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Secrets Of Nature: Brewster’s Magic

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Here’s an interesting old video from 1933. It’s from the British Pathe Archives, from the “Secrets of Nature” series entitled Brewster’s Magic. It was a British Instructional Film, photographed by F. Percy Smith, with Editing and Commentary by Mary Field and “Musical setting” by W. Hodgson.

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The 8-minute black and white film shows time lapse photography of hops and barley growing plus microscopic images, as well. Here’s how they describe the film:

Hand pump being pulled in a pub. Hop root. The eyes are pointed out with a pencil. Time lapse photography of a hop shoot growing. C/U of the claws on the stem of the plant. Plant grows. The claws help the hop plant to twist its way around a smooth surface. Hop flowers growing on a male hop plant. Female hop plant produces flowers. We see them grow through time lapse. Comment on the voiceover about flowers being disappointed spinsters as they will not be fertilised. The flowers continue to grow. C/U of the sticky substance that grows on the petals. Lupelin (sp?) highly magnified. This is the substance that gives flavour and aroma to beer.

Hop garden. Barley ripening in the fields. C/U of barley submerged in water. Time lapse of the barley absorbing water. Barley puts out shoots in time lapse. The maltster turns them upside down to stop them from growing too quickly. Water supply is cut off and the barley withers. Graphic representation of the barley shoot. Animation. Maltster kills the barley grain when it has produced digestive fluid but not had time to use it. Grains are mashed up in hot water to make malt. Men roll barrels along in courtyard of brewery. C/U of yeast cells under a microscope beside a human hair. Moving yeast cells. Cells separate. Fermentation. Diagram of a molecule of sugar. Animated letters. Solution under the microscope. Bubbles are formed.

A pint of beer is pulled in a pub. Shot of man in flat cap drinking beer from a pewter tankard.

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It’s a cool time capsule and definitely worth checking out.

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My only quibble is that despite it being almost 80 years old, Pathe still asserts copyright on it. Which is fine, in and of itself, even if I generally disagree with how long copyrights now tend to run. But for some reason, they think it’s reasonable to charge you a whopping £50 ($77) to buy the 8-minute video, and that’s just for a download of it — no DVD or case or artwork, though they graciously will allow you to burn it to your own DVD. How thoughtful. Anyway, as a result, it can’t be embedded and viewed here. Fortunately, you can at least watch it at the Pathe website. Enjoy.

Also, there appear to be a wealth additional historic videos on both beer and hops that look like you could lose an entire day exploring.

Beer In Ads #620: The Brew’s On View

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Friday’s ad is for British Columbia’s O’Keefe’s Brewery, from 1960, when they apparently opened their new “plant.” I know it shouldn’t, but I’m always suspect of any company that refers to its brewery as a “plant.” To me, it suggests a lack of passion for the beer itself, instead placing more emphasis on the business aspects of the endeavor. I do, however, love the shiny illustration of the new brewery and the sign for their Old Vienna Lager Beer.

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Beer In Ads #617: Don’t Cry Over Spilled Beer

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Tuesday’s ad is for Franz Falk Brewing Co., a Wisconsin brewery which was only around for a short time, from 1856 to 1892 — 36 years. I don’t know for sure, but it looks to me to be from the latter half of the 19th century. I’m not sure why anyone would entrust a couple of beer bottles and glasses on a tray to a young girl, but she certainly knows she’s not supposed to drop them. I can’t tell if she’s so upset because one of them is about to break or she knows she’s going to get a whoopin’ when her father finds out.

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Beer In Ads #616: The Beer With The Friendly Flavor

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Monday’s ad is another one from the 1950s, again for the Canadian beer Dow Ale. I love how in the fifties everybody dressed up to watch television, lounging at home in a suit and tie or party dress. What is it about the 50s where so many products claimed to be “friendly” in their advertising? For this one, it’s “the beer with the Friendly Flavor.” I love that.

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Beer In Ads #614: For Cooling Refreshment … Look Into Crystal

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Thursday’s ad is from the 1950s, for the Canadian brand Labatt’s Crystal Lager Beer. The crystal ball shows a male fantasy of how we should be rewarded after mowing the lawn on a warm summer day. Basically, it’s sitting in an easy chair, smoking a cigarette while watching baseball on television, as the missus serves his every whim with a smile on her face. I don’t need a crystal ball that’s not going to really happen.

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Beer In Ads #613: Ice Gave All 48 States A Seashore …

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Wednesday’s ad is from 1948, for Budweiser, and uses the seemingly inscrutable slogan “Ice Gave All 48 States a Seashore …” as part of their “Great Contributions to Good Taste” series. The idea is that thanks to ice, along with refrigeration and fast transportation, seafood can be sold anywhere in America. And then it can be paired with Budweiser, since “It lives with good taste everywhere,” whatever that means.

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