Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

  • Home
  • About
  • Editorial
  • Birthdays
  • Art & Beer

Socialize

  • Dribbble
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Powered by Genesis

Ukrainian Brewery Releases Trump Beer

May 19, 2017 By Jay Brooks

pravda
Just in time for Trump’s first visit to foreign countries as President of the U.S., a Ukrainian brewery, Pravda Beer Theatre, has just announced the release of a new beer, a 7.2% a.b.v. beer called “Trump.” On the website, it’s initially referred to as a “blonde” although on the label it’s listed as an “Imperial Mexican Lager.” Here’s the description from the brewery’s website:

trump-beer_shoptrump-beer-description

And here’s the label, where Trump is said to be the President of the Divided States of America:

pravda_trump_beer

From what I can tell about their portfolio of beers, they like to have a bit of fun with both their beer and the labels for them. This may be their first political beer, but it doesn’t appear to be their last, as several more are listed as “Upcoming” or “Maybe in Future.” UPDATE: I’ve heard from brewmaster Cory McGuinness, who wrote to me to let me know that in fact all four of their political series beers are, in fact, available now. Apparently, with English being not their first language, the English-language portion of the website has not been updated recently.

So the first beer in their politicam series is Frau Ribbentrop, a 4.5% Belgian Wit featuring German chancellor Angela Merkel:

pravda_lviv_frau_merkel

And then there’s Obama Hope, a 7.2% stout, featuring former U.S. president Barack Obama:

pravda_obama-1

And finally, the brewery has released Putin Huilo, an 8% Dry-Hopped Golden Ale, featuring Russian president Vladimir Putin.

pravda_putin_huilo

Does anyone want to bet that Trump will be most upset about this because Putin’s beer is stronger than his?

Filed Under: Beers, Just For Fun, News, Politics & Law, Related Pleasures Tagged With: Humor, Politics, Ukraine

Beer In Ads #2088: When Gentlemen Agree …

November 8, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Tuesday’s election ad is for Budweiser, from 1965. In this ad, with the headline “When Gentlemen Agree …,” the elephant and the donkey appear happy and sharing a beer. This is when Johnson was president and shortly before we elected Nixon. I sure hope both sides of this year’s election can share a beer and appear so happy, and soon.

Bud-1950s-when-gents-agree

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

Beer In Ads #2087: Let’s Get Together

November 7, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Monday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1952. In this ad, with the headline “Let’s Get Together,” and showing an angry elephant with his hands folded, and an equally angry donkey, both sitting on what seems to be a giant block of ice. I assume they’re waiting for hell to freeze over? The ad seems to be somewhat echoing our election tomorrow, 64 years after it first appeared. With only one more day to go until “E-Day” tomorrow, please make sure you to do exercise your right and make your vote count. Seriously, let’s get together on this.

Bud-1952-letsgettogether

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

Beer In Ads #2086: People’s Choice … Then And Now

November 6, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Sunday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1952. In this ad, with the headline “People’s Choice … Then And Now,” and showing an illustration of an election in 1852 (100 years before the ad originally ran). The gist of the ad is nostalgia for a simpler time when politics was something that was hard fought, but then you moved on and had a beer. The text, “When all the shouting is over, folks will go right on voting for Budweiser,” is something I wish we can still do (apart for the brand choice, of course). With only two days to go until “E-Day,” please make sure you to do exercise your right and make your vote count. Then go fight on voting for beer with flavor.

Bud-1952-peoples-choice

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

Beer In Ads #2084: Go All The Way

November 4, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Friday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1971. In this ad, Ed McMahon is asking you to Pick-A-Pair, or threatening you that if you don’t he’ll start tap-dancing … with his twin brother. Please don’t let that happen. So which pair will you pick? With only four days to go until “E-Day,” please make sure you to do exercise your right and make your vote count. Don’t dance around it.

1971-Ed-McMahon-Budweiser-Busch-Beer-cans-pick

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

Beer In Ads #2083: It’s Pick-A-Pair Time!

November 3, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1964. In this ad, it’s election time once again and time to Pick-A-Pair, whether it be six-packs or a new leader. The ad even suggests we should “be sure to vote twice.” Which pair will you pick? With only five days to go until “E-Day,” and one of the most important ones in my lifetime, please make sure you to do exercise your right and make your vote count. But only once.

1964-Its-Pick-A-Pair-Time-Budweiser

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

Beer In Ads #2076: America Votes For No Bitterness

October 27, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from the 1943. In this ad, showing four very diverse citizens at the ballot box, claims “America Votes For No Bitterness.” Maybe in 1943, but not in 2016, where bitterness reigns supreme, both in our IPAs and also in our elections. I actually had to unfriend someone on Facebook today for the first time ever for going full wacko on me over politics. There’s only a dozen days until the election, and I for one can’t wait until it’s all over.

