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Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #1640: I’ve Got PBR On My Mind

August 6, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from who knows when. Not a clue when this was created, or how it was used — was it a poster, a more artistic ad or not created by Pabst at all? Not a clue, but it’s too cool to ignore despite known almost nothing about it.

Pabst-on-my-mind

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1616: Only When It’s Pabst

July 14, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Tuesday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1913. Showing a woman almost completely covered by a head scarf, and wearing what looks to be a raincoat or overcoat, the tagline “Only When It’s Pabst” seems inscrutable. What does that even mean? She’s also wearing leather gloves holding her glass of beer. My guess is that it was meant to represent a driving outfit for one of those new fangled horseless carriages.

Pabst-1913-scarf

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1614: For That Smoother Taste —

July 12, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Sunday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1950. Featuring actor William Bendix, who did mostly character roles but also played the Babe in The Babe Ruth Story, it shows him relaxing in his den, pipe in one hand and a mug of beer in the other. Pabst must have been a sponsor of his radio show at the time, “The Life of Riley.” Bendix tended to play everyday guys, blue collar toughs with street smarts, masculine men, so that may be what Pabst was trying to associate themselves with, especially in that setting with its leather chair, and other manly accouterments.

pabst-1950-william-bendix

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1609: Where The Smart World Sets The Pace

July 7, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Tuesday’s ad is another one for Pabst, this one from 1939. The ads shows six fancy settings where the rich and famous enjoy their beer. This also looks as if the individual photos were used in individual ads at one time, and this one just used them all together. I love the tagline that used a couple of times here: “For Keener Refreshment ….” That’s certainly what I want in my beer, for it to be more keen than the other beer.

Pabst-1939-keener

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1608: Hello, Operator

July 6, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Monday’s ad is for Pabst, from between 1900 and 1910. It looks like it’s probably two ads, or more likely two advertising postcards, though they definitely seem related and work as a pair. On the right, a woman is presumably ordering beer, and on the left a young man — sporting a dandy pink tie and a shirt with puffy sleeves — is taking her order. The boxes behind him suggest six different Pabst products: Hofbrau, Export Beer, Select, Bavarian, Bohemian and The Best Tonic.

Pabst-1900-1910-phone

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1600: Best Of The Better Beers

June 28, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Sunday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1933. It’s a simple post-prohibition ad showing an older, respectable-looking man pouring himself a beer. He doesn’t immediately seem like the sort of person who smiles a lot, but pouring his Pabst, he does seem happy.

pabst-1933

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1527: The Invalid

April 16, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s ad is another one for Pabst, from 1897. The Invalid in the title refers to those not drinking Pabst, with its “tonic” qualities where “it lifts, strengthens, builds, is vivifying, life-giving, gives vim and bounce — it braces.”

Pabst-1897-invalid

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1526: What’ll You Have For Bridge Night

April 15, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Wednesday’s ad is for Pabst, from 1951. Apparently playing bridge with another couple used to be huge, but it didn’t reach my generation. My parents occasionally had people over to play Pinochle, but never bridge as far as I know. So I don’t even know if that’s a good hand.

Pabst-1951-poker

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1471: Drink The Famous Bock Beer

February 19, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s ad is for Pabst, from 1897. In honor of the Chinese New Year, and more specifically because it’s the year of the goat, this ad is for the Bock Beer made by the Pabst Zythepsary. Zythepsary, by the way, is an archaic word for brewery. Happy New Year.

Pabst-bock-1897

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pabst

Beer In Ads #1425: For You Armchair Quarterbacks

January 4, 2015 By Jay Brooks


Sunday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1947. Featuring singer and comedian Eddie Cantor dressed up in a football uniform, watching the game on to modern eyes is a very tiny television screen. There’s also a small table holding a bottle and a glass of beer. The tagline, “For You Armchair Quarterbacks,” forever linked drinking beer while watching football on TV.

Pabst-1947-QB

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, Football, History, Pabst, Sports

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