Champagne Velvet Brand Beer Cone Top Can

1952 Champagne Velvet Cone Top

The Champagne Velvet Brand Beer cone top can represents a distinct promotional issue from 1952 produced by the Terre Haute Brewing Company of Terre Haute, Indiana. Packaged in a standard 12-ounce cone top format, this can stands out for the bold, jagged starburst graphic angled across the upper left displaying the slogan "CV-'52 TRY IT!". The burst partially overlaps the brand's bold red circular "CV" emblem, which sits alongside the "PILSENER" designation. Below the emblem, the signature flowing "Champagne Velvet" script is paired with the slogan "The Beer with the Million Dollar Flavor," while ornate scrollwork borders the base.

Champagne Velvet was originally formulated in 1902 by brewmaster Walter Bruhn, the son of German immigrants. Crafted as a German-style American pilsener, the beer quickly grew into a regional staple and became the flagship label for the brewery. Its enduring tagline, "The Beer with the Million Dollar Flavor," originated from an actual one-million-dollar insurance policy taken out to safeguard the proprietary recipe. By the mid-20th century, aggressive marketing and broad distribution propelled Champagne Velvet into a household name across the Midwest and beyond before the brand changed hands and eventually faded during the late 20th century.

Tracing its commercial origins back to the 19th century, the Terre Haute Brewing Company grew to become one of the largest brewing concerns in the nation. Although Prohibition shuttered its brewing operations, the company successfully reorganized after Repeal in the 1930s, modernizing its facilities and pioneering new packaging formats. Post-war market pressures and industry-wide consolidation eventually forced the historic facility to close its doors in the late 1950s.

In the realm of breweriana, dated promotional cone tops hold significant appeal for collectors. Can designs bearing specific yearly promotional slogans—including variations from the 1952 campaign that featured alternate calls to action—provide concrete touchstones in packaging history. Cans from this line remain celebrated centerpieces documenting Indiana's rich commercial brewing heritage.