It Go?, from a two weeks ago, I had an idea that many people would say that The Session should continue. And largely that seemed to be the case, even if participation seemed … well, not enormous. But more importantly, I wanted to see if anybody offered to host, to actually do something to help The Session survive. Happily, several people did.
I’ve now reached out to the people who offered to host and confirmed a month for them, adding them to the schedule. A few have already come up with a topic. But don’t let that deter you. Even if you haven’t been plugged in to host an upcoming Session, don’t despair, it’s not too late. Leave a comment here with your e-mail and I’ll reach out to you to find a month for you to host.
And Stan also offered to host again, as well, though on the poll said he would “after some others step up.” We now have eight months scheduled, nine once Stan chimes in with his favored month, which is a pretty good result.
See you next month. Same beer time, same beer channel.
Today in 1937, US Patent 2094869 A was issued, an invention of Earcy Ballard, for his “Drinking and Tapping Attachment For Beer Cans.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes only this summary:
My invention relates to a drinking and tapping attachment for beer cans, and the objects of my invention are:
First, to provide an attachment to be used 5 in connection with the conventional beer cans which provides a combination means for tapping the can for permitting the flow of the beer and also providing an extended rim: to facilitate drinking from the can;
Second, to provide an attachment of this class which may be readily and quickly attached to and detached from the can;
Third, to provide an attachment of this class which may be sterilized and used over and over again on different cans;
Fourth, to provide an attachment of this class which provides a sufficiently large opening in the can so that the beer will flow readily therefrom;
Fifth, to provide an attachment of this class with a handle in connection therewith to facilitate the handling of the can while drinking therefrom;
Sixth, to provide an attachment of. this class with clip means for clamping it tightly on the can and also provided with extended portions for guiding the attachment while puncturing the can;
Seventh, to provide an attachment of this class with a gasket around the pouring and puncturing means to prevent leakage between the can and the attachment when drinking;
Sunday’s ad is for Tiger Beer, from 1951. This ad from Asia Pacific Breweries is pretty simple, if a little odd, with the disembodied hand reaching through the wall with a full glass of beer.
Today is the birthday of American actor, vaudevillian, comedian, filmmaker, stunt performer, and writer Buster Keaton. He’s best known for his silent films, and especially The General, considerd by many to be one of the best films of all-time. In 1962, Keaton made a series of commercials for the William Simon Brewery of Buffalo, New York. The ads were done in a silent film style, employing many of Keaton’s best gags from his glory days on the 1920s.
Initially, I only had these three gifs made from one of the commercials, but happily discovered that the whole ad has now been posted on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSf4ZKsv2HEYouTube:
And here’s another one Keaton did:
And a third:
And finally, a fourth ad Keaton did for Simon Pure Beer.
Today in 2011, US Patent D646166 S1 was issued, an invention of Thomas Chupak, for his “Long Neck Bottle.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes only this summary:
The ornamental design for a long neck bottle, as shown and described.
Saturday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1949. I guess “distinctive” is certainly one of the words you could use to describe this scene, but to me she looks a little bit too much like Meryl Streep’s Mom if she had been in Terry Gilliam’s film “Brazil.” All she really needs is a shoe on her head to seal the deal, but I suppose that ginormous Rorschach-test brooch works just as well.
Today in 1944, US Patent PP644 P was issued, an invention of Frank J. Miller, for his “Hop Plant.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
The present invention relates to definite and extensive improvements in hops of the Bohemian type. There is no known hop which is at is fluffy in comparison. Develops from a small all similar. The variety resulted from definite burr rather than from the usual type of breeding efforts made by Frank J. Miller and 5 blossoms. Grows in closely bunched clusters originated by crossing a wild English Cluster hop from the ground to the ends of the branches. with the Bohemian type hop. The cross took Lupulin content.-The lupulin content is place a number of years ago and has since been much higher than average.
developed and asexually reproduced from the Resin content. Very high in total resin root. The characteristics of the variety have tent, as compared With proved to be firmly fixed Bohemian hop as well as other types.
The original illustrations which make a part Flavor and aroma.Has an excellent aroma, of this application show typical fruits and leaves and no sulphur being required in the drying approximately their true colors and slightly ing process makes it possible to keep out reduced in size. certain foreign flavors often present in This new variety has a great number of out other hops. standing characteristics among which are its Dry-out. Being a firm, compact berry with healthy growth, small moisture loss, high lupulin low moisture content in the green stage, content, early ripening and resistance to downy the loss from dry-out is 60% to 65%, where mildew and red spider. A chemical analysis made as in any other variety it is 75% to 80%. by the Agricultural Experiment Station at Ge- Maturity. Fruit ripens between the last of neva, N. Y., shows total resins one-half greater July and about August 10th, which is from in my new variety than in the regular European 15 to 20 days earlier than the regular Bohemian type hops grown in their experimental Bohemian type. This factor removes the variety from competition at harvest time.
Today in 1933, US Patent 1928987 A was issued, an invention of Albin H. Warth, assigned to the Crown Cork & Seal Co., for his “Bottle Cap.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to bottle caps, and more particularly to improvements in bottle caps of the edge gasket type.
