Brew 102 was so proud of their Miss Brew 102 contest, they hired two professional photographers to cover it. I suspect it was because they were making both racial progress and a marketing move to the hood, but both are speculation. Whatever, the press was assembled to cover the brew beauty pageant. Shown is the lovely Louise Franklin hopefully placing the deciding vote in favor of the sisters, though either are certainly pretty enough to sell beer. Either would also work better on the label than that bottle neck "coming at 'cha" or the Shemp-like mug of the owner.
I first heard of "Brew 102" when I found a trio of 8 x 10 glossy photographs, but I first read of it on a web bulletin board titled "What is the worst beer you ever tasted?" It didn't lack for contributions. I would enter "Golden Goebel" which was 89 cents a six in college. We had numerous names for it, all variations of the "taste likes piss" phrase so common among underage drinkers.
It appears Brew 102 was the Golden Goebel of Los Angeles. Reading up on it finds a good share of memories, all of them bad. The 101 highway through LA was curved to allow for their big cauldron ferment tanks. An eyesore of a big sign remembered by fathers. A beer can hunter killed through mishap while digging around the ruins of the brewery decades later. A typical day in the life Dull Tool Dim Bulb.
I find no mention of the contest. The African-American model may be named "Louise Franklin" according to a note scribbled on the reverse. I hope the sister won, because while it may be just the camera angle, the blond's head is ENORMOUS!
Original 8 x 10 glossy photographs by Art Adams and Irving C. Smith no dates Collection Jim Linderman
BIG UPDATE! Scott Warmuth looks close, finds answer!
Did you notice that the contestants for Miss 102 include a set of twins? The Peralto Twins won the contest; Bo Franklin, the African-American woman, placed second after weeks of being in the lead in the voting.
This shady contest is covered in the book The Melody Lingers On: Scenes from the Golden Years of West Coast Jazz.
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