Meister Brau

[Mark Mandel]

Barry let it be known:

>>>>>
   From the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE, 2 July 1952, pg. 12, col. 7:
_For Your Week-End Hostess:_

     [...]
   In Chicago, the Peter Hand Brewery is best known for its Meister Brau,
an excellent medium-priced brew.
<<<<<

Ugh! If this is the same as the beer I buy in the summertime for baiting
slug traps, how the mighty have fallen! I asked at the liquor store for
their cheapest beer and explained my purposes; the dealer steered me
straight to Meister Brau (umlaut on the "a", but not in ASCII or American
pronunciation). My 20yo son saw it and wondered aloud at my taste. When I
explained, he nodded in understanding, and said that in his (generally
nondrinking) circles, this is the brand one does NOT bring to a party.

Of course it's perfectly possible for two brewers to have independently hit
on this name with its connotations of authenticity and quality, but I don't
think the trademark lawyers would have tolerated the second-comer.

-- Mark A. Mandel