Schlitz-1943-voting

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Politics & Law Tagged With: Advertising, History, Politics, Schlitz

Venezuela’s President Gives Brewery Ultimatum: Brew Or Go To Jail

May 25, 2016 By Jay Brooks

polar
There’s an interesting development going on in Venezuela. Empresas Polar, the country’s largest brewer — with an 80% market share — completely shut down their operations in April, apparently because of “supply problems of its main raw materials.” The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, according to the drinks business, “has now threatened to take over the closed breweries, saying that the business owners risk being ‘put in handcuffs.'”

The country has been hit by a dire economic downturn over the last several years, and the president has not exactly been helping. John Oliver has covered the situation there hilariously at least twice, first in early May 2015 and then again last Sunday. In that report he mentioned that Marcos was threatening to jail owners of closed factories and have the government seize the buildings and take them over. And apparently one of those businesses he’s targeting is Polar. Here’s the rest of the story from the drinks beverage:

He said he was also ordering action “to recover the production apparatus, which is being paralyzed by the bourgeoisie”.

Meanwhile, Polar said it could no longer access the US currency needed to import the malted barley for beer production, and had to close the last of its breweries. Access to foreign exchange is currently under the control of the country’s government.

The beer shortage has had a big impact, as Venezuelans really like their beer. The tropical country has the highest per capita consumption rates of any nation in South America, and ongoing economic woes have to some extent been softened so far by the affordable luxury of a cold beer.

It’s the latest chapter in a long-running set of shortages and supply problems for beer and other food in Venezuela.

Polar’s billionaire owner, Lorenzo Mendoza, has been a vocal opponent of the President, with Maduro accusing him of waging an “economic war” on his government. Over the past year, Polar has been embroiled in a strike by brewery workers, conflict with the trade unions, and has seen its distribution centre occupied by the military.

polar-beer
Apropos of the nothing, it was almost impossible to find an image of Polar Pilsen that didn’t include a model in a bikini. Go ahead, Google it and see how hard it really is.

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, News, Politics & Law Tagged With: Big Brewers, Politics, Venezuela

Prohibition Party 2016

May 12, 2016 By Jay Brooks

prohibition-party
My friend Paul Marshall sent me this delightful little story about the state of the Prohibition Party in 2016. And yes, that Prohibition Party. Believe it or not it’s the oldest independent third-party still active, and they field a presidential candidate every four years. The party was founded in 1869, and its single defining platform was that they were, and still are, “opposed [to] the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages.” I knew they were still around, hoping to convince people that Prohibition was really a good idea, and we should try it again, despite all evidence to the contrary. But what I didn’t know was just how small they’ve become.

prohibition-party-poster

In their heyday, before the 18th Amendment passed, they were active in American politics and contributed to the discussion, and even after Prohibition was enacted, continued to agitate for even stricter controls until they faded into obscurity. How obscure? In the 2012 national election for President of the United States, the Prohibition Party candidate, Jack Fellure of West Virginia, received 518 votes. But that’s not even the low point. One of their 2004 candidates, Earl Dodge of Colorado (there were two that election due to a split in the party), got 140 votes. At their peak, in 1892, John Bidwell of California received 270,770, which represented only a little bit less than half a percent of the roughly 63 million people then in the U.S. Seven times they cracked the 200,000 vote line, though not since 1916. The last time they hit over 100,000 votes was 1948, and 1976 was the last time they garnered more than 10,000. In the last three elections, less then 1,000 people voted for the party candidate.

Prohibition Party

2008 Prohibition Party presidential candidate Gene Amondson of Washington state, the last year for which they’re selling buttons on the party’s website store. When I say store, it’s actually a Cafe Press store, and the party website itself was created for free using Wix.com. The party coffers are apparently not very full.

According to the Guardian article by Adam Gabbatt, A sobering alternative? Prohibition party back on the ticket this election, revealed that this year’s candidate is Jim Hedges of Pennsylvania, and his running mate is Bill Bayes of Mississippi. Hedges is actually the only known member of the Prohibition Party to have held any elected office — local, state or national — in the 21st Century, when he was the Tax Assessor for Thompson Township, Pennsylvania between 2002 and 2007.

Gabbatt went to Pennsylvania to interview the candidates, and it’s a fascinating read. It’s interesting to hear him talk so matter-of-factly about such an anachronistic idea that most people have moved past, with the obvious exception of the anti-alcohol groups that still exist. But even they seemed to have abandoned trying to get Prohibition going again (even though they’d certainly be in favor of it). Instead, they’ve been slinging mud and trying to disrupt the manufacture and sale (though especially access and advertising) of alcohol pretty much since before the ink was dry on the 21st Amendment.

