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Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #5266: Special Bock Beer — Light & Dark

June 12, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Friday’s ad is for Bartel’s Bock Beer (and their Lager), which was published on June 12, 1919. This ad was for the Bartels Brewing Co. of Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1898. This ad ran in the Pittston Gazette, of Pittston, Pennsylvania.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Pennsylvania

Beer In Ads #5265: Holsten Bock

June 10, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Wednesday’s work is for “Holsten Bock,” which was created in 1910. It was created for the Holsten Brewery, which was founded in 1879, in Hamburg, Germany. This poster was done by the Austrian commercial artist Julius Klinger, and it was printed by lithographers Hollerbaum & Schmidt in Berlin, Germany.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Austria, Bock, Germany, History

Beer In Ads #5264: Bock-Bier Brauerei Hülsmann Eickel

June 9, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Tuesday’s work is for “Bock-Bier Brauerei Hülsmann Eickel I. i.W.” which was created in 1913. It was created for the Hülsmann Brewery, which was founded in Herne Wanne-Eickel, Germany as early as 1664, but as a large brewery was founded in 1869. This poster was done by the German commercial artist Ludwig Hohlwein, and it was printed by lithographers Reichhold & Lang in Munich, Germany.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, Germany, History

Beer In Ads #5263: Ho Every One That Thirsteth

June 8, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Monday’s ad is for Specher’s Bock Beer (and their Lager), which was published on June 8, 1859. This ad was for the Sprecher Brewing Co., which was located in Allentown, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1848 by Frederic Adam Sprecher. This ad ran in the Wisconsin State Journal, of Madison, Wisconsin. “Ho Every One That Thirsteth” may be my new favorite tagline.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Wisconsin

Beer In Ads #5262: Absolutely Pure Daufer’s Celebrated Bock Beer

June 7, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Sunday’s ad is for Daufer’s Celebrated Bock Beer, which was published on June 7, 1897. This ad was for Daufer & Co., which was located in Allentown, Pennsylvania from 1860 until 1938, although it was known by a variety of names over that time period. It’s curious that it’s available “Saturday and Monday,” meaning not on Sunday, until you realize that at the time in Pennsylvania they had Blue Laws, which prohibited the sale of alcohol on Sundays. They were still in place when I was growing up in Pennsylvania, before moving to California in 1985. This ad ran in the Allentown Leader, also of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Pennsylvania

Beer In Ads #5261: Bockbier Aus Der Actienbrauerei Basel

June 6, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Saturday’s work is for “Bockbier aus der Actienbrauerei Basel” created around 1915. It was created for the Actienbrauerei Basel, which was founded in Basel, Switzerland in 1883. This poster was done by the Swiss commercial artist Rudolf Urech.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Switzerland

Beer In Ads #5260: It’s Beer Weather

June 5, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Friday’s ad is for an unspecified Wisconsin Bock Beer, which was published on June 5, 1942. This ad was for the Washington Tavern on Washington Ave., probably in Racine, Wisconsin. This ad ran in Racine Journal Times, also of Racine, Wisconsin. 

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Wisconsin

Beer In Ads #5259: Be Hospitable During The Smeltania

June 4, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Thursday’s ad is for Menominee Bock Beer, which was published on June 4, 1938. This ad was for the Menominee-Marinette Brewing Co. of Menominee, Michigan, which was originally founded in 1870, though it wasn’t known as Menominee-Marinette until after Prohibition. This ad ran in The Escanaba Daily Press, of Escanaba, Michigan. While overall it’s not a terribly exciting ad, there are two features that make it stand out. First, what the hell is the Smeltania? It turns out it was “a historic ‘city on the ice’ and a modern winter festival in Boyne City, Michigan. It gets its name from the legendary, bustling shanty villages that popped up on Lake Charlevoix during the winter to catch smelt.” It appeared to be a thriving festival in the 1930s but eventually died out, and was resurrected recently, but that attempt appears to have also fizzled out. You can read about it in this short article from the Lake Charlevoix Association. The second feature is the phrase “For Home Use!” which strikes me as a hilarious way to say you don’t have to go to the bar, but can continue drinking beer at home.

Here are some photos from the Smeltania during its heyday:

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Michigan

Beer In Ads #5258: Enjoy Delicious Bock Beer

June 3, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Wednesday’s ad is for Wooden Shoe Bock Beer, which was published on June 3, 1953. This ad was for the Wooden Shoe Brewing Co., of Minster, Ohio, which was founded in 1869 by Frank Lange. According to the ad, the bock was being sold exclusively at Burley’s Market. This ad ran in The Chillicothe Gazette, of Chillicothe, Ohio.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Ohio

Beer In Ads #5257: Dessower Schlossbrauerei Bockbier

June 2, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Tuesday’s work is for “Bockbier” created between 1898-1900. It was created for the Dessower Schlossbrauerei (Dessow Castle Brewery) owned by Theodor Gilka, though the brewery was founded in 1867 by Herr von Kriegsheim. This poster was done by the German commercial artist Hans Lindenstaedt, and was printed by Hollerbaum & Schmidt of Berlin.


Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, Germany, History

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