A NEW KIND OF ADVERTISING VEHICLE: Coronado’s Model T Beer Truck

The little green Model T truck sports a new paintjob and logos promoting the Coronado Brewing Company. It has become a familiar sight on the streets of Coronado.

CORONADO, CA – The term “advertising vehicle” usually refers to the medium for a company’s ads – print, TV, radio, the Web. In Coronado it has taken on a dual meaning. The most popular advertising vehicle in this small community is literally a vehicle, a 1924 Model T truck named Olive Oyl.

The Coronado Brewing Company (CBC) and Tent City Restaurant own the old truck and keep it visible on the streets of Coronado by driving it daily on regular errands. The truck is painted spinach green, is tall and thin, and has a horn that resembles Olive Oyl’s notorious yelp of “Popeye.” Someone mentioned the similarities the day she was purchased and the name just stuck.

The truck participates regularly in parades and antique car shows on the island and in San Diego. Senator James R. Mills, father of the San Diego Trolley and author of the Mills Act will drive in the Model T during this year’s Coronado July Fourth Parade.

“It’s an unusual form of advertising, true,” said Ron Chapman, owner of CBC. “People stop us all day long and ask about the Model T, then they ask about the Coronado Brewing Company. In a very short amount of time the truck has been accepted as the town’s unofficial beer truck and has become a regular player in the Coronado landscape.”

Chapman figures the little truck from another era has paid for itself twice over in advertising value in just over six months.

Brewing itself dates back to 1886 in Coronado, hitting its peak during the Prohibition, when numerous households found that brewing their own beer and distilling their own gin was the only way to satisfy their craving for a good drink.

The Coronado Brewing Company was founded in 1996 and began its commercial distribution in early 1997. To meet the increasing demand for good micro brewed beer, CBC began brewing at the refurbished Mission Brewery facility in San Diego. In 2006 CBC renovated it's brewpub and brewing facilities, and now brews all its beers at the popular Coronado location on Orange Avenue.

Brothers Ron and Rick Chapman and their family own and operate CBC. The Chapmans have been living and working on Coronado for more than a century. Their love of history can be seen everywhere from the labels of their beer to the decorative walls of their restaurants.

As distribution has grown to include Southern California and Arizona, CBC continues to produce superior micro brewed beer, always with an eye towards a better beer and a wider audience.

The label with the redheaded mermaid has become their trademark. CBC’s latest brew is called Orange Avenue Ale, named for the historic main street in Coronado. Other CBC beers include Coronado Golden, Idiot IPA, Islander Pale Ale (IPA) and Mermaids Red.

The Coronado Brewing Company is located at 170 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA. For more information call 619.437.4452 or visit www.coronadobrewingcompany.com.

Olive Oyl, the 1924 beer truck, was recently featured on the cover of Downtown Magazine with restaurateurs and owners, the Chapman family, sitting inside.