Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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The Secret History Of Alcohol?

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conspiracy
I’m not quite sure what to make of this conspiracy theory, sent in by a friend and loyal reader (thanks Jeff). While I’m a natural skeptic, I do think at least parts of many conspiracy theories contain a grain of truth. But here’s one I’ve never encountered, and I’ve read a bit about Prohibition.

According to Hidden History, and specifically Rockefeller, Ford and the Secret History of Alcohol, at least part of the reason prohibition was successful had to do with business and money — are you shocked or surprised? — and a desire to eliminate the competition. To wit:

John D. Rockefeller, under the ruse of Christian temperance, gave 4 million dollars to a group of old ladies and told them to fight for Prohibition (they successfully used the money to buy off Congress). Why? Rockefeller owned Standard Oil, the main company pushing gas as an alternative fuel to alcohol.

Essentially, it killed ethanol as an alternative fuel, which has only been talked about again recently, at least in the mainstream media.

rockefeller

How true is this account? Beats me, but it’s got plenty of ancillary links to explore, such as this interesting one, Hydrocarbons versus carbohydrates: the continuing battle in the United States, at Before the Well Runs Dry. Who knows, but it’s fun to speculate.

Beer In Ads #143: Schlitz, That’s What I Call Real Beer

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Monday’s ad is for Schlitz and will likely make anyone from CAMRA do a double take. Because the ad’s slogan is “That what I call real beer … no wonder it made Milwaukee famous.” But I don’t think most real ale or cask-conditioned fans are likely to agree. I’m not sure when the ads is from exactly, but given the scene I’d have to guess late 1940s or early fifties.

Schlitz-real_beer

Beer In Ads #141: Pabst Smiling Waiter

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Thursday’s ad is again for Pabst, from 1940. It’s one of a series from around that time period that were all inside of a blue ribbon. I love the slogan at the bottom: “It’s Blended … It’s Splendid!” The opening tagline is priceless, too. “Order it with Confidence … Serve it with Pride.” I love that smirk on the waiter. But how about the elaborate sandwich — 4 fancy toothpicks! And why is there no beer glass on that tray, just the bottle?

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Beer In Ads #140: Rheingold’s 10 Minute Head

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Wednesday’s ad is for Rheingold from 1969 and uses baseball and the signs of a good player, showing a few of the qualities one might look for in a good ballplayer. Then it applies the same idea to beer, saying “Look for the sign of a great beer! The Rheingold 10 minute head.” Look at that mug, it’s all head. A generous head, yes, but one that takes 10 minutes to subside (which is my presumption as to what they mean) seems like suspect advice to me. Two fingers is pretty much ideal for most beers, but more than that and you’ll lose too much carbonation and flavors, and Rheingold at that time probably didn’t have much to spare.

Rheingold-baseball-1969

Beer In Ads #139: Pabst Pick O’ The Picnic

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Tuesday’s ad is for Pabst, from 1947. It’s one of a series from around that time period that were all inside of a blue ribbon. I love the slogan at the bottom: “It’s Blended … It’s Splendid!” Also, check out the expression on the guy’s face as he’s about to bit into that fried chicken leg. Is it the beer he’s leering at, or could it be the gal in the tight red dress? Take a look. What do you think he’s looking at?

PBR-1947-picnic

Beer In Ads #138: Budweiser’s Do It Yourself Wallpaper

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Monday’s ad is presumably supposed to be funny in that time when most women were housewives incapable of much else, and certainly putting up wallpaper was beyond their expertise. She has that “I guess I can’t do it” look on her face, but I’m sure the beer will make it all better. It’s from 1958. In my household the opposite is true. I’m all thumbs but my wife is the handy one.

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Beer In Ads #137: Anheuser-Busch’s Custer’s Last Fight

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Friday’s ad is the oldest piece of American breweriana known to exist. It was a poster created by Anheuser-Busch, who commissioned the original painting, Custer’s Last Fight, which was painted by Cassilly Adams in 1884. A lithograph was then prepared by F. Otto Becker in 1889. It was distributed as an advertising poster by Anheuser-Busch. It has since become one of the “most famous views of of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, referred by Indians as the Battle of Greasy Grass.”

Today is the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Little Bighorn, which has become famous as Custer’s Last Stand. It began on June 25, 1876 and ended the following day.

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According to one history website, Indian Wars — Wyoming Tales and Trails, “it is, however, best charitably described as fanciful. The Indians’ attire is in error; Custer’s hair is in error, he had it closely shorn before leaving Ft. Abraham Lincoln; he is wearing a red scarf; and, perhaps most importantly, the battle is being fought on the wrong side of the river.”

Cassily_custers-last-fight

As possibly the very first piece of breweriana, an original will set you back a pretty penny, at least from $1,699 to $2,250. One of the eBay sellers includes the following information about the lithograph:

Measures approx. 32 ” X 42″across Great colored lithograph depicting the grisly battle between General Custer’s troops and Indian warriors at Little Big Horn. Custer is featured at center waving a saber and dressed in fringed buckskin. The remaining cavalry officers (except for his brother Tom) are dressed in military uniform. Indians are armed with scalping knives, tomahawks, clubs, spears and rifles. Dead of both parties appear in foreground, with several being identified in the bottom margin as Courier from Sitting Bull, Squaw Killing wounded, Rain In the face and the Sioux Warrior who killed Custer. Custer’s medals and banners are in lower left margin. Mounted Indian poses beside a monument in lower right margin. In the small margin directly under the picture it is marked Entered According To Act Of Congress By Adolphus Busch march 30th 1896 In The office of The Librarian Of Congress At Washington, D.C. In the lower center portion it is marked The Original Painting has been Presented to the Seventh Regiment U.S. Cavalry By Anheuser Busch Brewing Association, St. Louis, Mo. U.S.A.

Beer In Ads #136: Phipps’ Pale Ale

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Thursday’s ad is another old one that shows off the brewery with industrial glee. It’s for a British beer, Phipps’ from Northampton. They’re actually still in business under the name Phipps’ NBC (or Northampton Brewing Co.), having been revived in 2004. There’s a nice detailed history online, too. But it’s a beautiful poster, with both the brewery in the center and the surrounding scrolling, especially the hop vines. It’s like a rectangular coat of arms.

Phipps