More Vintage Beer Ads.

[Revvy]

Falstaff operated the old Burgie plant in San Francisco from 1972-1975. It was then spun off to Paul Kalmanovitz who operated it as a General Brewing plant until '78, scan thanks to Bryan Monaco. The plant started its life as the Milwaukee Brewery and after a number of name changes became the Burgermeister Brewing Company. Schlitz and Meister Brau of Chicago owned this plant before it was purchased by Falstaff.

Here's one with a tragic story.

Dow Breweries was a brewing company based in Quebec, Canada. It was formed in 1952 in the facilities formerly used by the Boswell Brewery (1843–1952) in Quebec City.[1] It was acquired by Carling O'Keefe and stopped its activities on March 31, 1966.[2] After purchasing Carling O'Keefe, the Dow brand came under the ownership of Molson, but disappeared from the Canadian market in the spring of 1997. Brands brewed by Dow included Dow Ale, Kingsbeer Lager and Black Horse Ale.

At the urging of Board president and academic Pierre Gendron, Dow Breweries supported the construction of the Montreal Planetarium, originally calling it "Dow Planetarium". It was completed in 1966 as one of many projects for the Canadian Centennial.
[edit] Downfall of the brewery

In August 1965, a patient presented to a hospital in Quebec City with symptoms suggestive of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Over the next 8 months 50 more cases with similar findings appeared in the same area with 20 of these being fatal. It was noted that all patients were heavy drinkers who mostly drank beer and preferred the Dow brand, consuming an average of 24 pints of alcohol per day. Epidemological studies found that Dow had been adding cobalt sulfate to the beer for foam stability since July 1965 and that the concentration added in the Quebec city brewery was 10 times that of the same beer brewed in Montreal where there were no reported cases .[3]

Although Dow denied any responsibilty, the Dow Brewery in Quebec City temporarily shut down and the remaining beer was dumped into the Saint Lawrence River. At the time of the incident, Dow Ale was the number one selling beer in Quebec, however, as a result of the "tainted beer scandal" sales of the brand soon dropped dramatically never to recover.[4]

 

[Revvy]

 

[Revvy]

Here's some Michigan ones.

The Haas Brewing Company was founded in 1859 by Adam Haas in a log building that sat at the corner of Sheldon and Dodge Streets in Houghton, Michigan. The first brewery began operation with a 10 barrel copper kettle which produced a Porter and Lager beer that was distributed locally.
In 1875 the original log structure was replaced by a frame structure with a stone building where the company continued brewing for the rest of its history. As the regions population grew with the explosion of the copper mining industry, the capacity of the brewery increased its production of beer from 6,000 barrels in 1875 to 25,000 barrels annually soon after the turn of the century, where it was distributed widely throughout the Upper Peninsula region. After the repeal of prohibition, the Haas company operated in Houghton for about eight years before moving the business to a location in Hancock previously occupied by the former Park Brewing Company.
In 1880, the Haas brewery began bottling their beer in hand blown glass bottles originally manufactured by the DeSteiger Glass Company of LaSalle, Illinois. These early bottles used a Lighting Stopper bottle closures that were fashioned individually by hand, which proved very labor intensive and expensive. The Haas brewery bottled their beer in mostly amber colored 1/4 gallon glass bottles from as many as eight different manufacturers until 1905 when they switched to a clear (aqua) glass bottle using a cork cap closure. In approximately 1915 the Haas Brewing Company began using machine made bottles featuring paper labels. It was around this time that the Haas Company began using Chicago agencies to produce its advertising. Up until this time, the brewery only advertised itself in small ads in local newspapers.
After the death of its founder, Adam Haas in 1887, the brewery was incorporated with family members acting as executive officers and Board of Directors. Joseph Haas became President and Adolph Haas, his brother, became Vice-President and Collector. The four Haas daughters made up the original Board of Directors.
In August of 1901, after 42 years of ownership by the Haas family, the company was sold to a stock company comprised of local businessmen who kept the family name until 1952, when the company became known as the Copper Country Brewing Company. During this period of ownership, the brewery introduced several new beer styles in an attempt to appeal to different tastes, including an Extra Pale Ale. The beer was known as Copper Club and was produced for about two years until the business closed for good in 1954.

