Phillip Best Brewing Co. Bock Beer
c. 1859-1889
Phillip Best Brewery ad for Bock Beer. The ad has a central figure admiring a glass of Best Bock Beer. He is surrounded around the waist in raw brewing ingredients. The product and company information is located along the bottom. The specific date is unknown, but it is dated between the years following Jacob Best’s retirement, 1859, and before it was renamed the Pabst Brewery, 1889. Phillip Best, Jacob’s son, was the president of the company during this time.
Milwaukee in the 1850’s was just beginning to become the “German Athens of the West” as it would later be known in the 1890’s due to the huge numbers of German artisans and tradesmen in the area. At this time even American celebrations such as Independence day showed off more of the old world traits than any new Americanized ones. For example, in 1852 the Best Brewing Company put an ad in a local newspaper, The Wisconsin Banner, “Next Sunday, July 4th, we begin the tapping of our Bock beer which has been brewed according to the Munich fashion”. They certainly appeared to be celebrating being Americans in a very German way.
