Coors Artic Ice
Brian O'Sullivan
mean?
Not "Arctic", but "Artic".
Who is Art? Why does he have a beer named after him?
Just curious
Brian O'Sullivan
P.L. Steppic
>Pardon me, but does anyone know what the hell "Artic" is supposed to
>mean?
>Not "Arctic", but "Artic".
>Who is Art? Why does he have a beer named after him?
Art Coors. Born Adolf Coors, he changed his name when people constantly
accused him of being a Nazi. He was born in 1933, and, by way of
commemmoration, his father, then owner of the Latrobe Brewing Company,
had the number "33" printed on all the bottles from that year. After
his father sold the company to seek his fortune in Colorado,
the new owners decided to keep the number. In the meantime, the Coors
family had founded their self-named brewing company.
Art was never a consummate businessman, but he often did manage to make
the best of a bad situation. Once, for example, he was near financial
ruin from speculating on the Florida lemon harvest...he predicted that
the crop would be virtually wiped out, and invested heavily in lemon
futures. As it turned out, there was a bumper crop, and the price of
lemons plummeted to near nothing. As we shall see, though, Art did
manage to make the best of a bad situation. First, let's examine a few
of his lesser known forays into the world of brewing:
Art was responsible for a number of far-reaching brewing innovations.
One of the early ones was a Bock beer...this was to be released in late
Winter/early Spring and was made by taking all of the residue from the
brewkettles that had accumulated there over the course of the winter and
adding water and some sugar and letting it ferment. This beer was not a
big hit, and it was shortly abandoned in favor of the more crisp, clean
no aftertaste flavors that the American beer-drinking market seems to
crave. Later, he tried exporting it to Canada; unfortunately, the
American market was limited by law to serving beer that contained only
80% of the alcohol of its counterparts north of the border, so the
Canadians sent it right back with veiled threats about what would happen
next time he tried to ship under-strength beer to the Great White North.
Other attempts at diversifying met with mixed results. He tried to
create a cask-conditioned ice beer, but the establishments to which he
sent the casks complained that there was no where to hook up a CO2 line.
He also tried to create a Watermelon Lambic, but Jim Koch, owner of the
Boston Brewing Company, sued him over the use of the word "Lambic," so
that product line was scratched as well. One of his most disastrous
endeavors was to create a beer that blended the best elements of dry,
ice and light beer that had none of that annoying beer flavor or
aftertaste. People complained that it tasted suspiciously close to
water, and at $4.20 a six pack ($12.60 in Canada), they were unwilling
to spend the money.
Coincidentally, this happened at exactly the time Art was facing utter
catastrophe from his lemon investments. Through some adroit political
maneuvering, though (and possibly some outright bribery), he managed to
get the U.S. government to pay to ship the entire crop of lemons to
Colorado, where the juice was extracted and added to what had
theretofore been called "Coors dry ice light genuine draft for
dilettantes who don't know any better" and presto! the world was first
introduced to Zima -- and the printers responsible for making the labels
breathed a sigh of relief.
So now you have an idea of just how much we owe this man. When he asked
his marketing types to name the new Ice Beer, they either sought to pay
tribute to such a remarkable man, or they were unabashed
toadies...either way, they suggested naming it "Art Coors' Ice Beer."
Art modestly declined, and suggested naming it Arctic Ice. The
marketing guys insisted, so, by way of compromise, they settled on
"Artic Ice."
Remember this next time you enjoy one of Coors' fine products, and drink
a toast to this remarkable man.
--
//////////^\\\\\\\\\\ +------------------------+
<<<<<<<< Pat >>>>>>>> | "That cat's something |
\\\\\\\\\\v////////// | I can't explain" |
+------------------------+
Niall McAuley
>mean?
>Not "Arctic", but "Artic".
>Who is Art? Why does he have a beer named after him?
"Artic" is short for "Articulated". Obviously if the beer was ordinary
ice you would have trouble drinking it. Instead, Coors have developed
a new form of ice, with microscopic crystals, joined by flexible
hydrogen bonds, like giant water molecules. The researchers christened
this new phase of H2O "Articulated Ice", but that was too long for the
label.
