Thursday’s ad is the third in our series of ads for Lucky Lager, brewed in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. This ad shows the “age-dated beer” being enjoyed in a wooded setting by someone dressed as a lumberjack, as far as I can tell. “He cuts down trees, he eats his lunch, he goes to the lavatory ….”
Wednesday’s ad is the second in our series of ads for Lucky Lager, brewed in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. This ad shows the “age-dated beer” being enjoyed on what I’m guessing is a hunting trip in the woods.
Tuesday’s ad is the beginning of a series of ads for Lucky Lager, brewed in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. This ad shows the “age-dated beer” being enjoyed on some sort of ranch in the desert.
Monday’s ad is by well-known pin-up artist George Petty for Atlas Beer. And not just any Atlas Beer, but the one that’s a “Special Brew” with “Every Bottle Certified.” Curiously, after listing the benefits of beer, they suggest that you “Don’t Drink Home Brew.”
Our 115th Guinness ad is a variation on an earlier zoo ad. This one is vertical, and omits some of the detail of the horizontal original, showing just the bear, who’s climbed up a pole with the zookeeper’s Guinness so he can drink it undisturbed. I love he look on his face, which seems to be saying, “forget it bub, you’re not getting this back.” The hapless zookeeper waves his lunch trying to persuade the bear to give up his beer, but I don’t think he’s going to get back his Guinness. The ad originally ran full-page in the Illustrated London Times in November of 1944.
Friday’s ad is for the Czech Budweiser, Budejovice, cheekily advertsing themselves as the “Imported Original Budweiser Beer.” I don’t know exactly when this ad is from, but it’s a safe bet it’s before A-B’s legal muscle was finely honed as it later became. But I do so love these old illustrations of industrial grandness.
Thursday’s ad is for Bud Light from 1988, during the Spuds McKenzie days. I never a big fan of Spuds, a booze hound, womanizing anthropomorphized pup. He debuted during the 1997 Super Bowl, a couple of years after Pete’s Wicked Ale started out with their dog Millie on their label. He was also a Bull Terrier, like Spuds McKenzie. To make maters worse, even though Pete’s use of his own dog on the label preceded Bud Light using a similar dog, they threatened legal action and, as they say, the big dog always wins. It’s never a fair fight. Pete changed their label and Spuds went on to become an advertising legend. After all, “he’s the guru of good times.”
Wednesday’s ad is for a German pilsner, Becker, advertising in France. I have no idea when the ad is from, though 1970s is my guess based on the hat, the hair and the overt sexual overtones. It’s not exactly subtle. The ad copy, “Bière allemande de luxe,” translates as “German Luxury Beer.”
Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser from presumably the late 1800s. The well-dressed woman holding a beer surrounded by flowers, or a garden, or something like that was a staple of beer advertising in that era. That’s some red dress.
Monday’s ad is for Ballantine Ale from 1947. It’s part of the series they did in the forties where they used dioramas and odd-looking clay figures in various settings. This one shows a group of 19th century dandies playing croquet in an idyllic park-like setting, most likely some rich estate.
