The boys mailed the visual rendition to Rainier. But it wasn’t until a year later that the beer company’s ad agency called and offered to buy the idea for $500.

But before Johnson thought up the series, Rainier beer gained recognition by the commercials. The iconic ads were made by a trailblazing marketing agency, Heckler and Associates.

When you drink it, it’s hard to taste the ingredients of what made Rainier Brewing Company one of the Pacific Northwest’s most recognizable brands. It took grandiose costumes, extravagant sets ...

Taking audiences back decades into history and condensing hours of footage into a single feature, “ Rainier: A Beer Odyssey ” isn’t just for lovers of the Seattle-founded brewing company ...