Champagne Velvet Brand Beer Flat Top Can

Indiana's Million Dollar Flat Top

Produced during the mid-20th century, this 12-ounce flat top can represents one of the definitive packaged presentations of Terre Haute's premier brew. The face of the can features an arched central field anchored at the top by a bold red circular emblem bearing the "CV" monogram. Beneath the flowing script of the Champagne Velvet brand name, the label prominently displays its famed registered slogan, "The Beer with the Million Dollar Flavor," framed along the bottom with decorative scrollwork flourishes.

Champagne Velvet was created in 1902 by brewmaster Walter Bruhn at the Terre Haute Brewing Company. Conceived to deliver a brew as sparkling as champagne and as smooth as velvet, the German-style pilsner quickly established itself as a regional powerhouse. Marketed with evocative slogans highlighting its premium character and million-dollar flavor, "CV" became a household staple across the Midwest and grew into the most recognized beer brand to emerge from Indiana. Following Prohibition, the brand was reintroduced with immense local celebration and enjoyed decades of sustained popularity before changing hands among various brewing operations in later years.

The Terre Haute Brewing Company traced its roots to the 19th century, expanding significantly under Anton Mayer and later Crawford Fairbanks. By the early 1900s, the company had grown to become the seventh-largest brewing operation in the United States, thriving in a city recognized as a major industrial crossroad. National Prohibition forced the brewery to halt standard production in 1918, pivoting to cereal beverages and soft drinks before suspending operations in the late 1920s. With Repeal, the facility reopened in 1934 under new ownership, restoring its flagship label and regaining substantial market share. However, intensifying pressure from national macro-breweries and mid-century industry consolidation eventually led the historic plant to close in 1958.

Mid-century flat tops from the Terre Haute Brewing Company hold an enduring place in breweriana collecting. As the flagship label from Indiana's largest historic brewing enterprise, cans featuring the Champagne Velvet insignia represent a high-water mark of regional Midwestern brewing heritage. Collectors value these containers for their iconic advertising taglines, vintage typography, and proud regional identity.