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.
Friday’s ad is for an unspecified Bock Beer, which was published on June 19, 1868. This ad was presumably for a local saloon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, apparently owned or managed by H. Mathieu and was located at the corner of West Water and Spring Streets. Mathieu was announcing that he’s recently “refitted” it and his saloon and restaurant were reopening. I assume that’s in Milwaukee, but I can’t be sure. Google maps doesn’t have that as an exact intersection. This ad ran in the Milwaukee Daily News, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