Not surprisingly, the makeup of the membership skews to an older demographic, and according to Hedges “the current members are over 50, many in their 70s and 80s, and many are ultra-conservative.” But one of the most surprising reveals in the article is just how small the Prohibition Party of today really is. Hedges said that there are “currently about three dozen fee-paying members, who each contribute $10 a year.” So that’s $360 the party receives in dues for the year, plus there was a trust set up in the 1930s that provides additional funds. In most elections recently, that’s allowed them to be on the ballot in just one state, though this year Hedges is hoping to make it onto the ballot in six states, with an ultimate goal of getting 1,000 votes in each. But he’s realistic about his changes of becoming president, which he states are simply. “Zero. None whatsoever.” Still, despite the great divide between his party’s platform, and my own politics, I still think he’d make a better president than Donald Trump. If only there were a button available.

2016-prohibition-candidates
Jim Hedges and Adam Gabbatt in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, taken by Guardian author Adam Gabbatt.

Filed Under: Beers, Editorial, Just For Fun, News, Politics & Law Tagged With: History, Politics, Prohibition, Prohibitionists

Make American Beer Drumpf Again

April 1, 2016 By Jay Brooks

dock-street-new
I really hope this isn’t an April Fool’s Day prank. But even though I just saw it today, it was originally posted March 22, and it’s by a brewery that actually went through with making a beer using goat’s brains in an homage to zombies for a Walking Dead-themed beer, which in my mind increases its chances of being legitimate. Anyway, Dock Street Brewery of Philadelphia announced that they’re launching a new line of political beers to be known as the “Friends Don’t Let Friends Vote Drumpf” series. First up will be Short-Fingered Stout, which is described as “a bitter and delusional stout with an airy, light-colored head atop a so-so body.” Sadly there’s no timetable yet for its release. With many beer folks converging on the City of Brotherly Beer early next month, we can only hope it will be available to coincide with the Craft Brewers Conference, so we can all have a chance to “Make American Beer Drumpf Again.”

Here’s Dock Street’s press release:

Is it just us, or does this particular celebridential candidate always sound like he’s had a few too many? In his (dis)honor, Dock Street Brewery is brewing up a series of quaffable reminders to exercise your suffrage, and just dump Drumpf.

Beer has always, throughout history, been a key ingredient in the recipe for revolutionary ideas. In that spirit, we’re brewing this series to declare our disdain for Drumpf, and to extend a little nod of solidarity to our friends, fans and neighbors that also believe the country deserves better representation – on a national and international platform – in the race to be Commander in Chief. We just can’t wrap our well-coiffed heads around a candidate who encourages his supporters to attack protesters at his rallies, wants to limit access to the U.S. based on religion, and flagrantly manipulates facts and data. Oh yeah, and that ridiculous wall idea? Come on.

The first in the “Friends Don’t Let Friends Vote Drumpf” series will be Short-Fingered Stout, a bitter and delusional stout with an airy, light-colored head atop a so-so body. Don’t worry, its bark is worse than its bite; this big baby comes in at a somewhat conservative 4.5% ABV.

Release date will be announced soon, during which we’ll host a meeting of the minds and palates at our brewpub where guests are encouraged to debate, discuss, and toast to free speech and democracy.

All are invited and welcomed, no matter what your political views are. Except one person…

Go home man, you’re Drumpf.

drumpf
Artwork: Alexis Anne Grant for Dock Street Brewery

Filed Under: Beers, Just For Fun, News, Politics & Law Tagged With: Announcements, Humor, new release, Politics

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Find Something

Northern California Breweries

Please consider purchasing my latest book, California Breweries North, available from Amazon, or ask for it at your local bookstore.

Recent Comments

  • The Session #147: Downing pints when the world's about to end - Daft Eejit Brewing on The Sessions
  • Amanda Alderete on Beer Birthday: Jack McAuliffe
  • Aspies Forum on Beer In Ads #4932: Eichler’s Bock Beer Since Civil War Days
  • Return of the Session – Beer Search Party on The Sessions
  • John Harris on Beer Birthday: Fal Allen

Recent Posts

  • Historic Beer Birthday: Thomas Carling June 1, 2025
  • Historic Beer Birthday: Otto Flood Emmerling June 1, 2025
  • Beer In Ads #4984: Daufer’s Celebrated Bock Beer May 31, 2025
  • Beer Birthday: Julia Herz May 31, 2025
  • Beer Birthday: Phil Markowski May 31, 2025

BBB Archives

Feedback

Head Quarter
This site is hosted and maintained by H25Q.dev. Any questions or comments for the webmaster can be directed here.