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El Sol:
Kripke: 2x20 // 4x22 // 5x17 // 5x18
Gamble: 6x01 // 6x09 // 6x15 // 6x22 // 7x04 // 7x11

(previous version)

So, El Sol and Schultz are both fake beers made for SPN, right?  (A lot of their beers are fake, but I’m just going to mention these two because they’re often shown near each other…I see two examples of that in this photoset, and the roadhouse from this week’s episode has it again.)

While El Sol and Schultz are both fake, they remind me of two real beers:  Corona and Schlitz.  Schlitz is “the beer that made Milwaukee famous”, while Corona is “miles away from ordinary”. 

If you Google vintage Schlitz advertisements, you’ll probably find that they strongly feature American “manly-man” images.  Cowboys, guys out fixing the family car with their trusty dog, fishing, hunting, etc.  (Also, there’s a fair amount of 50s style husbands insulting their wive’s cooking and such.  “At least you didn’t burn the beer!!”)

If you Google Corona ads, you get a bunch of beer bottles on tropical beaches.  Often they don’t even have any people in them at all.  They present the beach as being a place that is different from all other places.  A place of peace and quiet.  Maybe there’s a beautiful person there to share your time with, and maybe there isn’t.

The Corona ads are a clear escape from the Schlitz ads.  The promise of El Sol is a clear escape from the Manly-Man American role espoused by Schultz.

Note that in the second Corona ad above, the beach is located in the suburban back-yard of America.  You can find your beach, or make your beach, right where you are.  The implication is that it is all in your mind.

( @neven-ebrez and @justanotheridijiton as well as others have already talked about the “false world” that is often implied when an El Sol sign is hanging near a Winchester brother.  I just thought it was interesting that there is a real-world comparison to that symbolism used on the show.)

I would argue that if there is any symbolism between real beer and the ones mentioned on the show, “El Sol” is probably referring to the real Mexican beer Sol. Literally, there is a beer called Sol that is pretty much the same light beer as corona. That one is less about “miles away from ordinary” though and talks about freedom. But yes. That’s a thought too. And I mean Schultz and Schlitz.. and El Sol and Sol..? idk it makes more sense. They’re using different brands for copyright reasons probably, but I’d say that they would only tweak the name so much.. 

@drsilverfish brought up the real Sol brand as well, and I’m sure there’s some of that in SPN’s beer name, too.  But what I’m talking about is mostly the advertising.  If you look in that top left shot, that’s pretty recognizably a Corona-type ad.  (By the way, in addition to meaning crown, corona is also a term for the halo-like circle of light around the sun, so there is a sun connection to this as well…though not as clear as the obvious connection to Sol beer.)

In real life, the brand of beer someone chooses says something about that person, in large part because of advertising.  I don’t think it’s a very big stretch to say that fiction would do the same thing in the same way.

Schlitz beer had an ad campaign based on the traditional American Man role.  Sort of like the Marlboro man was for the cigarette company.  Corona, though, really came onto the scene in the 80s and stressed escape from every day life at home.  Instead of parties and sports and hunting and the like, most of their ads were very serene and encouraged a departure from all that.  Schlitz (and many other American beers) emphasize action and social situations in their advertising.  Corona’s campaign emphasizes relaxation, isolation (just a few people if any are shown at all), and escape.

Sometimes the bottle is even used to cover up an unpleasant reality in the ad.

Corona ads have been pretty iconic for decades.  They’re different from other beer ads in the States.  It’s not just a beer, it’s a state of mind and a state of being.  Corona somehow transports you somewhere else, someplace you’d rather be.  That’s what the ads say. 

But, you’re right, Sol’s emphasis on freedom is also interesting:

“Sol is a premium beer aimed primarily at men in their 30’s in urban
areas, which is an older demographic than Heineken® or Desperados,”
says Ludovic Auvray, Global Marketing Director Sol.

The brand’s message of freedom – Espiritu Libre – resonates
with this group. “These men are at a point in their lives where they are
successful, affluent and confident, but also have an increasing number
of responsibilities. While they embrace these, they also want to remind
themselves of their inner freedom; something a bottle of Sol can offer.”

In real-life advertising, it’s pretty clear that the message is that beer isn’t just something to drink because it tastes good or will get the drinker buzzed.  It offers something else.  I think SPN is using many of their fake beer brands in the same way…they have a message (though how that message is interpreted is of course totally up for debate).  In contrast to the old Schlitz campaigns, both Corona and Sol have to do with freedom from responsibility.  In my opinion, Corona goes much farther into escapism though with their ads, and that’s what the ad line “go someplace better” on the El Sol ad reminds me of.

both Corona and Sol have to do with freedom from responsibility.  In my opinion, Corona goes much farther into escapism though with their ads, and that’s what the ad line “go someplace better” on the El Sol ad reminds me of.

Well, that adds an interesting twist to Sam being called “sunflower” last season, in the midst of his massive denial about Dean and their situation.  Keeping his face to the sun.