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.

Satuday’s Independence Day ad is for Washington Brewery Co.’s Pure Bock Beer, which was published on July 4, 1894. This ad was for the Washington Brewery Co. of Washington, D.C., which was originally founded in 1850 by George Juenemann.  It was originally known as George Juenemann Mount Vernon Brewery and was located between 4th, 5th, E and F Street Northeast. In 1889, they began using the Washington Brewery Co. name. This ad ran in the Washington Post, also of Washington, D.C.