Lion Sparkling Ale Flat Top Can

Manhattan Valley's Sparkling Ale

This 12-ounce flat top container dates from the pre-World War II era and carries the Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) designation on its side panel. The face of the can features a prominent circular medallion framed against a red background, showcasing the brewery’s traditional heraldic mascot. The illustrated lion rests its front paw atop a wooden beer barrel, which is intricately inscribed with the brewery's physical address on Columbus Avenue between 107th and 108th Streets alongside an established date of 1850.

Lion Sparkling Ale was developed to provide consumers with a brisk, effervescent alternative to standard lagers and heavier dark ales of the period. Positioned as a lively, refreshing choice for urban drinkers, the brand was distributed throughout New York City and the surrounding regional market following the end of Prohibition. The label emphasized traditional brewing heritage while adopting the modern convenience of the metal can, maintaining steady retail presence until wartime manufacturing disruptions affected regional packaging operations.

The Lion Brewery began in 1850 when Emanuel Bernheimer and August Schmid established operations in the Manhattan Valley section of New York's Upper West Side. Operating for decades under the Bernheimer & Schmid name, the enterprise grew into one of the largest and most technologically advanced breweries in the eastern United States, famous for its massive multi-story brew houses and extensive lagering cellars. The company weathered Prohibition by manufacturing dealcoholized cereal beverages and industrial ice before resuming legal alcoholic beverage production upon Repeal in 1933. Mounting financial difficulties, urban real estate development, and fierce competition led to the brewery's closure in the early 1940s, culminating in the demolition of the historic Manhattan facility.

Within the breweriana community, this can is highly valued as a tangible artifact of Manhattan's once-thriving industrial brewing core. Pre-war flat tops from New York City breweries are particularly sought after by regional specialists and collectors interested in early canning history from the brief window prior to World War II.