Mr. Watson

Forgotten Boardwalk is a microbrewery located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey that sparks curiousity through their quirky paranormal folklore (or “pretty true tales”) on each beer can in their product line. Mr. Watson is a seasonal white IPA with quite the story. On the first ever telephone call Thomas Watson heard one thing while Alexander Bell claimed he said another. So, was it just a miscommunication or something more supernatural?

Research

Science and spirituality in the 1800s were deeply intertwined. The advancement of telephonic communication through electricity was on many scientist agendas. Both Thomas Watson and Alexander Bell clearly had a fascination with communication and sound but a lesser known fact is that they both made many attempts at speaking to those beyond the grave as well as using their technology to do so. Bell sought to speak with his deceased brother while Watson conducted seances with friends and relatives in Salem, Massachusetts. In his autobiography Exploring Life, Watson describes in detail what he witnessed in the summer of 1872 during these spiritual sittings.

The Tale

Alexander Graham Bell is best known for the invention of the telephone. What is lesser known is that his assistant, Thomas Watson, used this new technology to connect with the paranormal. In fact, before their first call in 1876, Watson conducted nightly seances and was spotted at the Jersey shore shadowing the boardwalk’s spiritualists and mediums, noting of hearing “disembodied voices.” Even more odd, on their first phone call Watson heard one thing while Bell claimed he said another. We ask, was it just a miscommunication or something more supernatural?

Final Design

Much of the layout was heavily influenced by early prototypes, blueprints and visual diagrams of Bell’s first box telephone, coiled wire and circuitry. The receiver even points upward toward the beer can holder as if speaking to Thomas Watson himself.

Ultimately, choosing the right color for this can was an important decision too. The Ekuanot hops have a grassy flavor profile and Forgotten Boardwalk liked how much the green stood out from other cans in their product line.