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. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Monday’s ad is for “Bockbier Löwenbrauerei Böhmisches Brauhaus,” created most likely in or after 1922 (although one source claims 1912, which makes no sense). This poster was for the (or Löwenbrauerei-Bohemian Brewery) of Berlin, Germany, which was created by a merger between the Böhmisches Brauhaus and Löwenbrauerei in 1922. The poster was created by German artist Georg Räder.