Wednesday’s ad is for Ruppert Knickerbocker Beer, from 1947. Ah, what innocence … a time when yelling “Boy!” was considered acceptable. He looks more like a milk delivery person, but I assume it’s meant to be at a baseball game, meaning it’s also odd that they’re showing glass bottles. I also love that slogan. “Slow Aged for Finer Flavor.” As opposed to fast aging?
Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from the 1951. Showing a couple wearing near-matching outfits, and certainly the exact same apron, with the man having constructed a gadget to do as little work as possible while the meat on the grill cooks. Check out his socks, and the white bucks. They never quite explain what the “Something more than Beer” might be, but apparently it’s “The Companion of Contentment.”
Join us this Thursday for what’s shaping up to be a fun evening of Hops and History at the former U.S. Mint building in San Francisco. The event is being put on by Flipside, a San Francisco History Events Group, in conjunction with the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. The Society is currently “undertaking the restoration of San Francisco’s landmark Old Mint to house the future San Francisco Museum at the Mint,” and in the meantime is using the space to hold local history-themed events. Flipside worked with the San Francisco Brewers Guild — and I helped a little bit — but especially SF Brewers Guild executive director Brian Stechschulte to create an evening that includes a program of talks about the history of beer in the city, and also includes a gallery showing of San Francisco breweriana on loan from my friend Ken Harootunian, along with some pieces from Anchor Brewing. Here’s what will be going on during the event, which takes place from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30:
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at eventbrite. Here’s what your ticket includes:
Join us Thursday for Hops & History. See you then.
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from the 1955. It’s one of their “Know the real joy of good living …” series of ads, shows a couple at the beach, though they don’t actually look anywhere near sand or a spot where they could get onto the water. All I see are high, rocky cliffs. Maybe that’s why, despite the towel around his neck, they’re both bone dry.
Friday’s ad is for Hampden Mild Ale, from the 1950s. Hamden Brewery was located in Massachusetts. I’m not sure that troubadour singing “Enjoy Yourself, Enjoy Yourself” from atop a beer barrel would make anyone want to drink their beer, but who knows. The tagline at the bottom is pretty interesting. “The First Truly Mild Ale in America.” I wonder who true that was?
Thursday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1950. It’s a funny little poem about Aladdin — though the illustration might be controversial today — where the bartender is the genie in the lamp.
Aladdin …
— was a lad in old Bagdad
He had a lot of luck
with a lamp he had
He rubbed that lamp—
a man came flyin’
and served him up some Ballantine.
You can steal Aladdin’s tricks
Lamp or no lamp this one clicks
Wednesday’s ad is another one for Schafer, this one from 1973. It shows just one grand glass of beer in a mug on a bed of ice, , with a can of Schafer beer next to it. Just like yesterday’s ad the foam looks just a little unnatural to me. Too perfect. And maybe this says more about me than the ad, but it seems a little phalic, or at least some sort of foam comb-over.
Today’s infographic is a poster showing major milestones in the History of Beer, created by the Black Sheep Brewery in Great Britain.
Click here to see the poster full size.
Tuesday’s ad is for Schafer, from 1970. It shows two grand glasses of beer in mugs on a Schaefer tray, although the foam looks just a little unnatural to me. Too perfect. And while I understnd the tagline “Every glass of Schaefer tastes the same,” I’m not as sure about the follow-up “that’s what makes it different.” That was pretty much he goal of every brewery.
Monday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1950. It’s one of Pabst’s “What’ll You Have” ads, but featuring a sports celebrity, George Mikan. In post-war America, Mikan was known as “Mr. Basketball” and was the Lakers’ center when they still played in a state with lots of lakes. He’s considered a pioneer of modern basketball, and retired as the all-time leading scorer. The NBA actually altered the rules of the game to reduce his dominance and he was directly responsible for the three-point line was and partially for the shot clock. And apparently he drank Pabst.
