Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #1091: Norman Rockwell’s Man With A Beer & Sandwich

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Monday’s ad is by famed artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell, who was born today, February 3, in 1894. Rockwell was most famous for his magazine covers for the Saturday Evening Post and Boys’ Life, the official Boy Scouts’ publication. But he also did some commercial illustration, including this painting of a “Man with Sandwich and Glass of Beer,” for an unspecified beer ad, which was created between 1947 and 1950. I don’t think it was ever used, as I’ve been unable to turn up the illustration in any actual advertisement.

rockwell-beer-and-sandwich

History’s First Photo Of People Drinking Beer

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daguerreotype
Twitter lit up last night with tweets of an old photograph taken in 1844. It was Boak & Bailey who I saw tweet it, so h/t to them, although it appears to have been bouncing around the interwebs since at least July of 2012. Although neither the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where one of the originals is located, the National Portrait Gallery, where there’s another, or on Wikipedia, confirms or denies it, many sources posting it have indicated that it’s the first photograph taken depicting people drinking beer, in this case Edinburgh Ale. According to the museum, the photographers were David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson. The people in the photo are identified as James Ballantine, Dr. George Bell, and D.O. Hill. It was printed on salted paper from a paper negative. I like the idea that it is the first photographic record of people enjoying a beer, but I’d prefer to see more proof. It seems likely, of course, since according to one account it was taken just six years after the very first photograph of a human. But I suppose until someone shows me one that’s earlier, I’m going to take their word for it.

This is the photograph from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

Edinburgh-ale-1844

Whereas the photo that’s at the National Portrait Gallery is more grey than brown, and is identified as an Calotype print.

Edinburgh_Ale_by_Robert_Adamson

It also includes the following caption.

The skills involved in producing calotypes were not only of a technical nature. Hill’s sociability, humour and his capacity to gauge the sitters’ characters all played a crucial part in his photography. He is shown here on the right, apparently sharing a drink and a joke with James Ballantine and Dr George Bell. Bell, in the middle, was one of the commissioners of the Poor Law of 1845, which reformed poor relief in Scotland. Ballantine was a writer and stained-glass artist, and the son of an Edinburgh brewer. On the table are three glasses of ale. According to a contemporary account, Edinburgh ale was “a potent fluid, which almost glued the lips of the drinker together”.

“Glued the lips of the drinker together,” that’s one of the oddest descriptions of how a beer tastes I’ve ever read. It makes me want to try an Edinburgh Ale. I’ve get to working on that time machine.

Beer In Ads #1089: When You’re Out Of Schlitz, Punt.

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Saturday’s ad, to get your ready for tomorrow’s Super Bowl, is for Schlitz, from 1969. It’s a funny one. Showing an upside down can of Schlitz held up by a finger, ready for the kick … wait a minute. What’s wrong with this picture? How did this get published? Figure it out yet? Somebody at the ad agency must have known something about football, or maybe not. Check the headline again. “When You’re Out Of Schlitz, Punt.” Whoops. Hilarious.

Schlitz-1969-punt

Beer In Ads #1086: Falling Leaves

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Wednesday’s ad is still another one for Rheingold Beer, this one from 1950, featuring Miss Rheingold from that year, Pat Burrage. Pat is standing in a grove of trees whose leaves have changed color and falling all around her. In an autumn brown coat, she’s almost invisible, except for the black hat and the winning smile.

Rheingold-1950

Beer In Ads #1085: You’ve Elected Margie McNally

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Tuesday’s ad is yet another one for Rheingold Beer, this one from 1956, although it features Miss Rheingold from the next year, Margie McNally. The ad is introducing Margie as Miss Rheingold 1957. She looks like quite the beauty queen and in fact the ad copy claims that choosing Miss Rheingold is “America’s second-largest election.”

Rheingold-1956-4

How Would Jack Daniels Or Maker’s Mark Do A Beer?

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jack-daniels
Hopefully, you’ve been following the emerging story about MillerCoors’ latest attempt at recapturing beer sales through the release of Miller Fortune, a bourbon-like lager aimed at the Spirits buyer. For me, one of the funniest aspects of this is a quote from David Kroll, who according to Bloomberg News “was brought to MillerCoors from Dyson in 2012 to shake things up as its head of innovation.” Here’s what he said.

We asked, “How would Jack Daniels or Maker’s Mark do a beer and why?” We tortured every aspect to say, “Are we falling back on what beer would do?” Because this brand is intended to play in a spirits occasion.

That’s a funny question because the answer is already out there. I’m amazed at how often people ignore history, recent history even, because we know precisely how Jack Daniel’s would “do a beer” for the simple reason that they already have. How could Kroll or Miller, at least, not remember that?

jack-daniel-brewery

In late 1994, Jack Daniel’s announced they would be building their own brewery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and by the following year they had six-packs of Jack Daniel’s beer on store shelves. During its run, they produced seven different beers under the label Jack Daniel’s 1866 Classic, which included Amber Lager, Oak-Aged American Ale, Oak-Aged Honey Brown Ale, Oak-Aged Pale Ale, Oak-Aged Pilsner, Oak-Aged Summer Brew, Oak-Aged Winter Brew.

jd-btls

A Jack Daniel’s collector put up a website with lots of photos of both the beer and the marketing and advertising, which makes it pretty obvious they spent a lot of money on the brand. I don’t remember exactly when they stopped making the beer, but I believe it was around 1997 or so, if memory serves. I tried a couple of the flavors once, but don’t remember being particularly impressed, although I also don’t recall that it was bad for any reason, just that it didn’t stand out.

jd-pils

As for a Maker’s Mark beer, if you take the distillery tour in Loretto, Kentucky you’ll learn that sister company Jim Beam once made a failed attempt of brewing beer. Maker’s Mark, in response, created an ad claiming they’d never make that mistake.

makers-mark-beer

It’s amazing to me how forgetful people can be. I can’t help but be reminded of George Santayana’s famous quote from Reason in Common Sense. “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.”