Rheingold Beer

Last updated
Antique Rheingold beer tray Antique beer tray.jpg
Antique Rheingold beer tray
Miss Rheingold 1949 Miss Rheingold - Pat.jpg
Miss Rheingold 1949

Rheingold Beer, introduced in 1883, is a New York beer that held 35 percent of the state's beer market at its peak. [1] The company was sold by the founding Jewish American Liebmann family [2] in 1963. According to the New York Times, "Rheingold Beer was once a top New York brew guzzled regularly by a loyal cadre of workingmen who would just as soon have eaten nails as drink another beer maker's suds." [3] Its VP-Technical Joseph Owades claims credit for Rheingold's developing the first light beer.[ citation needed ]

New York (state) American state

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States. New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. With an estimated 19.54 million residents in 2018, it is the fourth most populous state. In order to distinguish the state from its city with the same name, it is sometimes referred to as New York State (NYS).

Beer alcoholic drink

Beer is one of the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic drinks in the world. It is also the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. Beer is brewed from cereal grains—most commonly from malted barley, though wheat, maize (corn), and rice are also used. During the brewing process, fermentation of the starch sugars in the wort produces ethanol and carbonation in the resulting beer. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilizing agent. Other flavouring agents such as gruit, herbs, or fruits may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, the natural carbonation effect is often removed during processing and replaced with forced carbonation.

Joseph Lawrence Owades was an American biochemist and brewer of light and industrially produced beer. He adjusted analytical techniques and quality control, developing the first light beer and the process for making it, creating many new, unique, and successful specialty beers. He is regarded as the father of light beer.

Contents

Rheingold shut down operations in 1976, when they were unable to compete with the large national breweries, as corporate consolidation and the rise of national breweries led to the demise of dozens of regional breweries.

The label was revived in 1998 by Terry Liebmann and partner Mike Mitaro.[ citation needed ] The beer's evocative name is an allusion to Germany's great river Rhein as well as Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold.[ citation needed ]

Germany Federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north and the Alps, Lake Constance and the High Rhine to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.

Rhine River in Western Europe

The Rhine is one of the major European rivers, which has its sources in Switzerland and flows in a mostly northerly direction through Germany and the Netherlands, emptying into the North Sea. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps, forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein, Swiss-Austrian, Swiss-German and then the Franco-German border, then flows through the German Rhineland and the Netherlands and eventually empties into the North Sea.

Miss Rheingold Girls 1940–1965

In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the "Miss Rheingold" pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. [4] Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, "the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House." [5] The first Miss Rheingold was Spanish-born Jinx Falkenburg. [6] When Nat King Cole became the first major black entertainer to host a television show, advertisers stayed away—but not Rheingold; Rheingold was the New York regional sponsor for Cole's show. [7] As early as 1965, Rheingold aired television ads featuring African American, Puerto Rican and Asian actors, to appeal to its racially diverse customer base. [8] The company's headquarters was in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. Rheingold was the official beer of the New York Mets, and its advertisements featured John Wayne, Jackie Robinson, Sarah Vaughan and the Marx Brothers. [9] They also sponsored The Jackie Robinson Show which aired on 660 WRCA radio in New York City on Sunday evenings between 6:30 and 7 PM during the late 1950s and early 1960s. [10]

Samuel Liebmann was a German-born American brewer and founder of S. Liebmann Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. Introduced after his death, the main brand Rheingold Extra Dry was one of the most popular beer brands in New York City in the 1940s to 1960s.

Jinx Falkenburg Model, actress, radio personality, columnist

Eugenia Lincoln "Jinx" Falkenburg was an American actress and model. She married journalist and publicist Tex McCrary in 1945. Known as "Tex and Jinx", the couple pioneered and popularized the talk-show format, first on radio and then in the early days of television. They hosted a series of interview shows in the late 1940s and early 1950s that combined celebrity chit-chat with discussions of important topics of the day.

Nat King Cole American singer and jazz pianist

Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He recorded over one hundred songs that became hits on the pop charts. His trio was the model for small jazz ensembles that followed. Cole also acted in films and on television and performed on Broadway. He was the first African American man to host an American television series.

