Friday’s ad is the last bicentennial ad for Schaefer beer in the series. This one uses the ad copy. “In the early 1800s beers were dark, and people hid them in leather steins. Then, in 1842, Schaefer introduced a beer worth looking at.” This one also doesn’t try to make them sound 200 years old. And it does feature another beautiful drinking vessel — although I’m not fond of that leather one — and yet more impossibly perfect foam.
This week has inadvertently turned into Schaefer Week, with Thursday’s ad being yet another bicentennial ad for Schaefer beer. This one uses the ad copy. “1842. It Was A Very Good Year For Beer Drinkers.” At least this one doesn’t try to make them sound 200 years old. But it does feature another beautiful drinking vessel and more impossibly perfect foam.
Wednesday’s ad is another (I think) bicentennial ad for Schaefer beer. This one uses the ad copy. “After a while, it’s easy to brew a beer as good as Schaefer. The first 200 years are the hardest.” Again, this would have been when Schafer was around 134 years old, not terribly close to 200 years, but the ad was aimed at America’s 200th birthday. In this one there’s another cool-looking stein, but the foam on that glass looks pretty fake. With the handle on the mug, if you use your imagination it looks like an elephant or I suppose you could say it looks a bit phallic.
Tuesday’s ad is odd, at least as far as the ad copy. It’s for Schaefer beer with the following ad copy. “We’ve been practicing the art of brewing beer for almost 200 years. And practice makes perfect.” Which sounds good, right? Except that Schaefer was founded in 1842. I just bought a book celebrating their 100th anniversary in 1942. While I’m not absolutely certain, I believe this ad was from around America’s bicentennial in 1976, which would have made Schaefer 134 years old. Maybe it’s my lack of number sense, but that doesn’t seem like “almost” 200 years old, not even close. I’d say you’d have to be at least 151 to claim that, which would not have been until 1993. But that beer glass and mug are beautiful.
Monday’s ad is particularly cool. The ad is for Schaefer’s Bock Beer, released in 1941 on March 12th — today’s date — with “supply limited.” The ad features a goat holding a glass of bock while reading a newspaper, the “Bock Times.” I think he’s winking at me.
Our 110th Guinness ad is from 1935, a variation on the seal and zookeeper theme, this horizontal ad featured the zookeeper in hot pursuit of a thieving seal, trying to make off with his pint of Guinness. The ad uses the familar “My Goodness, My Guinness” tagline.
Friday’s ad is for English brewery, H. & G. Simonds, Ltd. of Reading. I’m not sure of the age, but presumably it’s from the late 19th century when these great industrial portraits of breweries were so common. I love these pro-industrial love letters. A collection of them would make a great coffee table book.
Thursday’s ad is New York’s Knickerbocker Beer, from Jacob Ruppert Brewing. The ad’s from 1952, and I can’t understand why the New York Knicks don’t wear uniforms like the Knickerbocker (who they were named for) in the ad? It’s a mystery.
Wednesday’s ad is Rainier Beer, from the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co. Like the other Rainier ad I’ve featured, For Pure Drink, it’s from the early years of the 20th century, probably in the first decade. It’s a simple ad showing a beautiful woman holding up a dainty glass of beer while leaning on a giant bottle of Rainier. And I love the message, which would be illegal in a beer ad today; “There’s New Vigor and Strength in Every Drop.”
Tuesday’s ad is for New York’s Rheingold Beer, featuring two celebrities in the 1960 ad. The celebrities are a famous couple: Geoffrey Holder and Carmen De Lavallade. You probably know Holder, even if you’re not familiar with his name, especially if you’re a James Bond fan. He was originally from Trinidad and played Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die. He’s the one with that great booming voice, which he used years later in a series of ads for 7Up. It was the “Uncola” series and his booming laugh ended each ad and had such memorable phrases as “crisp and clean, no caffeine” and “never had it, never will.” His wife, Carmen De Lavallade, was a famous dancer and in fact they met working on a broadway musical, the House of Flowers. This ad was done when they were both locally famous and just getting started with their careers. The setting seems to be a theater, as you can see the lights in the ceiling behind them. And I’ve played in enough musicals to recognize the object in the lower right, which is a pit orchestra stand to hold your music, with a small light to shine on the music so you can still see it when the stage is dark. And I love the tagline: “Extra refreshing because it’s Extra Dry!”