Hope this helps,
-----
Niall
Joe
>hydrogen bonds, like giant water molecules. The researchers christened
^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^
I've got a giant "O"; does anyone have a pair of giant "H"'s?
--
"There is much more to this demented post, than this paragraph."
-- Andrew Beckwith "Grate spirits have always encountered violint
opposition from mediocer minds" -- A. Einstein
"Without trolling, the Internet wouldn't be where it is today" --John Yeung
Michael Stewart
> Art Coors. Born Adolf Coors, he changed his name when people constantly
> accused him of being a Nazi. He was born in 1933, and, by way of
> commemmoration, his father, then owner of the Latrobe Brewing Company,
> had the number "33" printed on all the bottles from that year. After
> his father sold the company to seek his fortune in Colorado,
> the new owners decided to keep the number. In the meantime, the Coors
> family had founded their self-named brewing company.
[More of the exploits of this great, but misunderstood genius
deleted]
It is rare to see such an obviously well-researched historical
document presented in such a lively and entertaining manner. It
answers so many important questions, that I think it should be
included in the FAQ somewhere.
However, you forgot a few minor biographical details: The neglect into
which his reputation fell prior to his invention of Zima, despite his
many innovations in the brewing field, gave him a great sympathy with
similarly neglected historical figures. In particular, he was a
long-time champion of the music of the brilliant and obscure composer
P.D.Q. Bach.
Also, his politics diverged from the rest of the Coors clan. Instead
of supporting the traditional, conservative candidates, he had a habit
of giving generously to fringe presidential candidates such as Bill
T. Cat. His involvement in the Colorado political scene led him into
an instrumental role in Hunter S. Thompson's decision to run for
Sheriff of Aspen(but that is too long and too strange a story to go
into here).
--
Michael Stewart
ste...@monk.csl.uiuc.edu
Blutoe
: pls...@ultb.isc.rit.edu (P.L. Steppic ) writes:
: > Art Coors. Born Adolf Coors, he changed his name when people constantly
: [More of the exploits of this great, but misunderstood genius
: deleted]
: It is rare to see such an obviously well-researched historical
: document presented in such a lively and entertaining manner. It
[blah blah blah blah]
: similarly neglected historical figures. In particular, he was a
: long-time champion of the music of the brilliant and obscure composer
: P.D.Q. Bach.
Most people don't realize this, but the original Bock beer was indeed
known ad PDQ BACH beer, a tribute from art to his favorite composer.
Unfortunately, Art's nephew, Wilhelm "Willie" Coors, the chief
marketing man for Coors brewing at the time, misspelled the name,
and it soon became BOCK. Luckily, today, spelling errors like that
one can be avoided...:)
Mark Wilder
-mwi...@quark.gmi.edu
Binger
> In article <Pine.ULT.3.91.941212113044....@zeus.towson.edu> Brian O'Sullivan <bo...@zeus.towson.edu> writes:
>>Pardon me, but does anyone know what the hell "Artic" is supposed to
>>mean?
>>Not "Arctic", but "Artic".
>>Who is Art? Why does he have a beer named after him?
>
> Art Coors. Born Adolf Coors, he changed his name when people constantly
> accused him of being a Nazi. He was born in 1933, and, by way of
> commemmoration, his father, then owner of the Latrobe Brewing Company,
> had the number "33" printed on all the bottles from that year. After
Note: Coors means "small green bottle" in old Pennsylvania Dutch dialect.
> his father sold the company to seek his fortune in Colorado,
> the new owners decided to keep the number. In the meantime, the Coors
> family had founded their self-named brewing company.
>
> Art was never a consummate businessman, but he often did manage to make
> the best of a bad situation. Once, for example, he was near financial
> ruin from speculating on the Florida lemon harvest...he predicted that
> the crop would be virtually wiped out, and invested heavily in lemon
> futures. As it turned out, there was a bumper crop, and the price of
> lemons plummeted to near nothing. As we shall see, though, Art did
> manage to make the best of a bad situation. First, let's examine a few
> of his lesser known forays into the world of brewing:
>
After Adolph made money, and to serve as a reminder of his Florida problems,
he forced ATF regulations to include the word "Florida" on all beer caps of
beers sold in Florida. The law still stands.
> Art was responsible for a number of far-reaching brewing innovations.
