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.

Thursday’s ad is for Harvard Bock Beer, which was published on April 16, 1912. This ad was for the Harvard Brewing Co. of Lowell, Massachusetts, which was originally founded in 1893 as Consumer’s Brewing Co. This ad ran in The Boston Evening Transcript, of Boston, Massachusetts. 

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.

Tuesday’s first ad is for Bowler Brothers’ Bock Beer, which was published on April 14, 1914. This one was for the Bowler Brothers Brewing Co. of Worcester, Massachusetts, which was founded in 1883, but a few years after prohibition was repealed it went by the Brockert Brewing Co. until 1945 when it changed its name agin to the Worcester Brewing Co., which it remained for twenty years until it closed for good in 1965. This ad ran in The Record Journal, of Meriden, Massachusetts.