Tuesday’s ad is for Carling’s Red Cap Ale. I’m not sure of the year the ad ran, but there is a clue at the bottom. It says that for 109 years it was made in Canada but as of the date of the ad was being made in the U.S. It’s a great illustration and I’m assuming it ran in the fall, sometime during football season, since the only element in the ad is the generic “Go Team!” football badge in blue and gold and some ticket stubs, presumably from the game.
Monday’s ad is for an old Pabst brand, Andeker Beer, also referred to as “Andeker of America.” It’s from 1972 and refers to itself as “The Beer Supreme.” The tagline is great: “A Great Nation’s Greatest Beer.” The painting shown in the ad is by George Caleb Bingham. The ad says the title is Pioneers Crossing the Cumberland Gap, but it’s usually referred to as Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap.
Our 111th Guinness ad is by John Gilroy, showing the iconic zookeeper simply raising a Guinness in toast, which seemed appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day.
Friday’s ad is the last bicentennial ad for Schaefer beer in the series. This one uses the ad copy. “In the early 1800s beers were dark, and people hid them in leather steins. Then, in 1842, Schaefer introduced a beer worth looking at.” This one also doesn’t try to make them sound 200 years old. And it does feature another beautiful drinking vessel — although I’m not fond of that leather one — and yet more impossibly perfect foam.
This week has inadvertently turned into Schaefer Week, with Thursday’s ad being yet another bicentennial ad for Schaefer beer. This one uses the ad copy. “1842. It Was A Very Good Year For Beer Drinkers.” At least this one doesn’t try to make them sound 200 years old. But it does feature another beautiful drinking vessel and more impossibly perfect foam.
Wednesday’s ad is another (I think) bicentennial ad for Schaefer beer. This one uses the ad copy. “After a while, it’s easy to brew a beer as good as Schaefer. The first 200 years are the hardest.” Again, this would have been when Schafer was around 134 years old, not terribly close to 200 years, but the ad was aimed at America’s 200th birthday. In this one there’s another cool-looking stein, but the foam on that glass looks pretty fake. With the handle on the mug, if you use your imagination it looks like an elephant or I suppose you could say it looks a bit phallic.
Tuesday’s ad is odd, at least as far as the ad copy. It’s for Schaefer beer with the following ad copy. “We’ve been practicing the art of brewing beer for almost 200 years. And practice makes perfect.” Which sounds good, right? Except that Schaefer was founded in 1842. I just bought a book celebrating their 100th anniversary in 1942. While I’m not absolutely certain, I believe this ad was from around America’s bicentennial in 1976, which would have made Schaefer 134 years old. Maybe it’s my lack of number sense, but that doesn’t seem like “almost” 200 years old, not even close. I’d say you’d have to be at least 151 to claim that, which would not have been until 1993. But that beer glass and mug are beautiful.
Monday’s ad is particularly cool. The ad is for Schaefer’s Bock Beer, released in 1941 on March 12th — today’s date — with “supply limited.” The ad features a goat holding a glass of bock while reading a newspaper, the “Bock Times.” I think he’s winking at me.
Our 110th Guinness ad is from 1935, a variation on the seal and zookeeper theme, this horizontal ad featured the zookeeper in hot pursuit of a thieving seal, trying to make off with his pint of Guinness. The ad uses the familar “My Goodness, My Guinness” tagline.
Friday’s ad is for English brewery, H. & G. Simonds, Ltd. of Reading. I’m not sure of the age, but presumably it’s from the late 19th century when these great industrial portraits of breweries were so common. I love these pro-industrial love letters. A collection of them would make a great coffee table book.
