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The A. Gettelman Brewing Co., then called the Menominee Brewery, was established in Milwaukee in 1854 and was eventually left to Adam Gettelman when his father-in-law, George Schweickhardt, left to handle a stone quarry on the Hawley Road in 1876.  In 1891, Gettelman advertised an offer of $1000 to anyone able to prove that Gettelman’s premium beer was brewed with anything but pure malt, hops and water.  The A. Gettelman Brewing Co. was sold to Miller Brewing Company in 1961 and Miller continues to market one of Gettelman’s leading brands, Milwaukee’s Best.

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The Los Angeles Brewing Co. opened in 1897 on the banks of the Los Angeles River, using the water from the river as an ingredient in their beer. Twenty years later, a German immigrant and brew master purchased the brewery, renaming it Eastside Brewery, and it grew to one of the largest in the country. During the Prohibition years, the Eastside Brewery survived by producing near-beer and soft drinks. When Prohibition was lifted, Eastside had trucks stocked with alcohol ready to drive out of the brewery to begin sales one minute after midnight. Actor Walter Huston gave a speech and Jean Harlow broke a bottle over the first truck to drive out. Eastside was purchased by Pabst in 1948, the Eastside label was discontinued, and Pabst continued brewing their beer in the Los Angeles based plant until 1979.

See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

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The Budweiser Clydesdales are one of the most beloved and endearing advertising images in American history. Given as a gift to his father by August A. Busch Jr to celebrate the end of prohibition, August Busch Jr started what would become Budweiser's most famous symbol. Realizing the potential, August Anheuser Bush, Sr. quickly capitalized on the magnificent creatures and began a journey across the eastern part of hte United States, gifting some of the first legally brewed beer to important politicians, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This may be the origin of the saying, because the beer was delivered to President Roosevelt at the White House. 

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Black Label is a Canadian brand of lager distributed by Carling. Although its original focus was on ale, Carling has been brewing lager-style beers since the 1870s. In 1927, as part of an overall corporate re-branding effort under new president J. Innes Carling, the company renamed its already popular Black & White Lager to Black Label. Three years later, Carling was purchased by Toronto business tycoon E.P. Taylor, who merged the company into his Canadian Breweries Limited (CBL), which grew to be the world's largest brewing company, at least for a time. Under Taylor, Black Label was promoted as CBL's flagship brand and went on to become the world's first beer to be brewed on a mass international scale, becoming particularly popular in Commonwealth countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

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The Canadian Ace Brewery, originally the Manhattan Brewing Company, was run by Charles Schaffner until he sold it in 1919 to Johnny Torrio and Al Capone. Manhattan changed their name to Canadian Ace in 1947, and discontinued producing any brands bearing Manhattan in the name. The likely rational was an attempt to "clean-up" the post-war image of the brewery by retiring the Manhattan flagship brand and relying upon the well established Canadian Ace brand for the future. The link to organized crime remained as Lou Greenberg was a principal owner of the Canadian Ace Brewing Company. The Canadian Ace Brewery closed in 1968.

See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

Illustration of a Budweiser can with black text on a white background.

During the Prohibition Era, Budweiser encountered its first major obstacle to profit and growth. As alcohol became illegal to sell and produce, all alcohol companies, including Budweiser, struggled to remain profitable. Budweiser began producing non-alcoholic beverages during Prohibition to counter its ill effects. Prohibition began in 1920, and lasted into the middle of the Great Depression in 1933. These are two major setbacks that this company experienced. Just as laws regarding prohibition were repealed, Budweiser was faced with more serious economic struggles, which made their success very unlikely. In attempt to re-stimulate interest in their beer, Budweiser executed a hugely successful marketing strategy of introducing beer cans for the first time in 1936. This new packaging led to an increase in sales which lasted until the start of World War II in 1939. Over the years, Budweiser has undergone various design changes to its can. Many of these changes are in response to market conditions and consumer tastes. Since 1936, 12 major can design changes have occurred.

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Budweiser is a pale lager produced by Anheuser–Busch InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch from Saint Louis, MO it has grown to become one of the highest selling beers in the United States, and is available in over 80 markets worldwide. Adolphus Busch traveled extensively in Europe to observe and study the latest brewing techniques. In the 1870s, Anheuser-Busch became the first American brewery to implement pasteurization, which greatly improved the shelf-life and transportability of its beers. In the mid-1800s, most Americans preferred robust, dark ales. Busch had encountered lighter lager beers during his travels and began brewing a light Bohemian lager. Anheuser-Busch introduced this lager in 1876 under the brand name Budweiser.

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Billy Beer was mass produced in 1977 by the Falls City Brewing Company and promoted by President Jimmy Carter's younger brother Billy Carter.  Billy Carter, known for his colorful character and drinking habits, was described by the Associated Press in 1979 as "a professional redneck." Each can was embossed with the slogan “I had this beer brewed just for me. It’s the best beer I’ve ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot." The beer, ironically, was of such poor quality that Billy was quoted telling reports that he still drank Pabst Blue Ribbon at home.  Falls City closed its doors in 1978 along with the production of Billy Beer. There was a resurgence of interest in selling unopened cans or sixers of Billy Beer in the 1980's for big money after a man ran several ads in a Chicago newspaper selling  them for $1,000 dollars. Subsequently he ran more ads selling the beer at the bargain price of $200. In actuality, they were worth somewhere between 50 cents and a dollar. Today, although a six pack of Billy's doesn't have much collectors value, it is considered an interesting novelty item.

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The Valentin Blatz Brewing Company was an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It produced Blatz Beer from 1851 until 1959, when the label was sold to Pabst Brewing Company. Two famous Blatz/Milwaukee beer marketing slogans were "Blatz—Milwaukee’s Finest Beer" and "Blatz—Milwaukee’s Favorite Premium Beer." In later years, the brewery described its product as “Draft Brewed Blatz.” The most famous jingle from the 1950s to early 1970s was, "Kegs, Cans, or Bottles, all taste the same. The three best is one beer - Blatz is the name," playing on the fact that many other beers had a different taste when bottled and canned from how they tasted fresh from the keg.

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