Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. 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.
Sunday’s ad is for F&S Bock Beer, which was published on January 11, 1957. This ad was for the Fuhrmann & Schmidt Brewing Co. of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1906. This ad ran in The Shamokin News-Dispatch, also of Shamokin, Pennsylvania. I do love the “Sealed-Ageing*” copy: “Only F&S ‘Sealed-Ageing” can accurately control the quality and purity of the beer every step of the way to you. No light, no dust, no impurities can possibly endanger its uniform goodness.”
