Here is an Old Reading PR 8 Thermometer I picked up this past weekend at a beer collectible show outside of Allentown, PA. This thermometer was made for the Old Reading Brewing Company located in Reading, PA. It would have been hung in and outside of bars and tavern to advertise Old Reading’s PR 8 beer.
The text on the thermometer’s face “Make a Date, Pick a PR 8 it’s Great!” refer’s to the brewery’s Pale Reserve 8 oz beer bottles. Pale Reserve was one of the oldest styles of beer that the brewery made dating all the way back to the 1930’s. There are actually 2 variations to this Old Reading Brewery PR 8 Thermometer. One variation has bold numbers while the other has thin numbers around the face.
This thermometer is also is said to have a variation as a wall clock although depending on the collector / dealer you talk to it’s speculated that the clock was made from another Old Reading clock in the same dimensions by bar / tavern owners. I have seen at least 3 examples of that clock in other collectors collections. A lot of advertising pieces were put out to advertise Pale Reserve including tap knobs, signs, paper ads, coasters, clocks, thermometers, light, as well as taxi cab lights.