Wednesday’s ad is from 1940, and is for a New Zealand beer, Waitemata, that today no is owned by DB Breweries but is no longer made by the giant brewing conglomerate. Great artwork, though the Sparkling Pale Ale the man is pouring doesn’t look especially pale. But you have to love that tagline. “Live life …. every golden minute of it …. Enjoy WAITEMATA …. every golden drop of it.”
Tuesday’s ad is an old one — from 1893 — for Pabst, showing an odd scene “In Darkest Africa.” The artwork is apparently depicting Emin Pascha inviting Stanley to lunch. Pascha was a doctor, explorer and governor of one of the Egyptian provinces after 1876. Stanley is the famous British explorer Henry M. Stanley who went looking for Dr. Livingstone, I presume. But the ad is showing another of Stanley’s expedition, from 1886-1889, known as the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition in which he led a party to rescue Pascha. Presumably that’s what the ad for Pabst’s Export Beer is playing against, as it was big news in its day, though the Africans are depicted in a less-than-flattering light.
Here’s an interesting little tidbit from David Bonneywell, a professional special effects artist from Great Britain, who’s worked on such shows and films as Dr. Who and Clash of the Titans. For a television show he was working on several years ago, he had to create a special effect of beer flying out of a glass in slow motion, with the results pictured below.
Here’s how Bonneywell describes the process he used:
For an episode of the TV series ‘Keen Eddie‘ they wanted a Matrix style ‘bullet time’ shot of a bar room brawl. However, these type of shots normally require dozens of cameras and lots of time and money, things sorely lacking in TV productions! The answer?? Suspend tables and chairs on wires, get your actors to stand VERY still in mid punch etc and get some FX guy to make plastic, freeze frame beer!!
Using photos of real beer in flight I cut a shape from clear sheet plastic and shaped it by heating and bending it. I stuck this into a real beer glass and then built up the ‘beer’ with epoxy glue coloured with brown inks. Considering it’s not the sort of thing I normally do (no boobies, monsters or blood!!…lol) I thought it turned out quite well.
For the same series I also made some over head rubber masks of Duran Duran (the group not the film character) used in an episode as disguises by some bank robbers!!
The series was an American show but for some reason was made in the UK…I’ve never actually seen it. If anyone here has I’d be interested to know how well this worked in the show!!
Kinda nailed it, I’d say.
Monday’s ad is for Acme Beer, and for Independence Day, too. I don’t know the age of the ad — 1930s perhaps? — but that is one seriously patriotic top hat. Happy 4th of July everybody.
The July 2011 standings will soon be released for Wikio’s Beer Blogs. Jeff, from Beervana, and I continued our do si do around the beer blogging dance floor, and I bow to my partner after our fourth consecutive month switching places. Perhaps we should merge our two blogs and create a formidable juggernaut, Brookston Beervana? Anyhow, here’s what happened to the Top 20 over last month:
| 1 | Brookston Beer Bulletin (+1) |
| 2 | Beervana (-1) |
| 3 | The New School (=) |
| 4 | Brewpublic (=) |
| 5 | A Good Beer Blog (=) |
| 6 | The Stone Blog (+1) |
| 7 | Appellation Beer: Beer From a Good Home (-1) |
| 8 | Washington Beer Blog (=) |
| 9 | The Daily Pull (=) |
| 10 | Drink With The Wench (+14) |
| 11 | It’s Pub Night (+6) |
| 12 | Seen Through a Glass (+9) |
| 13 | Oakshire Brewing (-3) |
| 14 | KC Beer Blog (-2) |
| 15 | The Session Beer Project™ (+4) |
| 16 | The Not So Professional Beer Blog (-1) |
| 17 | The Brew Lounge (-1) |
| 18 | San Diego Beer Blog (+27) |
| 19 | Craft Austin (-1) |
| 20 | Beeronomics (+10) |
| 21 | Brewer’s Log (Blog) (-10) |
| 22 | The Potable Curmudgeon (+4) |
| 23 | BetterBeerBlog (+4) |
| 24 | Beer at 6512 (+20) |
| 25 | Hoosier Beer Geek (+21) |
| 26 | Musings Over a Pint (+2) |
| 27 | Brewed For Thought (+2) |
| 28 | Seattle Beer News (-14) |
| 29 | Top Fermented (+12) |
| 30 | Beer in Baltimore (+1) |
Ranking made by Wikio
As usual, I included the relative movements of each blog from last month. This month, fully half of the top ten stayed put, while in addition to Beervana and myself changing places, another pair — Stone & Stan — did likewise. Only one new blog cracked the Top 10, as the Wench rocketed up 14 spots into 10th place.
I’ve listed the top 30 this time, and will start doing so each month. One additional observation is that of all 30, 13 moved up or down in the rankings one spot or less, whereas nine out of ten did likewise in the top 10. That suggests there’s less volatility in the rankings nearer the top, meaning blogs move up and down more freely nearer the double digits. And the champion mover was the San Diego Beer Blog, who shook up 27 places. As always, I continue to stress that this is just a bit of fun and that we shouldn’t take it too seriously. Until next month ….
This week’s work of art is by a Russian artist, Jean Béraud, though he lived much of his life in France during the Belle Epoque. Open-air Ball, or Le Bal public, was painted in 1880.
Depicting a typical scene of Paris night life in the 1880s, speculation has the setting being the Closerie des Lilas cafe. People are dancing on the right-hand portion of the painting, but resting with glasses of beer on the left, as shown in a detail of the artwork below.
You can read Béraud’s biography at Wikipedia, and also at the Tate. You can see more of Béraud’s paintings at All Posters and Hoocher.
Today in 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state.
Idaho
Idaho Breweries
Idaho Brewery Guides
Guild: None
State Agency: Idaho State Liquor Dispensary
Package Mix:
Beer Taxes:
Economic Impact (2010):
Legal Restrictions:
Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.
For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.
Our 75th Guinness ad puts oysters and Guinness together. “Opening Time is Guinness Time.” Aw, shucks. Nice pun on opening time and opening oysters. And the ad concludes with this wisdom. “Guinness and oysters are good for you.”
Friday’s ad is for Ballantine and is somewhat patriotic, at least insofar as the beer is chilling in colonial looking drum with Americana all over it. Also, the wallpaper and the candle holder are also quite patriotic. So with the 4th of July weekend beckoning, it’s hard to agree with that slogan. “Warm Hospitality calls for Well-Chilled Beer.”
I received an update on d.b.a. bar owner Ray Deter’s condition, after being in a bicycle accident earlier this week. I desperately had hoped the news would be better, but Ray’s wife, Catherine Lepp, posted the following on d.b.a.’s Facebook page earlier today:
Thanks so much for everyone’s kind words and support for me and the boys….Ray will no longer be with us after this weekend, but we hope our loss will give life to others. Please celebrate Ray as he passes on.
Love to you all, Catherine, Jake & Maxwell
The Times-Picayune, the Village Voice and the Gothamist have the same story. And if you haven’t yet read Tom Peters’ reminiscences about Ray, head over the Monk’s Cafe website. My heart goes out to Ray’s wife Catherine and his two sons.
UPDATE 7.3: I got the news a few hours ago that Ray passed away. Please drink a toast tonight to honor the memory of Ray Deter. He will be missed.