History

The company shut down four years after the construction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center was completed. During the cleanup of the WTC site following the collapse of the towers on September 11, 2001, numerous Rheingold beer cans were found in the rubble, having been hidden in the beams of the building decades earlier by construction workers who had drunk the beers on the job. [11] Coincidently, exactly 12 years before the 9/11 attack, on 11 September 11, 1989, the New York Times had published an article that included an old (circa 1960s) radio jingle for Rheingold beer:

World Trade Center (1973–2001) Former skyscraper complex in Manhattan, New York

The original World Trade Center was a large complex of seven buildings in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. It opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. At the time of their completion, the Twin Towers—the original 1 World Trade Center, at 1,368 feet (417 m); and 2 World Trade Center, at 1,362 feet (415.1 m)—were the tallest buildings in the world. Other buildings in the complex included the Marriott World Trade Center, 4 WTC, 5 WTC, 6 WTC, and 7 WTC. The complex contained 13,400,000 square feet (1,240,000 m2) of office space.

Collapse of the World Trade Center collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001

New York City's World Trade Center was destroyed during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, after being struck by two hijacked commercial airliners. The North Tower was hit at 8:46 am and collapsed at 10:28 am. The South Tower was hit at 9:03 am and collapsed at 9:59 am. The resulting debris severely damaged or destroyed more than a dozen other adjacent and nearby structures, ultimately leading to the collapse of Seven World Trade Center at 5:21 pm.

My beer is Rheingold, the dry beer.
Think of Rheingold whenever you buy beer.
It's not bitter, not sweet; it's the dry flavored treat.
Won't you try extra dry Rheingold beer? [12]

According to an October 18, 1999 New York Observer article, Mike Mitaro's Rheingold Brewing Company LLC bought the brand in 1998. Walter Liebmann, a director of the new company, is a relative of Rheingold's founding family. When Rheingold re-launched, they revived the Miss Rheingold pageant. The new Miss Rheingold contestants no longer wore ball gowns and white gloves--"They had tattoos. They were pierced. They were badasses." In 2003, The Village Voice noted Rheingold for "the best marketing campaign co-opting hipster drinking habits." [13] In 2004, Rheingold stirred controversy in New York City with a series of ads which mock New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's ban on smoking in bars and enforcement of city laws which prohibit dancing in bars which do not have a "cabaret license." Bloomberg responded by drinking Coors in public. [14] [15]

Tattoo placement of ink into human skin, permanently or semi-permanently

A tattoo is a form of body modification where a design is made by inserting ink, dyes and pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. The art of making tattoos is tattooing.

<i>The Village Voice</i> American weekly newspaper

The Village Voice was an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the Voice began as a platform for the creative community of New York City. It is still kept alive online.

Hipster (contemporary subculture) contemporary subculture

The hipster subculture is stereotypically composed of young adults who reside primarily in gentrified neighborhoods. It is broadly associated with indie and alternative music. Hipsters also frequently flaunt a varied non-mainstream fashion sensibility, wearing vintage and thrift store-bought clothing. The subculture typically consists of mostly white young adults living in urban areas. It has been described as a "mutating, trans-Atlantic melting pot of styles, tastes and behavior".

In 2005, Drinks Americas of Wilton Ct., whose brands include Trump Vodka and Dr. Dre Cognac, purchased Rheingold Brewing. [16] Drinks Americas has reformulated the Rheingold product for follow through distribution throughout the US. The date of the release is currently unknown. A reformulated Rheingold beer was introduced to the New York Metropolitan market, as well as Cincinnati, Ohio and Georgia, in August 2010.

In advertising

Les Paul recorded a very popular radio commercial for Rheingold in 1951. [17] Humorist and radio personality Jean Shepherd was the radio spokesman for Rheingold's radio ads on New York Mets broadcasts in the 1970s.

In film

In the original Gidget movie, circa 1959, the Cliff Robertson character and Gidget (Sandra Dee) drink from cans of Rheingold beer, I’m pretty sure that beer was at the time strictly a NY beer, and never distributed to California.

In the 1956 Requiem for a Heavyweight , the character played by Anthony Quinn is in a bar and the woman who has been looking for him to be a counselor at a camp wants to have a beer and the bartender brings them two bottles of Rheingold.

In the 1959 film It Happened to Jane , newspaper reporter Matilda Runyon drinks Rheingold at home and warns her husband Clarence to stay away from her beer supply.

