"Beer! Sparkling, golden, pure, refreshing: a beverage as old as history. The ancient Babylonians were probably the first to brew beer..." begins As We Like It, a promotional film sponsored by the U.S. Brewers Foundation. Courtesy of the Prelinger Archive, the film includes a very brief history of beer and a breathless ode to the American beer industry. Its contributions to society are manifold: "beverages high in food value and rich in tradition," jobs, taxes, etc. Bars are nothing but good clean fun: "The neighborhood tavern is a friendly meeting place for the community. The average citizens' club!" What's more democratic and American than that? Bartenders must play by the rules, the film cautions, because "there are some who look for any opportunity to magnify every mistake and seek prohibition of the malt beverages which add to the enjoyment of gracious living." Luckily millions of upstanding citizens support the beer industry -- essential to life, liberty, and the pursuit of "gracious living."
For more films from the Prelinger Archive, visit http://archive.org/details/prelinger.
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