> One of the early ones was a Bock beer...this was to be released in late
> Winter/early Spring and was made by taking all of the residue from the
> brewkettles that had accumulated there over the course of the winter and
> adding water and some sugar and letting it ferment. This beer was not a
This process is still followed in strict secret by all "bock" brewers today.
Pierre Celis, with his "Pale Bock", is credited with the revival of the style.
> big hit, and it was shortly abandoned in favor of the more crisp, clean
> no aftertaste flavors that the American beer-drinking market seems to
> crave. Later, he tried exporting it to Canada; unfortunately, the
> American market was limited by law to serving beer that contained only
> 80% of the alcohol of its counterparts north of the border, so the
> Canadians sent it right back with veiled threats about what would happen
> next time he tried to ship under-strength beer to the Great White North.
>
Thus, it is widely acknowledged that Canadian beer is superior to American.
> Other attempts at diversifying met with mixed results. He tried to
> create a cask-conditioned ice beer, but the establishments to which he
> sent the casks complained that there was no where to hook up a CO2 line.
> He also tried to create a Watermelon Lambic, but Jim Koch, owner of the
> Boston Brewing Company, sued him over the use of the word "Lambic," so
> that product line was scratched as well. One of his most disastrous
> endeavors was to create a beer that blended the best elements of dry,
> ice and light beer that had none of that annoying beer flavor or
Ah, yes. The Light _Dry Ice_ debacle. Served so cold, if froze skin off.
Rumor has it that a few cans still exist in Boulder....
> aftertaste. People complained that it tasted suspiciously close to
> water, and at $4.20 a six pack ($12.60 in Canada), they were unwilling
> to spend the money.
>
> Coincidentally, this happened at exactly the time Art was facing utter
> catastrophe from his lemon investments. Through some adroit political
> maneuvering, though (and possibly some outright bribery), he managed to
> get the U.S. government to pay to ship the entire crop of lemons to
> Colorado, where the juice was extracted and added to what had
> theretofore been called "Coors dry ice light genuine draft for
> dilettantes who don't know any better" and presto! the world was first
> introduced to Zima -- and the printers responsible for making the labels
> breathed a sigh of relief.
>
It was also exported to Germany under the name "Coors Radler".
> So now you have an idea of just how much we owe this man. When he asked
> his marketing types to name the new Ice Beer, they either sought to pay
> tribute to such a remarkable man, or they were unabashed
> toadies...either way, they suggested naming it "Art Coors' Ice Beer."
> Art modestly declined, and suggested naming it Arctic Ice. The
> marketing guys insisted, so, by way of compromise, they settled on
> "Artic Ice."
>
> Remember this next time you enjoy one of Coors' fine products, and drink
> a toast to this remarkable man.
> --
> //////////^\\\\\\\\\\ +------------------------+
> <<<<<<<< Pat >>>>>>>> | "That cat's something |
> \\\\\\\\\\v////////// | I can't explain" |
> +------------------------+
And not the least tongue-in-cheek, eh Pat?
binger
bin...@hsh.com
"now that the record's straight on that topic....."
Bill Newcomb
>eei...@eei.ericsson.se (Niall McAuley) writes:
>
>>hydrogen bonds, like giant water molecules. The researchers christened
> ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^
>
>I've got a giant "O"; does anyone have a pair of giant "H"'s?
I suppose this would be a good time to let everyone know that my giant
H dropped its crossbar and told me it was actually Welsh and thus a
Giant Ll. Thus I withdraw from the most pathetic giant H contest and
walk away, hanging my head. Ach y fi.
--
Bill Newcomb <Please pardon our mess!>
nu...@netcom.com
Bruce Ediger
:I've got a giant "O"; does anyone have a pair of giant "H"'s?
Marina Sirtis, the Hooter's Girls and Dolly Parsons each do.
Michael Warchut
: known ad PDQ BACH beer, a tribute from art to his favorite composer.
: Unfortunately, Art's nephew, Wilhelm "Willie" Coors, the chief
: marketing man for Coors brewing at the time, misspelled the name,
: and it soon became BOCK. Luckily, today, spelling errors like that
: one can be avoided...:)
This is beautiful, you have a real talent here! Are you a writer by
chance? :)
...Glenn