Frankenmuth's founding fathers brought the tradition of brewing to the mid-Michigan forests in 1845. John Matthias Falliers founded Frankenmuth' first brewery in 1857. Cousins William Knaust and Martin Heubisch opened the Cass River Brewery just north of the Fallier property in 1862, where the Frankenmuth Brewery continues to stand today.

The Cass River Brewery was purchases by Johann Geyer in 1874 and renamed Geyer's Brothers Brewing Co. For the next 112 years, the facility operated under many names including the Frankenmuth Brewing Co.

Ferdinand "Fred" Schumacher from Duseldorf, Germany, purchased the brewery one year before a fire destroyed most of the structure in 1987. The microbrewery continued operation following the ownership acquisition by Randall E. Heine in 1990. The nation's second oldest microbrewery was at peak production in 1996, distributing more than 30,000 barrels of locally produced microbrews across 25 states, when an F3 tornado struck our facility, causing several million dollars of damage. A brew pub was opened in 2003 and closed three years later.

It's been recently re-opened.

Kern's was a Port Huron and Detroit based brewery that I am researching for my book. KERN'S REACHED the pinnacle of its success in 1911, when its leading brand -- Cream of Michigan -- won the grand prize at an exposition in Paris.

 

[Revvy]

I found a bunch of odd ads not from brewers, but about beer, from various trade organizations. I have to do some more digging.

...As the exuberance surrounding legal beer began to fade in the mid-1930s, so did the sale of beer. The United States Brewers Association commissioned a separate arm, the United Brewers Industrial Foundation, to propagandize beer’s importance in American society,” says Skilnik. “The U.B.I.F.’s efforts were reflected in an informational campaign of print ads extolling the tax revenue benefits of a now highly-regulated industry, pamphlets that demonstrated beer’s use in the kitchen as a tasty food staple and condiment, and as a catalyst that helped shape early American history. While some of the industry’s early efforts to get beer into American households were often clumsy and heavy-handed, it was the beginning of one of the longest and most successful advertising campaigns ever. It was sometimes served up, however, with a frothy head of white lies.”

The Glass Container Association of America took out adds in response to the can manufacturers.

 

[Revvy]

And of course the "offending" comments from the Can industry.

 

[Revvy]

Don't know if anyone here has heard of Gerst beer? It was actually made by William Gerst brewing co. The Gerst brewing co. was started in Nashville in 1890's by a German named William Gerst. They brewed many traditional German lagers and some ales. They were one of the few breweries to survive prohibition in the South (they sold soda and near beer). In the 1950's they came out with Gerst Amber, it was a Oktoberfest style amber lager. Anyways they owned a restuarant named The Gerst Haus. Its is a German resturant with a beer hall feel. The restuarant was sold and so was the rights to the Gerst beer (the brewery closed in the 60's) The new owners had the Gerst Amber contract brewed by a brewery in Evansville, IN. that later went under. Until recently it was brewed by Pittsburgh brewery which just went under as well. Its scheduled to be made again but not sure when or who.

 

[Revvy]

With public opposition to the Volstead Act increasing month by month, in 1932, the
former Excelsior Brewing Company plant was sold to Irving Friedman. When
Prohibition ended, he spent about $2 million modernizing and expanding the plant,
which was renamed Kings Brewery, Inc. at 225-279 Pulaski Street, Brooklyn. They
resumed brewing beer. Their motto was "Kings Beer"Fit For a King." In the mid-1930’s,
local delicatessens and groceries in our neighborhood sold Kings Beer in 12 oz.
bottles at four for 25¢, plus 2¢ per bottle deposit. It was the lowest priced
bottle beer on the market.
In December 1935, the Kings Brewery was the first brewer in New York City to
offer beer in cans. However, the shelf life of the early attempts to can beer
was poor and it was only after aluminum cans were used that canned beer became popular.
The Kings Brewery closed down in April 1938.

 

[Revvy]

The Adam Scheidt Brewing Company was founded in the late 1870s and was incorporated in 1884. After Prohibition, the brewery thrived, brewing Valley Forge Beer, Ram's Head Ale, and Prior Beer. The brewery's name was changed to the Valley Forge Brewing Company in 1963 and , five years later, it was sold to Philadelphia's largest brewer at the time, C. Schmidt & Sons. It continued to operate as a branch of Schmidt's until 1975, when the facility was closed. Schmidt's continued to brew the Valley Forge and Ram's Head brands until the early 1980s, when Schmidt's itself finally ceased operations.

