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 Bürgerbräu Gloria Bock, which was published around the 1950s. The poster was created for the Bürgerbräu Ludwigshafen, of Ludwigshafen am RheinGermany. The brewery was founded in 1861 by Georg Pschorr, Heinrich Wilhelm Lichtenberger, and Paul Franz Giulini. The text, “Für die Festtage,” translates as “For the Holidays.” The poster was created by German artist Franz Weiss.