While perusing BuzzFeeds’ 100 Best Signs At The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear, at #99 the photo features the “Good People Vote” signs from Flying Dog Brewing being held up at the Rally To Restore Sanity over the weekend. Since today is Election Day here in the U.S., this is a great message. So go vote. After that “Then Drink Good Beer!” Now that’s good advice.
Monday we feature the fifth baseball-themed add, which will continue through the World Series. The ad is for Baltimore’s National Bohemian and specifically National Premium Beer. It’s hard to tell when the ad is from, because it shows a lot of old baseball memorabilia for the Baltimore Orioles. It’s at least after my childhood favorite player, Brooks Robinson, started playing — and that was 1955. Though it seems more likely it was after he became a legendary player, and I can’t say exactly when that happened. The tagline for the ad reads. “National Premium Beer. Our Name Says It. Our Taste Proves It.” After that, it’s all about the Orioles, which was my favorite baseball team growing up.
And I just pulled out the box of baseball cards that my mother didn’t manage to throw away and found my Brooks Robinson baseball card from the 1970 season, forty years ago.
Most of the details about today’s work of art are unknown to me, but despite that it still was too good not to feature. All I know is that it depicts an immigrant family, originally from the Netherlands, living in Baltimore, Maryland and was painted by the father of the family shown in the painting.
It apparently hangs in the museum of the Maryland Historical Society. Unfortunately, I can find no information about it on their website. They appear to have quite a few paintings online, but not knowing the artist or the title of the painting makes it a bit more difficult to find. I don’t even know when it was painted, but I’m guessing the late 1800s or the very early part of the 20th century.
Most of the adults have a beer in their hand. I count a total of nine glasses of beer. The couple in the center foreground look sickly, almost pale enough to be considered zombies. But it’s still a very compelling painting. If anyone has any actual details about the painting, please do let me know.
Tuesday’s ad is a maritime ad complete with the signal flags ships use to communicate with one another. The ad is from 1960 and is for National Brewing, from Baltimore. Did you know the Chesapeake Bay area is the “Land of Pleasant Living?” Me neither. I also love the unusual glass, no doubt chosen so we could see more of the poster of flags through it. The bottom stem looks a bit like an upside down bottle neck, doesn’t it?
Thursday’s ad is for Baltimore’s National Bohemian. There’s not much info about the ad, though I’m guessing based on the indistinct background that it’s more late-50s to early 60s. I love the cartoony bartender (The Natty Boh mascot Mr. Boh, from the 1950s to the present) with the clean, empty bar showing the slide down to the unseen patron at the end of the bar.
Today’s ad is more modern, because it’s Thanksgiving Day and I wanted to use one that was done for the holiday. This juicy turkey ad was for National Premium Beer, subtitled a “Pale Dry Beer,” and brewed by National Brewing of Baltimore, Maryland from 1936-1995. While accounts of the brewery’s origin vary from around 1850, 1855 or 1872 (and under several different names), after Prohibition ended, it returned as National Brewing with its most famous beer being National Bohemian, or “Natty Boh,” which today is owned by Pabst and brewed by Miller. This ad is for their premium beer, and is from the 1950s. Hoppy Thanksgiving.
Ah, to be in Baltimore in the fall. The sound of pirates, the taste of beer and the sizzling goodness of bacon. That has all the makings of a wonderfully wacky and enjoyable event. Clipper City Brewing has just announced the 1st annual Heavy Seas Beer & Bacon Festival — Pyrates, Pigs and Pints. It will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the brewery in Baltimore. If you don’t recognize the significance of September 19, it’s Talk Like A Pirate Day.
From the press release:
Clipper City Brewing Company, brewers of the Heavy Seas brand, is a proud supporter of National Talk Like A Pirate Day and a true fan of bacon the world over. In the hopes that all those aspiring pirates will join them in the celebration of this heritage, the brewers have banded together to create the 1st Annual Beer & Bacon Festival on September 19th from Noon – 4pm. Tickets are limited to the first 350 who sign on board and the day will be filled with over 15 types of bacon from all over the world to sample, ten beers to sample, the bacon explosion, live music from Dirty Secret and even HUMAN BACON — walking around. Many of Baltimore finest restaurants, bars and foodie haunts will be on hand including: Alonso’s, Bad Decisions, Ciao Bella, Crazy Lil’s, Abercrombie, Captain Thom, Marsh’s Chili, Whisky Island Spices, Pussy Kat Punters, Sweet Kascade’s, Kooper’s, Slainte, and many more.
It includes a bacon tasting! Now that’s a great idea. I need to attend more bacon tastings.
