Monday’s holiday ad is for Budweiser, from 1952. What could be “something more than beer….?” Apparently it’s “A tradition in hospitality.” The wagon with Santa is great though. Instead of eight tiny reindeer, it’s eight not-so-tiny Clydesdales and the sleigh is pulling beer in bottles and kegs, though I suppose those are toy of a sort.
Saturday’s ad is for Rheingold Beer, from 1957, and features Miss Rheingold from that year, Margie McNally. It’s a simple ad, with Miss Rheingold out on a crisp winter’s day, wearing a warm white winter coat, and choosing a tree for Christmas. Hopefully, this isn’t the one she settled on, as it looks more fit for Charlie Brown.
Friday’s holiday ad is for Work Beer, from 2010. Work appears to be a contract brewer in Richmond, Virginia that started in 1999. For this Christmas ad, Santa’s relaxing after his workday with a case of beer plus an additional six-pack. In the bottom right of the ad it gives a pretty good synopsis of why he’s earned his case of beer:
Each year Santa delivers toys to 378 million children. To get the job done before any little girl or boy wakes up, Santa must travel 3,000 times the speed of sound pulling a sleigh that weights 321,300 tons. In 31 hours he must visit 91.8 million homes, allowing him to spend 1/1000th of a second at each home.
It sure beats milk and cookies.
I first made Johann, the founder of Seef Bier, in San Francisco, when he was here to do a presentation with his importer and the Belgian Trade Delegation as he was beginning to import his beer to the U.S. And I quite like Seef, and have since I first tried it. I saw him most recently last month in Belgium, when he was on hand to pick up the gold medal for Seef he received at the Brussels Beer Challenge. At any rate, this morning he sent me this fun video of Christmas Wishes from Seefbier, a spoof of the popular Christmas carol recorded by Andy Williams, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. It really is the most wonderful time to drink beer. Enjoy.
Thursday’s holiday ad is for Schlitz, from 1953. A rosy-cheeked, happy-looking couple is sledding home with two six-packs of beer, which should definitely make for a happy holiday.
Wednesday’s holiday ad is for William Younger’s Scotch Ale, from 1931. Father William I understand, but what the hell is he riding? It looks like an ostrich made of a Christmas ornament with Christmas crackers for legs and a tail of either mistletoe or a sprig of pine tree. The whatever it is, the creature’s wearing a sort of dunce cap with a decorative ball of yarn on top. And lastly, what is on the beast’s neck? Perhaps this is what you see if drink too much Scotch Ale.
Tuesday’s holiday ad is for Budweiser, from 1953. The first Christmas ad for 2015 is a fairly simple one, showing quite the holiday spread with twelve bottles of Budweiser and a big display piece of the Clydesdales and a beer wagon being pulled by Santa Claus.
Time was when today, the Monday before Thanksgiving, was the traditional day on which Anchor’s Our Special Ale — a.k.a. their Christmas Ale — was released each year. Every year since 1975 the brewers at Anchor Brewery have brewed a distinctive and unique Christmas Ale, which is now available from early November to mid-January.
From this year’s press release:
This is the forty-first annual Christmas Ale from the brewers at Anchor. It is sold only from early November to mid–January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew.
Our tree for 2015 is the Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara), better known as the California Christmas Tree. Native of the Himalayas, it takes its name from the ancient Sanskrit devadaru, meaning timber of the gods. This coniferous evergreen, with its gracefully droopy branches and blue-green needles, has been a San Francisco favorite for over 150 years.
The annual search for the perfect tree for our Christmas Ale label usually takes us far afield. This one began and ended with the search for a parking space near the Brewery! Getting out of the car, we couldn’t help but notice the way the late-afternoon sun danced amid the branches of two lovely Deodars just half a block from Anchor’s front door.
Our longtime label artist Jim Stitt — who has been drawing trees for us since 1975 — loved “our” Deodars and, like us, was amused that they were about as local as local gets! His charming illustration evokes the radiant beauty of our arboreal neighbors as well as the spirit of the season. Cheers from the Anchor brewers!
Even though for the last several years, Anchor’s Christmas Ale is released in early November, I continue to observe Anchor Christmas Day on the Monday before Thanksgiving. I know I’m a sentimental old fool, but I liked that they used to wait that long to release it, even though I understand why they had to abandon it. But some things are worth waiting for. If you agree with me, please join me in drinking a glass of this year’s seasonal release tonight. Happy Anchor Christmas Day!
Monday’s holiday ad for Rheingold Beer, from 1959, and features Miss Rheingold from that year, Robbin Bain. Sitting in a beautiful white dress, wrapping the last presents, in front of a fully decorated Christmas tree — that’s got to be at least an eight-footer! — and it certainly looks like a holiday party should be taking place any minute.
Sunday’s holiday ad is for Miller High Life, from 1950. In the days after Christmas, with all of your presents laid out, having been played with or used, one apparently emerges as the favorite. Just like “The Highlander,” I guess “there can be only one.” This guy (I’m presuming it was a guy) did pretty well. He appears to have received a rifle (or rifle case), a thermos, bowling ball, fishing basket, along with a rod and reel, binoculars, camera, books, a barometer and a set of golf clubs. But the ad would have us believe it was the Miller High Life that emerged as the favorite beer.
