Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #1346: Busch Extra Dry

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Friday’s ad is for Busch Extra Dry, a ginger ale that Anheuser-Busch produced, presumably during prohibition (though possibly not, there is a bottle of Budweiser inset at the bottom of the ad, but I can’t quite make out the text). With the tagline Chambertin [a French red wine] held Napoleon, when Josephine couldn’t, I”m not quite sure how that relates to a ginger ale. If it was champagne, maybe since both a very bubbly and effervescent. Still, it’s interesting to see A-B advertising a soft drink under their label.

busch-extra-dry

Beer In Ads #1345: Miller’s Mondrian

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Thursday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from the 1950s. Miller did a series of these ads with sparse, minimalist decoration. In this one, it looks like the wall at the back was designed by Piet Mondrian, the Dutch modern artist. It sure looks like it’s going to be a great party, especially once someone picks up that acoustic guitar leaning against the staircase, next to some floor pillows, and starts jamming.

Miller-Mondrian

Beer In Ads #1344: At The Bar

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Wednesday’s ad is still another one for Double Diamond, also from the 1950s. Part of the Ind Coope’s “Works Wonders” series. This one shows a trio of their usual cartoon characters bellying up to a bar, and like that old commercial for nut, all they ask is one per day. From the great ad copy. “A daily glass of this big-hearted Burton beer smooths the rough edges of life, revives and refreshes, puts you back on top of your form.”

double-diamond-works

Beer In Ads #1342: Enjoy A Double Diamond Today

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Monday’s ad is another one for Double Diamond, this time from 1949. Part of the Ind Coope’s “Works Wonders” series, this is a fairly simple, but beautiful looking ad. One think that’s off to me, however, is the color of the green glass. It appears more like that dull, light green of an old coke bottle, rather than the bright green glass used by Heineken, Beck’s and many others. Is that really what they looked like? I love some of the ad copy, too, especially when they explain how drinking a Double Diamond will “take the tension out of life, revives your confidence, puts you back on top of your form.” After reading that, I don’t just want a beer, I need one.

double-diamond-1949

Beer In Ads #1341: If You Want To Feel Heroic …

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Sunday’s ad is for Double Diamond, from the 1950s. Part of the Ind Coope’s “Works Wonders” series, but I’m not sure this one was such a good idea. Suggesting that after a few beers, one might have the courage, and skill, to fight crime seems like a potential liability for the brewery. “But your honor, after a few beers, I just had to assert myself. I couldn’t let him get away with the swag.”

Double-Diamond-1950s-heroic

Beer In Ads #1340: Saturday Afternoon At Sportsman’s Park

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Saturday’s ad is another one from the United Brewers Industrial Foundation, from 1945. This was the year before the “Beer Belongs” series began. These were similar, and used the “Beer Belongs” tagline, but were unnumbered stand-alones. They each featured a painting by a well-known artist or illustrator of the day, along with many of the elements that would later appear in the “Home Life in America” series. In this ad, the painting is called “Saturday Afternoon at Sportsman’s Park,” by artist Edward Laning. Seemed like the perfect ad after the Giant’s victory in game 1 today, plus it is Saturday, of course.

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And here’s a close up of Laning’s artwork.

SaturdayAfternoon at Sportsman's Park by Edward Laning, close-up of artwork

Beer In Ads #1339: Harvest Time

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Friday’s ad is another one from the United Brewers Industrial Foundation, from 1945. This was the year before the “Beer Belongs” series began. These were similar, and used the “Beer Belongs” tagline, but were unnumbered stand-alones. They each featured a painting by a well-known artist or illustrator of the day, along with many of the elements that would later appear in the “Home Life in America” series. In this ad, the painting is called “Harvest Time,” by artist Doris Lee.

Harvest Time by Doris Lee, 1945

Beer In Ads #1338: Western Barbecue

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Thursday’s ad is another one from the United Brewers Industrial Foundation, from 1945. This was the year before the “Beer Belongs” series began. These were similar, and used the “Beer Belongs” tagline, but were unnumbered stand-alones. They each featured a painting by a well-known artist or illustrator of the day, along with many of the elements that would later appear in the “Home Life in America” series. In this ad, the painting is called “Western Barbecue,” by artist Fletcher Martin.

Western Barbecue by Fletcher Martin, 1945

Beer In Ads #1337: Sailing In California Waters

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Wednesday’s ad is another one from the United Brewers Industrial Foundation, from 1945. This was the year before the “Beer Belongs” series began. These were similar, and used the “Beer Belongs” tagline, but were unnumbered stand-alones. They each featured a painting by a well-known artist or illustrator of the day, along with many of the elements that would later appear in the “Home Life in America” series. In this ad, the painting is called “Sailing in California Waters,” by artist Julien Binford, who did at least one additional ad in this series.

USBF-1945-sailing-in-calif-waters