Friday’s ad is for Anheuser-Busch, from 1913. It’s a beautiful illustration, but the way the boy is pointing down at the field coupled with the authoritarian-sounding “Anheuser-Busch Will Buy This Barley” (say it with a Colonel Klink accent), it almost feels ominous. And does anybody know if A-B only uses Bohemia’s Saazer hops, or ever did exclusively? Stan? But a cool image.
While I had a logic class in college, and dabbled in debate, I’ve probably forgotten more than I ever learned. But I still love the notion of breaking down the thought process. My son, who’s 11 and autistic, often has trouble understanding humor. As a result, I increasingly find myself trying to explain the punchline of a joke — why it’s funny — and I’ll break it down for him. What invariably happens, of course, is that in that process, the joke is stripped of its humor and is no longer funny. For some reason, that never deters me. I’ve always had a thing for jokes and thinking about why they’re funny. If I wasn’t so damn shy I would have loved to have tried my hand at stand-up comedy back when I was a younger man. I think that’s why I loved The Aristocrats so much. Ninety minutes breaking down and re-telling one joke. What’s not to love?
So check out the comic strip below. It’s mildly amusing, at least to me. You most likely won’t laugh out loud, but you may smile, at least. But from the point of view of logic, it’s also quite correct, and instructional. It was originally posted by Spiked Math Comics, who admits he doesn’t know the strip’s original creator.
But here’s where it veers headlong into geekdom. It was picked up by a Danish University linguistics student, Emil Kirkegaard, who posted Three Logicians Walk Into a Bar: A Formal Explanation, a breakdown and analysis of the joke, complete with formulas, and explanation of the logic principles behind it.
Here’s one expressing the root problem: E↔(Wa∧Wb∧Wc)
The whole explanation is just as funny as the original strip, to me at least, in its own right and certainly does explain the joke, although if you didn’t think it was funny to begin with, this probably isn’t going to help. But us geeks have to stick together, no matter what geekworld we belong to.
Today’s infographic is yet another Periodic Table of Beer Styles, this one of unknown origin.
Thursday’s ad is for Country Club Malt Liquor, from 1966, brewed by the Pearl Brewing Company of San Antonio, Texas and St. Joseph, Missouri. The selling points seem quite odd, like “it’s short on head, but long on what you drink malt liquor for,” which of course is for the “walloping good taste.” Uh-huh. That’s why people drink malt liquor. I always wondered that.
Here’s an interesting addition to the historical record of craft beer. The Brewers Association has created an audio record of stories from their early days, as related by “some of the major players in the industry,” and recorded by newly appointed Brewers Association Board of Directors Chair, Sam Calagione, who quips. “We’re lucky to be in an industry that’s only 30 or so years young—so vibrant and growing—but that our pioneers are still so active in our industry. We have a great opportunity to record the beginnings and evolution of our industry from the folks who started it.” Even though it’s a YouTube video, there’s no video, but instead a still image appears of the person speaking, so you can follow along with who is talking. The whole thing lasts two-and-a-half hours! Enjoy.
Today’s infographic was created by the Beer Drinker’s Guide to Colorado, showing the family tree of beer styles.
Wednesday’s ad is for Old Vienna, the Canadian O’Keefe’s brand, from 1953. While painting the floor red — why?, only heaven knows — the family dog knocks over both the painter and the can of paint. What to do next? The ad suggests that you “cool off” and “open a bottle of sparkling, light-bodied Old Vienna Beer. Is that before or after you smack the dog with a rolled-up newspaper?
Boy, the Hood River is picturesque, especially as it’s filmed in this newly produced video for Full Sail Brewing, all about Beer, Water & Responsibility. In today’s Press Release, they discuss their water and how they strive to use it wisely.
A great brew begins with great water. Full Sail is located in Hood River, Oregon at the base of Mt. Hood, where pristine water literally flows from the springs on the mountain. The video was filmed at and around the brewery, celebrating both the breweries exceptionally low water use and the beauty of the environment that inspires this commitment to preserve this valuable resource.
“When we look out from our brewery we can see both the Columbia River and the snow-capped peaks beyond, highlighted up against the clear blue skies. We feel so lucky to work in this truly amazing place. It would be impossible to live and work in the Columbia River Gorge and not be inspired by the sheer beauty of the place. It’s not hard to figure out what would attract us to this setting. And it is our love for this environment that drives our sustainable practices, so pure water, local ingredients and responsible processes are poured into each and every pint,” says Full Sail’s Executive Brewmaster, Jamie Emmerson.
It really is a beautiful part of the country, something of a paradise, especially since there’s so much good beer all around.
Today’s infographic is another chart of beer colors, this one from Mash Sparge Boil.
Click here to see if full size.
Tuesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1949, and is one in their “I was curious” series. In adjoining apartments in one of those beautiful brick buildings with ivy-covered walls and planters that don’t really exist in the real world, the residents run into one another and the couple invite down for a glass of Schlitz. I love how dressed up everybody is just relaxing on their patio.
