Our 62nd Guinness ad again shows the iconic toucan with two pints of Guinness balanced on his beak, and a plate of sandwiches in one claw. The tagline is “My Goodness Have a sandwich!” with “Have a sandwich” essentially replacing “My Guinness,” which is the usual slogan.
Friday’s ad is another baseball-themed ad, this one for National Bohemian. I think it’s fairly contemporary, just retro in design, because isn’t that Camden Yards in the illustration? And that opened in 1992. I’ve only been there once, when GABF went on the road for the first, and only, time several years ago. When I was a kid it was Memorial Stadium. That was the Earl Weaver days when I was a big Orioles fan and saw them play a few times.
This has been one amazing week. During yesterday’s unexpected lunch with craft beer pioneer Jack McAuliffe at Russian River Brewery, Jack invited us to have him show us around the old site of the New Albion Brewery in Sonoma, California. Needless to say, we didn’t have to be asked twice and readily accepted Jack’s kind offer.
We met at high Noon at the Swiss Hotel on Sonoma Square. After a quick lunch and a few pints of beer, our convoy of two cars headed out into the industrial park wilds of Sonoma, with Jack and his friend Pat leading the way. After a few minutes driving, we pulled off the road into a warren of tin buildings with scrap metal in organized heaps, including the recognizable midsections of several jet airplanes. We turned around, parking out on the public road, and Jack went in to ask the landlord — still the same man Jack rented the property from in 1976 — for permission to show us around. He came back a few minutes later, waving us in.
Arriving at the old brewery site.
This is the building where the New Albion Brewery stood over thirty years ago.
Despite its proximity to the entrance, this was not the front of the brewery building, in part because Jack didn’t rent the entire building, just a portion of it.
This was essentially the front of the brewery building.
Jack indicating that this was the front door to the brewery.
Vinnie Cilurzo, from Russian River Brewery, and Jack McAuliffe in front of the old site of his brewery.
Jack McAuliffe showing us around the old site of his New Albion Brewery.
The view of where the brewery building stood from the road.
Jess Kidden has scans from Brewers Digest issues in November 1979 and October 1980 where you can contrast the building today and what it looked like 30+ years ago.
What a wonderful afternoon. Having the opportunity to spend time with the father of the modern microbrewery and have him show us where it all began was just amazing. Seeing the history and hearing Jack reminisce about that time in his life was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Thanks again Jack, and cheers to Vinnie and Natalie for letting me tag along.
Thursday’s ad is a baseball-themed ad, because it’s the start of the 2011 season. The ad is for the F & M Schaefer Brewing Co. of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. But given the Mets sponsorship, I assume it was for the New York location. My grandparents took me to Shea Stadium when I was a kid to see a Mets game. It was actually the first time I ever saw — and played — pong. There was a stand alone coin-operated pong machine by itself on the concrete walkway. Anyway, I was more of an Orioles fan back then — Brooks Robinson was my favorite player — though these days I’m a Giants fan first, and a Phillies fan second.
Quite by accident yesterday I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Jack McAuliffe, founder of New Albion Brewery. I had to meet some new friends from Argentina at Russian River Brewery (more on that later) and when I arrived, I found out that Jack was coming by to have lunch with Russian River owners Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo. I knew Jack was still in California because at CBC last week, where I met him for the first time (more about that later, too), he’d said as much. And I knew Natalie had invited Jack to come by their brewpub, where the original New Albion sign (that I later learned Jack made himself) hung behind the bar in a prominent place, but I didn’t know any of the details.
Vinnie and Natalie with Jack McAuliffe and his friend Pat Crisco.
Vinnie and Natalie generously invited me join them for lunch with Jack and a friend of his, Pat, who he was staying with for the week. We sat below the New Albion sign and talked, drank and ate. For an amateur beer historian, it was nothing short of remarkable. Jack told great stories about his early days in brewing — some can be retold, others perhaps not — but all of them colorful and entertaining. I knew as much of New Albion’s story as had been told, but to hear it from the man who lived it was such a treat, plus Jack added many personal details that I’d never known before which was amazing to hear. Anyway, at some point, Jack pointed up at the old sign and asked Vinnie if he’d like him to sign it. I’m not sure we all believed he’d do it, but we got out the ladder and up he climbed, sharpie between his teeth like a beer pirate.
Jack up on the ladder signing the New Albion sign.
Signing it up close.
Signing the sign.
The finished old sign, now new again with Jack McAuliffe’s signature.
Jack and me at Russian River. What a great afternoon.
UPDATE: During Jack’s visit to Russian River, I met Peter Stetson who does social media for the town of Calistoga, and he also took some photos and captured some video of Jack signing the New Albion sign. Thanks, Peter.
Wednesday’s ad is for a British beer, Red Tower Pilsner Lager from Manchester. The illustration is amazing. I love the details of the tray and all the little things on it. I have no idea when the ad is from, but it must be after 1933, when Walker & Homfray renamed its Royal Brewery for their popular new beer, the Red Tower Lager Brewery Ltd. By 1956, the brewery had been acquired by Scottish & Newcastle, so it seems likely the ad is from between 1933 and 1956.
Tuesday’s ad is for Rheingold beer and looks to be from 1954. It features a smiling Dean Martin holding a glass of Rheingold after, presumably, a hard day on the links. He’s in the clubhouse, with his putter and a wedge next to him. Apparently someone has dropped off a tray with the Rheingold. Obviously, I’m not playing golf in the right places, because I have to fetch my own beer.
After a week on hiatus during the Craft Brewers Conference, Monday’s ad is a Ballantine ad from 1950, and features a snowy scene near the north pole. Three stages of the aurora borealis add the Ballantine rings in glorious shimmering color while an Eskimo looks on, making Ballantine’s three fingers and the “okay” sign with his hand — which signifies “three rings.”
Our 61st Guinness ad shows the iconic toucan with two pints of Guinness and the following poetry:
If he can say as you can
Guinness is good for you
How grand to be a Toucan
Just think what Toucan do
They used that punny language to good effect for many years, and in fact that was why the toucan became one of the most used animals in their advertising.
Earlier today the 2011 Craft Brewers Conference began with the morning program, which ended with a keynote address by Fritz Maytag and Ken Grossman. It was more of a casual talk or reminiscence, with Maytag and Grossman talking about their early days, with both the challenges and joys of those times when their were trying to get their respective breweries off the ground. They sat opposite one another on comfy chairs and talked for just over 30 minutes finishing with a toast using the collaboration imperial stout they did together last year, Fritz & Ken’s Ale.
It was a highly entertaining talk and even quite funny in places. I’d forgotten my Flip camera, but I did manage to record the audio of the talk. The keynote is introduced by Tom McCormick, executive director of the California Small Brewers Association, and then it’s Ken and Fritz for thirty plus minutes. Enjoy.