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.

Thursday’s ad is for Our Bock Beer. The ad was published on June 12, 1895. This one was for the Texas Brewing Co., which was located in Fort Worth, Texas and was founded in 1891 and closed in 1918 due to Prohibition. This ad ran in the Fort Worth Daily Gazette, of Fort Worth, Texas. I love that they used some simple lines to create a minimalist, modern art in 1895.