Last year I decided to concentrate on Bock ads. Bock, of course, 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.

Tuesday’s ad is depicts a goat fight, apparently to the death, as the victor head butts the other goat over the ledge of a cliff. Standing behind and watching this epic battle are personifications of the major nations of the time, all with mugs of Bock beer in their hands. The Library of Congress mentions a connection to the F. Klemm Brewery of Baltimore, Maryland, although it’s fairly subtle and not all obvious. In the bottom right-hand corner is the following text, quite tiny: “Published by F. Klemm, No. 429 Central Ave., Baltimore, MD.” The chromolithograph was created in 1878. The lithographer was A. Hoen & Co., of 75 Second St., in Baltimore, Maryland. “A. Hoen & Co. was a Baltimore, Maryland-based lithography firm founded by Edward Weber in the 1840s as E. Weber & Company. When August Hoen took it over following Weber’s death, he changed the name and built the company into one of the most prominent in the industry at the time.”