Rheingold Beer

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Rheingold Beer, founded in 1883, is a New York beer that held 35 percent of the state's beer market from 1950 to 1960.[citation needed] The company was sold by the founding Liebmann family 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." [1]

At the center of its media campaign was the "Miss Rheingold" pageant. 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." [2] The first Miss Rheingold was Spanish-born Jinx Falkenburg. [3] 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. [4] As early as 1965, Rheingold aired television ads featuring African American, Puerto Rican and Asian actors, to appeal to its racially diverse customer base. [5] The company's headquarters were in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. Rheingold was the official beer of the New York Mets, and its advertisements featured John Wayne, Jackie Robinson, and the Marx Brothers. [6] Rheingold shut down operations in 1976, when they were unable to compete with the large national breweries. Consolidation and the rise of national breweries led to the demise of dozens of regional breweries. The Orange, New Jersey brewery was the last facility to close.

The label was revived in 1999 by Terry Liebmann and partner Mike Mitaro.[citation needed] According to an October 18, 1999 New York Observer article, Mitaro's Rheingold Brewing Company LLC bought the brand and Liebmann is a relative of Rheingold's founding family.[citation needed] 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." [7] 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. [8] [9]

In 2005, Drinks America purchased Rheingold Brewing. [10]

It is brewed by the Matt Brewery in Utica, New York and Greenpoint Beer Works in Brooklyn.

Contents

[edit] Trivia

Les Paul recorded a very popular radio commercial for Rheingold in 1951. [11]

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

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ 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 on January 14, 2007.
  2. ^ Ellen Neuborne (June 1, 2003). Beauty Is In The Eye of The Beer Holder. Business 2.0. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  3. ^ Will Anderson (1998). Who'll Be New York's Favorite Girl? The Miss Rheingold Contest. Beerhistory.com, excerpt From Beer to Eternity. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  4. ^ The Nat King Cole Show. The Museum of Broadcast Communications (2005). Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  5. ^ Carl H. Miller (2002). Beer Commercials: A Brief History. Beerhistory.com. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  6. ^ For an Old Beer, A New Life. New York Times (March 31, 1998). Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  7. ^ Carla Spartos (2003). best of New York 2003. Village Voice. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  8. ^ NYC mayor blasts Rheingold for planned ads. Modern Brewery Age (April 26, 2004). Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  9. ^ Colin Moynihan (April 19, 2004). After Brewer Unveils Ads, Mugs Aren't All That's Frosty. New York Times, reprinted by NYU. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  10. ^ Jimmy Vielkind (August 17, 2006). Rheingold brewing up a fall comeback. New York Daily News. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
  11. ^ Gil Hembree (2002). Les Paul: Birth of a Guitar Icon (section titled "Commercial Appeal"). Vintage Guitar. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.

[edit] External links

  • [1] A classic Rheingold advertisement, featuring dancing beers - clip 31 at 00:09:030 in the archive.
  • [2] Interview with Kate Duyn, Miss Rheingold 2003.
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