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.
Tuesday’s ad is for Lucky Lager Bock Beer, which was published on January 20, 1966. This one was for the Lucky Lager Breweries, known at this time as the General Brewing Corp., which was located in Vancouver, Washington, among other places, and was originally launched in 1934. This ad ran in The Great Falls Tribune, of Great Falls, Montana. If you read the fine print, you’ll discover their goat’s name is “Chet.”
