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.

Saturday’s ad is for Wiessner’s Bock Beer and was published in 1909. The brewery was the J.F. Wiessner & Sons Brewing Co. of Baltimore, Maryland, which was originally founded in 1863. This ad ran in The Baltimore Sun, also of Baltimore, Maryland. It’s funny to see Gambrinus (“The Inventor of Beer” — who knew?) riding a goat with the tagline “From Gambrinus to Wiessner., From Primitive Methods to the Climax of Perfection.”