THE BEGINNINGS
- Of Bavarian Brewery
THE BEGINNINGS
- Of Bavarian Brewery
ADS - From Newspapers
SIGNS: NEON
NEON SIGNS - Background
Neon signs, first called neon lamps, were developed by Georges Claude and first appeared in 1910 at the Paris Motor Show. The early neon signs consisted of luminous gas-discharge tubes containing rarefied neon, only producing a color that was red with an orange hue. However, the first neon sign in the U.S. was not installed until around 1923 at Packard Motors in Los Angeles. Consequently, there were no American neon beer signs before Prohibition. By the time neon signs were introduced in the U.S., it had been discovered that a multitude of colors could be created by using argon gas with other elements added, such as CO2 or mercury, and by coating the tubes. However, because neon was first used for such signs, it became the term used to describe them, even though neon no longer became used in most such signs. The earliest "neon" beer signs were created in the 1930s, after Prohibition was repealed. Neon beer signs became a quintessential part of brewery advertising in the windows of bars and taverns, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s. It was common for some drinking establishments to have several signs depicting different beers to help attract business. However, their popularity declined by the1960s as backlit fluorescent signs became more common.
Shown in chronological order are various Bavarian Brewing Co. neon signs.
Note: If you have any images of neon signs from Bavarian Brewery not depicted below, please consider sharing them with us, and let us know.
One of the companies that made some of Bavarian's neon signs in the 1950's displayed on this page was "Lou's Signs." Lou's family still remains in this business and operates as Neonworks of Cincinnati in a location adjacent to and visible from inside the American Sign Museum.
THE EARLIEST BAVARIAN NEON SIGN c. 1935: The above images are of the same neon sign, unlighted and lighted. It may be the earliest neon sign made for Bavarian Beer. The background appears to be originally from the early 1900s, Pre-Prohibition. When Bavarian Brewing Co. reopened in the mid-1930s, it seems some older signs were modified with neon around the edges and over "Bavarian" in the center. A frame a few inches thick in depth was added to house the transformer. According to a tag on the bottom right, it was made by American (Sign Co.), Cincinnati, O. When the above sign was obtained, all the neon glass in the sign had been removed. (An image of the unrestored sign can be viewed here.) However, the holes that supported the neon glass were not filled in, but remained. Research revealed that collector David Green owns a similar sign with the original neon. He generously shared an image allowing the glass type to be identified. It was discovered that NeonWorks in Cincinnati has an inventory of older neon glass and they restored the sign with the same type of 1930s glass that was believed to be originally used. The outer band is 11mm leaded clear glass and the center outlining Bavarian is 9mm uncoated Noviol Gold. Both were filled with argon gas. It is anticipated that this sign will be displayed in the Riedlin-Schott Community Room located in the Kenton County Government Center, Covington, KY.
EARLY BAVARIAN NEON SIGNS c. 1937: Two neon sign versions for Bavarian Beer (In Bottles) were made by Lackner Signs. As shown, one was a green uranium glass. According to the label, the patent for this sign was No. 1,859,319 and the date made was February, 1937. A very similar sign made around the same time with argon and mercury filled clear glass creating a blue neon color is also displayed. As shown, these were "stand-up" signs that could be placed on shelves or counters behind a bar. They were not meant to be hung on walls or windows. Besides the different colors between the signs below, the backs are different; with the uranium sign is black and the argon sign is navy blue. Interestingly, even though the signs indicate that Bavarian Beer was available "In Bottles," the brewery at the time the signs were made appears to have provided nearly all its beer in barrels with limited, if any, bottling capabilities. Only after the brewery was acquired by the Schott Brothers in 1938, after falling into receivership and bankruptcy a couple years earlier, was Bavarian Beer commonly available in bottles. These neon signs were some of the first ones made for Bavarian Brewing Co., which at that time, referred to its main brand of draft beer as Bavarian Beer. Image and sign information for the first image with the uranium glass is courtesy of David Green and CincySigns neon. The second image with the blue tubes is from Gary Schmeh. Another green uranium glass sign with the same design as the signs below was made for Student Prince Beer and the Heidelberg Brewing Co., also located in Covington, KY. (See section 8A. Heidelberg Brewery.)
c.1940: This neon "spinner sign" was made by Neon Works shortly after the Schott Brothers acquired the Bavarian Brewing Co. Their names as owners and operators of the brewery are noted on the bottom of the sign. Spinner signs are unusual and this one for Bavarian Beer is rare. In order to view the image in motion, in both light and in the dark, please click here. Image and sign information is courtesy of David Green and CincySigns.
c. 1940 - 1946: This sign apparently came from the Cincinnati area and is believed to be from Bavarian Brewing Co. It was made in 1940 shortly after the Schott Brothers acquired Bavarian Brewery and was probably in use until this brand was changed to Bavarian's Old Style Beer in 1946. Other breweries, such as the Mt. Carbon Brewery in Pottsville, PA, also had a Bavarian (Type) Beer.
WINDOW & WALL SIGNS: c. 1940 - Early 1960s. What became the typical neon beer sign that was displayed in windows and walls in taverns and saloons first appeared for the Bavarian Brewing Company (BBC) around 1940, as shown below. Originally the transformer that powered the lighting was somewhat large and could rest behind the tubes and against a wall. In order to display such signs in windows and avoid having the tubes directly touch glass, several posts with bumpers were added perpendicular to the tubes that could rest on the window. As transformers became smaller, such posts and bumpers were also added to the back of the frame to help the neon light better hang on a wall. As shown below, there were three main versions of neon signs from BBC, reflecting the changing name of their main brand. After Prohibition, the brewer's main brand was Bavarian Beer. It changed in 1946 to Bavarian's Old Style Beer, and again in 1957 to Bavarian's (Select) Beer.
c. 1946-1948: When the Bavarian's Old Style brand started to be used in 1946, it appears they consisted of two colors, red/pink and blue, as shown be the examples below. The blue color is created from adding mercury to argon gas, and the red color is neon.
c. 1949 - 1956: The most common Bavarian's Old Style Beer signs were three or four color signs using yellow, white and blue, and sometimes an accent of green, as shown below. The color yellow used in all of these signs is from helium. Sometimes the lettering changed to italic and on draft was added. There were also some color variations in the first letter of "Bavarian's" depicted on the last two images in the group below, and one of these indicate an alcohol content of 6%.
c. 1957: This is a unique and unusual version of the Bavarian's Beer sign. It appears to have been made when the beer changed its name to Bavarian's Select Beer from Bavarian's Old Style Beer. It has a green tube border that's similar to a sign below, but it doesn't have the three flags design as do all other signs below.
c. 1958 - Early 1960s: When Bavarian Brewing Co. modified the brand name to Bavarian's Select Beer in 1957 they included a three flag design beginning in late 1957 or 1958. It's believed most of these neon signs were made before the brewery merged with International Breweries Inc. (IBI) in 1959. This is because IBI seemed to prefer using fluorescent backlit signs in contrast to neon signs because they allowed more customization, they were less expensive and neon signs were becoming dated. However, it's possible that neon signs with this design could have been made as late as 1966, the year that the Bavarian Brewery closed.