 

[Revvy]

...(The links in this post are evidently no longer here.)

 

[SHBSJon]

There quite a few collectors of old beer advertising. I have been a member of the BCCA (Brewery Collectibles Club of America) since 1984 when it was known as Beer Can Collectors of America. Our National Canvention was in September in Covington Kentucky. I specifically collect 5 liter cans (mini-kegs) so I am not well versed on the ads, but there were thousands upon thousands of items available for sale or trade at the show. Lots of other advertising as well, like neons, lithograpghs, letterheads, reverse-on-glass signs, trays, you name it. If if has to do with beer, there is probably someone who collects it.

 

[merkinman]

Great thread here. Any ideas on how I might get my hands on the Ballantine ad with John Stienbeck? I have been searching for one for years.

 

[Ki-ri-n]

Have you tried contacting Vintage-Ads.com Your place for Classic Retro Magazine Ads ?

 

[passedpawn]

Hope this wasn't already posted... a bunch of old beer commercials. Looks like local Buffalo NY brands.

http://www.forgottenbuffalo.com/forgottenbuffalosounds/soundsofbuffalobeer.html

 

[Revvy]

Evidently Schlitz had a thing for creepy clowns.

 

[Revvy]

Some more assorted.

Interesting, and Guinness Ad geared towards African Americans?

 

[Revvy]

 

[Fly_Rodder]

I was going to post the Greenway ones. It was one of the only ones I've seen that advertised something other than pilsners. I don't know how many pre-prohibition beer advertisements were for something like stouts, IPAs, and such.

 

[Revvy]

The Beer for Santa thread got me interested in taking a look at vintage beer ads that Ole St. Nick appeared in. We know that there's a ton of classic ads of him with coca cola, but I thought there would be quite a few of him enjoy our favorite drink as well.

Some may have already appeared earlier in this thread so my apologies for any repeats.

This 1929 ad from a Quebec magazine shows Santa Claus joining Mom and Dad for a nice cold glass of Molson beer, as their little girl looks on.

1948 Budweiser Beer Santa's Christmas Feast Print Ad

Nippon Beer poster circa 1930

Google doesn't give me much on Boswell's except that it was from Quebec.

Evidently Santa must do most of his beer imbibing in Quebec....

Guinness

Cuba represents....

I've mentioned it several times that I'm fascinated with the almost tragic history of Falstaff brewing.

The consumer's brewing company was one of the small regional breweries that was killed off during prohibition. A little bit of their history is here. The interesting thing I found about this particular ad was that it sparked the ire of the women's temperance movement.

And interestingly enough this one, though not vintage is catching these days for it's portrayal of Santa and beer, and butts....Evidently in 2007 this label was banned in Maine, the later rescinded.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — It's a bit late for the holidays, but the state's beer sellers are now free to let Santa's Butt Winter Porter sit on their shelves.

The Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement had blocked a beer importer from selling the brew, along with two beers with labels depicting bare-breasted women. Those decisions were reversed after the state attorney general's office determined that the company probably would win the lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union filed on its behalf last month.

Chris Taub, an assistant state attorney general, said Friday a court probably would find the beer labels in question to be protected under the First Amendment.

State officials had barred the English-made Santa's Butt out of concern its label might appeal to children. It depicts a rear view of a beer-drinking Santa sitting on a "butt," a large barrel brewers once used to store beer.

The other previously banned beers feature paintings of bare-breasted women on their labels. One of the paintings hangs in the Louvre — Eugene Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" — and the other was commissioned by the importer, Belchertown, Mass.-based Shelton Brothers.

The company was notified of the reversal in a letter dated Dec. 22, but owner Dan Shelton was out of the country and didn't learn of it until this week.

Shelton, whose company has challenged similar bans in other states, said Thursday he has no plans to drop his lawsuit because state law still allows officials to deny applications for beer labels that contain "undignified or improper" illustrations. About a dozen beer and wine labels, out of 10,000 to 12,000 reviewed, are rejected each year on such grounds.

"You can't have a law based on propriety and dignity. It's too vague," Shelton said.

Taub said his office is reviewing the rule about undignified or improper illustrations but declined to comment further.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

[Pappers_]

Those are great, Revvy, thanks for sharing!