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.

Monday’s ad is for Utica Club or U.C. Bock Beer, which was published on February 2, 1950.  This one was for Matt Brewing Co., which was located in Utica, New York and was founded by Charles Bierbauer in 1853. Brewmaster F.X. Matt eventually bought the brewery around 1888, and today the fourth generation of the Matt family still runs the brewery. This ad ran in The Plain Speaker, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.