In the first episode of "Ro.Go.Pa.G." (1963) the man on the flight speaks about Rheingold girls to the hostess, and he asks her only for a Rheingold Beer.

In the film The Godfather (1972), a Rheingold delivery truck can be seen in the background while Sonny beats up his brother-in-law Carlo. Rheingold built the truck for the movie.

In the film Cops and Robbers (1973), the lead character Joe has a pool-side television encased in a protective Rheinghold TV wrapper.

In the film Sophie's Choice (1982), Nathan Landau throws a Rheingold beer to Stingo.

In the film Silver Bullet (1985), Arnie Westrum is first seen singing a drunken rendition of the Rheingold beer song.

In the film A Bronx Tale (1993), a Rheingold beer neon sign can be seen in the window of the Chez Bippy corner bar, as several men are lined up by the police following a neighborhood shooting.

In the film Quiz Show (1994), A neighbor of quiz champion Herb Stempel is seen holding a bottle of Rheingold beer as Stempel returns home from a television appearance.

In the movie Just Looking (1999), which takes place in 1955, Rheingold beer and advertisements are shown throughout.

In the movie Down to Earth (2001), Rheingold is the drink of choice of main character Lance Barton (Chris Rock), who asks for it repeatedly in the movie.

In the movie The Sinatra Club (2010), a young John Gotti explains to his crew the merits of Rheingold Beer and compares it to his philosophy of life.[ citation needed ]

In the movie Green Book (2018) Tony Lip played by Viggo Mortensen orders a Rheingold draft beer in a neighborhood bar.

In the movie "If Beale Street Could Talk" (2018) Fonny and Danny are seen drinking a 6-pack Of Reingold Dry beer.

In music

In the introduction to the Eartha Kitt song "I Wanna Be Evil", she sings, "I was made Miss Rheingold though I never touch beer." [18]

In the song "Never Sweet, Never Bitter" [19] by Rudebrat you will find fragments of old (1957 [20] /1958 [21] ) advertisement texts spoken (possibly sampled from old TV ads), "... and that's quite right, too, folks, because every glass, every bottle, every can of Rheingold is as perfect as the one before. Pleasantly dry, perfect (...?) too. Never sweet, never bitter." which they also used to name the song.

The Rheingold jingle was set to music written by Emile Waldteufel. It is based on his Estudiantina, Op. 191.

In opera

In the summer 2011 edition of San Francisco Opera's The Ring of the Nibelung (a cycle of four related operas by German composer Richard Wagner), the character Wotan, who represents the main Germanic god, sips from a can of Rheingold Beer. It is an homage to Das Rheingold , one of the Ring operas, and a direct reference to the legendary gold in the Rhine River, of which the Ring of the Nibelungs is fashioned.

In print

Rheingold is the beer of choice of Billy Nolan and his friends in Stephen King's novel Carrie .

The title of the novel Ice Cold in Alex (1958) refers to Captain Anson's longing for a Rheingold in Alexandria.

The November, 1954, issue of Mad (#17), has a parody of Miss Rheingold, drawn by Basil Wolverton, wherein the readers are asked to "Choose Miss Potgold of 1955."

The history of the Rheingold Girl contest is recounted in Wally Lamb's I'll Take You There (Harper 2016).

Rheingold is one of the first beers Frank McCourt encounters when he arrives in America in 'Tis , the sequel to Angela's Ashes .

In the Donald Barthelme story "A shower of gold" (1964), the main character Peterson is said to be drinking Rheingold and thinking about the president.

The December, 1955, issue of "Crazy, Man, Crazy" (magazine)- from Humor Magazines, Inc. aka Charlton Comics (#1), has a parody of Miss Rheingold, featuring bulldogs as pageant contestants, wherein the readers are asked to "Choose Miss Rheinghoul of 1956."

Rheingold beer is mentioned in Ian Fleming’s Diamonds Are Forever.

In television

In a 1992 episode of The Golden Girls (season 7, episode 24), Sophia, Blanche, and Dorothy sang the Rheingold Beer theme song lyrics to the tune of Emil Waldteufel's "Estudiantina Valse" (The Students' Waltz), op. 191, No. 4; .[ which? ] Sophia commented to her daughter, Dorothy, "Your father was always singing that damn jingle."

