A Case of Good Judgment
by Jim Vondracek on 06/10/11
I love this vintage beer can of Edelweiss
The slogan is fantastic - "A Case of Good Judgment." I wonder if that's copyrighted? Follow this link to an article in Timeout Chicago and see other cans like this from the collection of two brothers in the Chicago-area. http://timeoutchicago.com/things-to-do/this-week-in-chicago/7543049/brothers%E2%80%99-can-collection-reveals-chicago-brewery-history
Edelweiss was the flagship beer of Chicago-area brewery Schoenhofen, back in the days when every little town had a brewery and every big city had dozens. Its great that here in Chicago, we're getting back to that, with new craft breweries opening all the time.
The Schoenhofen brewery building is still there, at 18th and Canal, and there's a great website with photos and explanation of the history at http://forgottenchicago.com/articles/schoenhofen-brewery/ The brewery fell victim to Prohibition and was eventually sold. One fascinating story on the website is that the Schoenhofen family used the height of the brewery's water tower to broadcast messages to German agents in World War I, prompting federal agents to seize the brewery. I have no idea if that story is true or not, but it makes for great lore!