THE BEGINNINGS
- Of Bavarian Brewery
THE BEGINNINGS
- Of Bavarian Brewery
ADS - From Newspapers
BAVARIAN ADVERTISEMENTS 1935 - 1945
BAVARIAN REOPENS AFTER PROHIBITION IN 1935.
After Prohibition advertising options for brewers increased to include a new form of mass media developed during Prohibition during the 1920's; radio. However, the main form of mass media ads were on print, as displayed in the following.
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Limited Bavarian Beer Ads After the Reopening (1935-1936)
When Bavarian Brewing Co. began operations after Prohibition they were under capitalized. Evidently, they had limited resources for advertising. It also appears they may have only had a bottling department for jug beer (in 1/2 and 1 gallon sizes) - not beer in 12 oz. bottles or cans - as it seems they mainly relied on distributing beer through kegs. It seems that the few ads that were found were often in conjunction with individual bars and cafes. Due to financial difficulties that emerged in mid 1936, it appears Bavarian under the Voorhees management had few ads beginning in late 1936 through all of 1937.
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Bavarian Jug Beer
Jug beer was a phenomenon in the Cincinnati area for a decade or two after Prohibition, which allowed the purchase of unpasteurized draft beer in both half-gallon and gallon glass bottle jug sizes. It modified a Pre-Prohibition slogan of "A Family Beer" to "Treat the Family." The The ad for Bavarian Jug Beer was likely in the late 1930s and may have been shortly before or after the Schott Brothers acquired the brewery.
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New Ownership Increases Advertising (Beginning in1938)
When Bavarian Brewing Co. was reincorporated in Kentucky in early 1938 after being sold in bankruptcy court in December, 1937, the new ownership under the Schott Brothers increased distribution of bottled beverages and increased advertising. Shown in their 1938 ads below are its products in bottles featuring pasteurized Bavarian Master Brand Beer. In one of these ads it also displays the three sizes of bottled beer that were available, including the (pasteurized) 12 oz, 32 oz sizes, and (unpasteurized) Bavarian Draft Beer in half-gallon sizes. The newer ads were mostly professionally designed and began to include future advertising and product terms. For instance, "old-fashioned" and "Old Style" were mentioned in a couple of the ads below. "Old Style" would eventually be part of the Bavarian brand name, replacing "Master Brand", but not for another eight years.
A New Label Design
c. 1938 (until 1945). Less than a year after Bavarian Brewing Co. introduced its product line the Bavarian Master Brand Beer, the label was changed to a "Blue and Gold Label." - as shown in the accompanying ad that was published in December, 1938. Instead of the oval shape label shown above, which was in brown and cream, the new label had brighter colors and was angled, making it more distinctive. At this time it is believed that the brewer's draft beer was simply referred to as Bavarian - in italics.
1938 - 1941 Sport Radio Broadcasts
Sponsoring sports on the radio (and later TV) became an important aspect of Bavarian Beer advertising to supplement their print advertising, as it was for most brewers. Print ads often indicated these broadcasts. Normally the Bavarian Beer ads about radio broadcasts were about baseball, and occasionally bowling. More information about the broadcasters that covered baseball and other sports, can be found at Bavarian's Shows.
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Coney Island Lunches (1941)
Eating establishments would advertise and sometimes feature Bavarian Beer, as they did before the Schott Brothers acquired the brewery. Examples of such ads near a popular amusement park in Cincinnati, Coney Island, are displayed below. As indicated, the price of a lunch - including a choice of either pork, hamburger, sausages, ham, fish or stew - was only 25 to 30 cents in 1941.
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Schott Extra Pale Ale 1939 - 1941 Ads
A couple years after the Schott Brothers acquired the brewery they decided to increase their beverage offerings by introducing an ale, named Schott Extra Pale Ale. Brewers often named their brewery, or a beverage, after themselves. For example, the founder and previous owner, William Riedlin, had a beverage called Riedlin's Select. This new ale was also known simply as Schott Select. In the magazine ads below, the Schott Brothers were emphasizing the main Bavarian Master Brand Beer, but also were asking to try Schott Ale at the bottom of the ads. Schott Ale was brewed until the early 1950s.
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Bavarian Bock Beer
These ads were from 1941 and 1942. Bock Beer was a seasonal offering usually introduced in March (around St. Patrick's Day). Bock Beer was a German tradition that started in a village called Einbach. Other parts of Germany liked the beer and began brewing it as well. It became known simply as Bock beer, which also means "goat" in German. This explains why a goat is often associated with Bock Beer. Occasionally Bavarian's distributors would also place ads, as shown.
The World War II Years (1942 - 1945)
Many men who served their nation abroad during World War II were beer drinkers. This decreased the consumption of beer in the U.S. Additionally, there were food and material rations that limited the supply of beer. Consequently, Bavarian produced a more limited quantity of beer. But this did not cause Bavarian to sacrafice quality, as they indicated in an ad. Also, their print ads became oriented to helping support the war effort by encouraging the public to Buy War Bonds, as shown. In the first two ads below, and in a couple ads around the end of the WWII, all the local brewers jointly supported programs for the war effort. In the ads exclusively for Bavarian Beer during the war years, there was always some mention of helping out the war effort, e.g. Buy War Bonds.
As WWII was ending in 1945, it was anticipated that more normal distribution of materials and ingredients began to resume. The supply of beer was expected to be available, as shown by the accompanying ad. However, it still took some time to restore production. Even though, the War was over in Europe a few months before Japan surrendered in late 1945, the war effort continued, as indicated by the ad to collect tin cans. After Japan surrendered, there was also a promotion for a Victory Bond supported by the nine local breweries operating in Greater Cincinnati.
Links to Bavarian ads for other periods are below.
1880s - 1919: Before Prohibition.
1946 - 1956: After WWII through the mid 1950's.
1957 - 1966: After the Bavarian's modified their name - until they closed.
Bavarian's (Radio / TV) Shows: 1938 - 1950s
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