Beermats, as we know them today, were developed by Friedrich Horn, a German printing and board mill company in 1880.
Before that they were originally developed, to not only absorb spills but to cover the beer and stop insects from drinking your precious ale.
A practice that can still come in handy today.
Once they were made from absorbent board and printable, they became an advertising tool.
As I have mention, in a previous blog, collecting beermats has become a hobby, as they remind me of where we have been and what beers were on offer.
I have noticed, over the time, that overseas beermats now have many marketing uses. They are a great way to get attention for a brand, raise issues and even to tell history.
The Scottish craft beer rebel, Brew-Dog, uses their mats to tell the story of their carbon neutral approach to brewing and also their 50/50 sharing of profits with their staff.
Something that may have been forced on them by the mis-adventures of their founder James Watt.
Budweiser Beer by Budvar, in the Czech Republic, tells the world that their beer is the original Budweiser, not that crap copy from the US
While Scapa Special, from Swannay Brewery, in the Orkney Islands, at the very north of Scotland, has taken a historic approach and featured the 1919 scuttling of the German fleet at Scarpa Flow.
Here in Australia, the availability of beermats seems to be in decline and certainly those that are around are not putting the medium to it’s best use.
Like any advertising, they cost money, but they are certainly an engaging marketing tool that can bring recall to the brand.
