Monday’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 two of four, our intrepid man is pouring his Carlsberg Pilsner into a glass, and exclaims. “What a scent!” I do love his pouring method, holding the bottle upside down.
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.
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.
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.”
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?
Wednesday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from 1930. In this ad, a couple on a motorbike are on the brink of overtaking an automobile, a pair of cyclists, all turning left at the next intersection on their way, apparently, to either the building with Carlsberg Lager on the side, or the one with Carlsberg Pilsner on it. Presumably there’s beer in those buildings.
Tuesday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from 1920. Now with three kinds of beer — Pilsner, Lager and Stout — three tuxedoed waiters each carry a tray with one of those types of beer on them. I think they look way too happy.
Monday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from 1990. This is another ad from a series done in July of 1990 that was designed to look older, and one presumes, nostalgic. A woman at the grocery store is adding a bottle of Carlsberg Pilsner to her basket. It was undoubtedly on her list. The text appears to claim “Yes…HOF has the clean fresh Pilsner Taste..!”
Sunday’s ad is for Carlsberg, a.k.a. “The Royal Beer,” from who knows when. This one features quite a dandy, dressed to the nines — maybe tens with that ridiculous medal below his bow tie. Although curiously, his servant is wearing almost the same outfit, so maybe he’s just the maître d’ taking a break, and not so royal after all.