In the "Hi Def Jam" episode of King of Queens , Doug and his friends are all seen drinking Rheingold while playing poker.

In the “Animal Attraction” episode of King of Queens , Holly tells Carrie that she’s used to “drinking Reingold out of a funnel” when Carrie advises her to slow down on the martinis.

In Life on Mars Gene Hunt is seen drinking a Rheingold beer in a green bottle during one of the episodes.[ which? ]

In Mad Men season 1, episode 11 ("Indian Summer"), Peggy's date can be seen drinking a Rheingold beer.

In Public Morals season 1, episode 1 several bottles of Rheingold beer can be seen on the table at the bar.

Footnotes

  1. https://www.brownstoner.com/history/rheingold-beer-brewery-brooklyn-bushwick-history/
  2. Davis, Marni (January 1, 2014). Jews and Booze: Becoming American in the Age of Prohibition. NYU Press. p. 22. ISBN   9781479882441.
  3. Patricia Winters Lauro (February 12, 2003). "Rheingold Hopes to Rekindle the Romance Between the Beer and New York City". New York Times, reprinted by NYU. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  4. "Philip Liebmann, Headed Brewery". New York Times . February 4, 1972.
  5. Ellen Neuborne (June 1, 2003). "Beauty Is In The Eye of The Beer Holder". Business 2.0. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  6. Will Anderson (1998). "Who'll Be New York's Favorite Girl? The Miss Rheingold Contest". Beerhistory.com, excerpt From Beer to Eternity. Retrieved 2007-01-14.Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. "The Nat King Cole Show". The Museum of Broadcast Communications. 2005. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  8. Carl H. Miller (2002). "Beer Commercials: A Brief History". Beerhistory.com. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  9. "For an Old Beer, A New Life". New York Times. March 31, 1998. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  10. "My beer is Rheingold-the Dry beer!". Ebony December 1959. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  11. Smith, Dennis (2003). Report From Ground Zero . Penguin Group. p. 287. ISBN   0-670-03116-X.
  12. "Remember Those Old-Time Beer Jingles?". New York Times. 1989. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  13. Carla Spartos (2003). "best of New York 2003". Village Voice. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  14. "NYC mayor blasts Rheingold for planned ads". Modern Brewery Age. April 26, 2004. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  15. Colin Moynihan (April 19, 2004). "After Brewer Unveils Ads, Mugs Aren't All That's Frosty". New York Times, reprinted by NYU. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  16. "Drinks Americas to buy Rheingold brand" (Press release). 2005-06-27. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  17. Gil Hembree (2002). "Les Paul: Birth of a Guitar Icon (section titled "Commercial Appeal")". Vintage Guitar. Archived from the original on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  18. "I Want to Be Evil" television performance , retrieved June 21, 2014
  19. "Rudebrat: Never Sweet, Never Bitter (song)"
  20. "The Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Monday, December 2, 1957, p. 18"
  21. "The New York Age, New York, New York, Saturday, July 12, 1958, p. 35"

Related Research Articles

Brewing in Oregon Wikimedia list article

The U.S. state of Oregon is home to more than 200 breweries and brew pubs that produce a large variety of beer.

Rolling Rock American lager

Rolling Rock is a 4.4% abv American lager launched in 1939 by the Latrobe Brewing Company. Although founded as a local beer in Western Pennsylvania, it was marketed aggressively and eventually became a national product. The brand was sold to Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis, Missouri, in mid-2006, which transferred brewing operations to New Jersey while continuing to label the new beer prominently with the name of Latrobe. The beer is commonly used on episodes of Angry Video Game Nerd.

Rainier Brewing Company former brewing company. mainly in Seattle

Rainier Brewing Company (1878–1999) was a Seattle, Washington, company that brewed Rainier Beer, a popular brand in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Although Rainier was founded in 1884, the Seattle site had been brewing beer since 1878. The beer is no longer brewed in Seattle, nor is the company owned locally. In the late 1990s, the company was sold to Stroh's, then to Pabst Brewing Company, though Miller contract brews most of Pabst's beers. The brewery was closed by Pabst in 1999 and sold.

Hamms Brewery American brewing company

The Theodore Hamm's Brewing Company was an American brewing company established in 1865 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Becoming the 5th "largest brewery" in the United States, Hamm's expanded with additional breweries that were acquired in other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and Baltimore.

