Monday’s ad is for Carling Black Label, from 1948. The ad is in French for the Canadian market and boasts that Carling is Canada’s most popular lager. But there’s no translation for “Mabel, Black Label!” But I’m still not sure why they’re playing tic-tac-toe on the tablecloth.
Friday’s ad is for Narragansett, from 1961. After the tragedy in Boston and the swift capture/killing of the perpetrators last night and today, I thought an ad with the Red Sox was in order. This one shows Boston’s schedule for the 1961 season, and shows a cask of the Rhode Island beer emblazoned with the tagline “Straight from-the-Barrel Taste.” It’s hard to believe that was what they were going for in 1961, or that people would respond to such a claim.
Thursday’s ad is for Molson, from 1957. Although I don’t speak (or read) French, I only know it says something along the lines of “Molson, a full table” thanks to Google translate, though I’m confident there’s some idiomatic translation that’s more poetic.
Today’s infographic shows Five Centuries of Beer in Colombia, created by Pulpo. I suspect that if I knew Spanish it would even be cooler.
Click here to see the infographic full size.
Wednesday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1947. Part of a series of ads Pabst did around that time, all showing an illustration inside of a big blue ribbon. This one shows a fisherman pulling out some cans of Pabst that he’d been cooling in the river while he fished.
Tuesday’s ad is for Blatz beer, from 1944. Trying to stay classy, the show their rather plain-looking beer bottle on a silver tray with a bouquet of flowers behind it. I”m not sure it works. According to the ad copy, Blatz is “Never sharp … never bitter … always mellow.”
Monday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from either the late 1950s or early sixties. It’s during the phase when all of Miller’s ads showed this Spartan, minimalist decor, like sets built by kids using Dad’s barn. Despite the weird looking South Pacific artwork, apparently it actually came from Carlebach Gallery in New York. But my favorite part of the ad is their characterization of California. “In colorful California … a land noted for its charm and gracious hospitality….” This is also one of the few ads I can remember seeing a half empty beer bottle; almost always it’s either full or empty.
Friday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1947. In the background the three Ballantine rings are being used to play horseshoes, while in the foreground a man who’s a dead ringer for Will Rogers in a bow tie is reaching out for a beer. The tagline, “I’ll take Ballantine Ale,” neatly works as both slogan and as a description of what’s going on in the ad.
Thursday’s ad is also for Budweiser, from 1956. Anheuser-Busch did a few of these ads, with a scene shown through a glass of beer. This one appears to be a musical rehearsal or party where the attendees are singing a lot. It uses the “Where there’s Life … there’s Budweiser” slogan that was popular in the Fifties, but I love the tagline at the bottom best of all. “Treat Yourself A Little Better….”
The BBC’s News Magazine has an interesting article, US Craft Beer: How It Inspired British Brewers, that gives an overview of the rise of craft beer in America. Despite moving New Albion Brewing from Sonoma to San Francisco, the article does get most of the history reasonably right. And it’s also nice seeing my friend Melissa Cole quoted.
But the article doesn’t really deliver on the title, which I don’t mean as a criticism per se. It’s just that it’s more about craft beer becoming “fashionable,” trendy even in Great Britain than about British brewers being inspired by our beer. Certainly some are, and by everything I’ve seen and heard, it’s happening more and more, but I’ve also talked to British brewers who are convinced that UK consumers don’t want our hoppy or extreme beers. Yet when I was at GBBF a few years ago, the American brewers section was crowded all day long for the entirety of the festival. And when I accompanied Matt Brynildson to Marston’s in Burton-on-Trent to brew a collaboration beer for the J.D. Wetherspoon chain, the brewer — a terrifically nice person — refused to put in as many hops as Brynildson’s recipe called for, and he ended up having to adjust it. Even so, it proved to be one of the most popular beers at J.D. Wetherspoon’s festival that year. So I think that British beer drinkers are more interested in American-style beers than their brewers tend to believe is the case. At least that’s my anecdotal take, anyway.
Matt Brynildson and Melissa Cole at a J.D. Wetherspoon pub in London.