Friday’s ad is for another French brewery, Biere St. Nicolas De Port, which minus biere is a commune in the Lorraine region of northeast France. The ad is by Marcellin Auzolle, who’s done a number of French beer ads. It’s also oddly cocky.
Beer In Ads #201: Biere Du Fort-Carre
Thursday’s ad is for the French brewery, Brasserie du Fort Carré from Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne. The ad is the third one we’ve featured by Leonetto Cappiello, the Italian illustrator considered to be the father of modern advertising.
Beer In Ads #200: Vote For Mr. Pilsener
Wednesday’s ad is from 1960 for Labatt’s of Canada, which must have been election year there, too. I love Labatt’s little old German brewer persona. I’d vote for that guy. And what a great tagline: “Vote For Mr. Pilsener, The Friend of the People, and leader of the Labatt’s Pilsener Party.” Hilarious. “3 Cheers” indeed.
Beer In Ads #199: The Moritz Elephant
Tuesday’s ad is for a Spanish beer, Moritz. The Barcelona brewery was founded in 1856 and closed in 1978, but remaining family members started up the brand again a few years ago, contracting the brewing. This ad is from the first half of the last century, and I particularly love the laughing elephant with his mug of beer.
Beer In Ads #198: Biere La Lorraine
Monday’s ad is for a French beer, presumably from the Lorraine area. I love the giant mugs, showing they offer both kinds of beer, light and dark. And the server must be one of the strongest people in the world, despite looking somewhat frail. Impressive.
Guinness Ad #35: Kangaroo Switcheroo
Our 35th Guinness poster by John Gilroy features a kangaroo who’s taken the zookeeper’s Guinness and put it in her pouch, replacing it with her Joey in his apron. The tagline is “My Goodness, My Guinness.”
And here’s a second version of the ad in blue. The kangaroo is more detailed and looks friendlier, and there are a few other small differences, but it’s otherwise the same.
Beer In Ads #197: Carling Black Label, People Like It
Friday’s ad is for Carling Black Label from 1962. “People Like It” appears to be part of a campaign from the time period, using similar layouts. The first has a bowl of corn chips.
The second has a similar layout, but has a bowl of peanuts instead. And both still reference the iconic “mabel, Black Label.”
Beer In Ads #196: Ballantine Bowling
Thursday’s ad is for Ballantine Ales from 1953. It’s set on a rooftop bowling alley. It reminds me of the book from a few years ago, Bowling Alone, about how society’s more fractured now and has lost its sense of community. The bowlers in the ad certainly look like they’re having a good time.
Beer Drinking In The Old Testament
Biblical Archeology Review has an interesting article in their September/October issue entitled Did the Ancient Israelites Drink Beer?. The author makes some of the same points I’ve often made — but with more authority — that because of mistranslations and bias, beer is mostly absent from the Bible despite the fact that it’s everywhere else in mankind’s early history. The article’s takeaway is a resounding yes, they did drink beer, and lots of it. Not surprising, but great to see that fact getting more scholarly attention.
Beer In Ads #195: Redhook Postcard
Wednesday’s ad is for Redhook, when they were still brewing in Seattle, Washington. I’ve always loved the old-time postcard art showing the original brewery on Phinney Avenue. The building now houses a chocolate company and is across the street from Brouwer’s Belgian Cafe.
