Old Georgetown: circa 1953.  USBC 106-16

This is my "Can of the Month" page, where I will show off a can from my collection that is a favorite along with a little information about the can.  It will not always be a rare can.  This month's, for example, is a local favorite from Washington, D.C..

Old Georgetown Beer was produced by The Christian Heurich (pronounced HIRE ICH) Brewery in Washington, D.C. starting in 1947.  They began canning it about 1950.  There were two major designs, the earlier one had a different looking map and a smaller logo (see picture below).  There are two variations of this can.  One (USBC # 106-17 ) was produced by American Can Company and has a red compass on the map (below the "R" in "BEER.")   The second, which is pictured above (USBC # 106-16), has a compass without the red and was made by Continental Can Company.  The same variations supposedly exist with the earlier can as well.

The map on this can features some of the landmarks of Washington, D.C. including...

• Dumbarton Oaks
• The Georgetown University 'castle'
• the Francis Scott Key Home
• the Cumberland Canal
• Rock Creek
• Pennsylvania Avenue
• the White House
• the Hagerstown-Frederick Turnpike
• The Potomack (sic) River

and...
• The Christian Heurich Brewery!

 

The first Old Georgetown can. This is not the can from my collection, alas.  (USBC 106-15)	The Old Georgetown comes both with and without a keglined panel.  They seem to be about equally common.	A scarce variation.  This brown border around the map is a light yellow-brown.  Enough have been found to be sure this is not just a faded label.  Made by CC&S it is far less common that the brown-bordered cans.

 

An Old Georgetown ad from The Northern Virginia Sun, April 14, 1950.
Courtesy of the Arlington County Historical Society, Arlington, Virginia.

Old Georgetown Promotions

Besides the newspaper ads and things such as coasters, posters, signs, etc, Christian Heurich also used radio ades with an Old Georgetown radio jingle (1.59 mb) They also used bumper stickers with, which are now quite rare!






 

 

 

 

Sources Used:

You can read more at my page devoted to the history of the Christian Heurich Brewery.

Beer Can Collectors of America.  United States Beer Cans (Beer Can Collectors of America: Fenton, Mo) 106.

Heurich, Gary. "The Christian Heurich Brewing Company, 1872-1956," Records of the Columbia Historical Society of Washington, D.C. 1973-1974 Francis Coleman Rosenberger, ed. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1976) 604-615.

Remick, Bruce.  "Christian Heurich Brewery"  Beer Can Collectors News Report  Sept.-Oct. 1978 (8:5) : 23-26.

Van Wieren, Dale P. American Breweries II (West Point, PA., East Coast Breweriana Association, 1995)  60.