The Green Girl: Drunk on Deere

Some of you John Deere collectors may have heard a rumor about Deere & Company brewing beer.

As your grandpa probably told you, "Don’t believe everything you hear." Some of you may have even seen bottles of Deere-logo-ed beer with your own two eyes. And as your grandpa probably told you, "Don’t believe everything you see." Grandpa couldn’t be more correct in this case.

Because so many stories are circulating about Deere being in the beverage business--and The Green Girl happens to have the inside scoop--here’s your opportunity to learn the truth behind the mysterious "Deere Beer."

The truth is…there are two versions of bottled beer that sport old trademark logos of Deere & Company. Both labels have the name "Team Deere Beer" on them. One is also labeled "Leaping Lager." Both labels state that the "Custom Brew Haus" and the "Osborn & Barr Brewing Company" are responsible for creating these two beverages. And that’s where things get a little familiar for The Green Girl.

WARNING

This story (the truth) may not be as exciting or interesting as the other rumors flying around at auctions, but it is the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God. Take it or leave it.

Back in 1994, The Green Girl moved from Des Moines, Iowa, to St. Louis, Missouri, to work for ad agency Osborn & Barr Communications as a copywriter on the John Deere agricultural account. tdbeer.jpg (22125 bytes)

"Team Deere" was the nickname for the group of employees who worked on the Deere account. The beer began as an idea for a 1995 Christmas gift, which the agency could give to the Deere employees who were our primary clients, namely the fine folks in the Ag Advertising Department of Deere & Company in Moline, Illinois.

Since there was a local brewpub near the agency, we opted to "brew" two types of beer, design our own labels, and surprise our clients with something truly unique. The Custom Brew Haus in Clayton (a suburb of St. Louis) did the brewmaster bit, The Green Girl helped coin the names of the beer (Team Deere Beer and Leaping Lager), and the agency’s graphic designers created custom labels using old trademarks.

Each of the Deere employees we worked with received one bottle of each flavor, and we (Team Deere) got a pair of bottles to keep too. As I recall, the people on the receiving end of our "Near Deere Beer" gift enjoyed our creative concoction.

Deere Beer labeling legacy

These bottles of beer feature an official trademark from 1912 and an unofficial logo variation from 1880. jdlager.jpg (18137 bytes) There are no dates on the labels, but the beer cannot be as old as the logos suggest for these reasons:

* Osborn & Barr has only been in business since 1988.

* The Custom Brew Haus didn’t open for business until the 1990s.

* The government didn’t require the Surgeon General’s warning on beer bottles until after 1988.

There is a phone number for the Custom Brew Haus on the labels, but The Green Girl asks that you do NOT call it!

Unfortunately, their beer business has gone down the drain and now the number is residential. Please do NOT bother the nice folks who are unlucky enough to have the reused number! They know nothing about Deere Beer and would probably be quite annoyed by your inquisition. Trust me, please!

I thought nothing more of the beer until I went home to Iowa for Christmas in 1998 and spotted the two bottles on my father-in-law’s John Deere collector shelf! You can imagine my surprise at finding something I was connected with…and my confusion at not knowing how on earth he got them!

As it turns out, he’d gotten them in trade from another collector. He had no idea I actually had something to do with creating the beer! So I spilled my guts about what I knew so we could start to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

No, I don’t believe the dozen Deere employees who received the beer as a gift actually sold them on the collectible market. Instead, a brand new batch was brewed for someone at the Kansas City branch (who shall remain anonymous).

This person saw the beer bottles in employee offices and wanted to order some for his own purposes soon after the Christmas season. The ad agency helped him get a couple cases and then someone in Deere corporate (most likely a lawyer) got wind of it and decided to put the kibbosh on it. Apparently, the beer was already delivered to the Kansas City area so it was supposed to "disappear" instead of being distributed.

Obviously, it made its way into the black market for memorabilia…and now it’s spreading across the country! While the going rate for a bottle of domestic beer is around $2, the latest sale price for a bottle of this unique Deere Beer is about $200!

GOVERNMENT WARNING:

(1) ACCORDING TO THE GREEN GIRL, COLLECTORS SHOULD NOT DRINK TEAM DEERE BEER DURING AN AUCTION BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY ON MEMORABILIA.

(2) CONSUMPTION OF DEERE BEER IMPAIRS YOUR ABILITY TO DETERMINE A FAKE OR A FRAUD, DRIVE AN ANTIQUE TRACTOR OR OPERATE MACHINERY, AND MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH THE SPOUSE.

Yes, it is real beer — we chose a Dutch Pilsner and St. Louis Lager. (For your information, The Green Girl has both of her bottles still tightly capped and filled with the original beverage!) While I haven’t heard if anyone has sampled the flavors, I would venture to guess that most bottles out on the collectible market would still be full. Chances are, that would make them more valuable as well!

So now you know the real story behind Deere Beer. It certainly makes for an interesting collectible and an intriguing tale, although it was never intended to become a hot item on the market for memorabilia! Please enjoy Deere Beer in moderation and always have a designated driver!