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.

Saturday’s ad for Bock Beer depicts a brewer standing on the top of a wooden barrel with an even larger one behind him. He’s holding up a mug of beer triumphantly, surrounded by hops., with the text “§ 11,” whatever that means. The “§” symbol, as I’ve used it, stands for “section” and is typically used in the law and legislation, so I’m not sure what the context is in this case. The lithograph was created in 1880.  The lithographer appears to be “Druck u.Verlag v.C.Burckardt’s Nachf. R.Ackermann,” located in Weissenburg, Germany.