Pickwick Ale Cone Top Can

Pickwick Ale IRTP Cone Top Can

The Can

This 12-ounce high-profile cone top can represents a classic mid-twentieth-century design produced for Haffenreffer & Company, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts. Encircling the upper gold band is the mandatory "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" (IRTP) statement alongside the notable marking "MASS. PERMIT NO. 1," designating the brewery's premier state license following the repeal of Prohibition. The front presentation displays the bold Pickwick Ale brand name set above an intricate gold coat of arms flanked by a heraldic lion and stag beneath a royal crown, resting above the elegant script of the Haffenreffer name.

The Brand

Haffenreffer introduced Pickwick Ale in the early 1900s to cater to New England's large ale-drinking population, particularly the sizable Irish-American demographic that preferred full-bodied ales over German-style pilsners. The brand grew into one of the most recognizable and enduring ale labels in the Northeast throughout the mid-twentieth century. After the Boston facility ceased operations in the 1960s, the brand was acquired by the Narragansett Brewing Company, which continued to market Pickwick Ale across regional distribution networks.

The Brewery

Established in 1870 by German immigrant Rudolph Frederick Haffenreffer in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, the firm was originally known as the Boylston Brewery. Blessed with Stony Brook spring water and convenient rail access, the brewery grew into one of the region's prominent independent producers. Haffenreffer survived the dry years of Prohibition by manufacturing non-alcoholic malt extracts and beverages before resuming brewing in 1933 under Massachusetts Permit No. 1. Managed across multiple generations of the Haffenreffer family, the brewery operated until the mid-1960s. Decades later, the historic Germania Street complex found second life as a community hub and the development facility for the Boston Beer Company.

Collecting Context

Cone tops from New England breweries hold deep historical interest for breweriana enthusiasts. As a quintessential regional release bearing both the IRTP tax statement and Massachusetts' prestigious first permit designation, this Pickwick Ale can remains an iconic representation of mid-century Boston brewing heritage.