Last year I decided to concentrate on Bock ads. 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.

Wednesday’s ad is for Poth’s Bock Beer and was published April 23, 1908. The brewery was the F.A. Poth & Sons Brewery of Philadelphia. This ad ran in The Courier Post, which serve South Jersey and the Delaware Valley. The ad announced that “Poth’s Bock [will be] ready April 16th,” which is interesting since it ran a week after its release date.