Nigerian Breweries Plc, is the pioneer and largest brewing company in Nigeria. It serves the Nigerian market and exports to other parts of West Africa.

Kokanee beer

Kokanee is a beer brewed at the Columbia Brewery in Creston, British Columbia. Columbia Brewery began brewing Kokanee lager in 1959 and was purchased by the Labatt Brewing Company in 1974.

Olympia Brewing Company A brewery in Tumwater, WA founded in 1896.

The Olympia Brewing Company was a brewery in the northwest United States, located in Tumwater, Washington, near Olympia. Founded in 1896 by Leopold Friederich Schmidt, it was bought by G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1983. Through a series of consolidations, it was acquired by Pabst Brewing Company in 1999; the Tumwater brewery was closed in 2003.

Beer in Japan comes mostly from the country's four major beer producers: Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo, and Suntory, producing mainly pale-colored light lagers with an alcohol strength of around 5.0% ABV. Pilsner style lagers are the most commonly produced beer style in Japan, but beer-like beverages, made with lower levels of malts called happoshu or non-malt happōsei have captured a large part of the market, as tax is substantially lower on these products.

Lucky Lager Brand of beer from the United States

Lucky Lager is an American lager with U.S. brewing and distribution rights held by the Pabst Brewing Company, and Canadian brand ownership held by Labatt Brewing, which is now part of AB InBev. Originally launched in 1934 by the San Francisco-based General Brewing Company, Lucky Lager grew to be one of the prominent beers of the West during the 1950s and 1960s. In 2019, Pabst announced that the beer brand would be revived and would be brewed by 21st Amendment Brewery, a brewery based in San Leandro.

Stones Bitter

Stones Bitter is a beer manufactured and distributed in the United Kingdom by the North American brewer Molson Coors. It is a bitter with a straw-golden hue. Stones Bitter was first brewed in 1948 by William Stones Ltd at the Cannon Brewery in Sheffield. It was designed for the local steelworkers and became successful in its local area, becoming one of Sheffield's best known products.

Courage Brewery British Brewery

Courage Brewery was an English brewery, founded by John Courage in 1787 in London, England.

Duff Beer is a brand of beer that originated as a fictional beverage on the animated series The Simpsons. Beers using the Duff branding have been brewed in a number of countries, resulting in legal battles with varying results. An official version of the beer is sold in three variations near the Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios. In 2015, 20th Century Fox, producer of The Simpsons, began selling licensed Duff beer in Chile, with a view to driving out brandjacking.

Asia Brewery, Inc. is a Philippines-based diversified beverage company owned by LT Group, Inc., a publicly listed holding company of Lucio Tan.

Stones Brewery

Stones Brewery was a brewery founded in 1868 by William Stones in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, and purchased by Bass Brewery in 1968. After its closure in 1999, its major brand, Stones Bitter, has continued to be produced by the Molson Coors Brewing Company.

Lone Star Brewing Company

The Lone Star Brewery, built in 1884, was the first large mechanized brewery in Texas. Adolphus Busch, of Anheuser-Busch, founded it along with a group of San Antonio businessmen. The castle-like building now houses the San Antonio Museum of Art. Lone Star beer was the company's main brand. It was marketed as "The National Beer of Texas." The Lone Star name is now owned by Pabst Brewing Company. Production of Lone Star is currently contracted out to Miller Brewing Company in Fort Worth. The Lone Star name is used in the Philippines under license to Asia Brewery for a brand of light beer.

Theakston Brewery

T&R Theakston is a brewery in the market town of Masham, North Yorkshire, England. The company is the sixteenth largest brewer in the UK by market share, and the second largest brewer under family ownership after Shepherd Neame.

Charles Liebmann was a German-born American brewer and president of S. Liebmann Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. The brewery's main brand Rheingold Extra Dry was one of the most popular beer brands in New York City in the 1940s to 1960s.

Joseph Liebmann was a German-born American brewer and president of S. Liebmann Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. The brewery's main brand Rheingold Extra Dry was one of the most popular beer brands in New York City in the 1940s to 1960s.

Henry Liebmann was a German-born American brewer and president of S. Liebmann Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. The brewery's main brand Rheingold Extra Dry was one of the most popular beer brands in New York City in the 1940s to 1960s.