Scheidt's Valley Forge Beer Quart

Scheidt's Valley Forge Quart Cone Top

Manufactured during the Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) era of the late 1930s into the 1940s, this 32-ounce quart cone top can represents a large-format package engineered by the American Can Company for the Adam Scheidt Brewing Company. The label displays a red shield centered against an off-white body, emblazoned with stylized yellow lettering reading "Valley Forge BEER." Sitting above the shield is the flourished script title "Scheidt's," flanked on either side by detailed Revolutionary War-era wheeled field cannons. Grounding the lower portion of the can is the brewery's heraldic crest, featuring a rampant lion and unicorn supporting an oval escutcheon over a ribbon declaring "QUALITY ALWAYS," directly above the Norristown municipal text and one-quart volume designation.

The Valley Forge brand originated in 1912, drawing its name and identity from the nearby Revolutionary War encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. To keep the brand active during the dry years of national Prohibition, the brewery produced and marketed a dealcoholized near-beer dubbed Valley Forge Special. Following the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1933, Valley Forge returned to full strength as Scheidt’s flagship lager, promoted through advertising campaigns that celebrated patriotic heritage and traditional regional pride. The brand persisted across multiple eras of brewing, continuing production under C. Schmidt & Sons well into the 1980s after Scheidt was absorbed into the larger Philadelphia operation.

The brewery traced its beginnings along Stony Creek in Norristown around 1870 when Charles Scheidt acquired an existing local brew house. His brother Adam immigrated from Germany in 1878 to join the venture and took control following Charles's death, formally incorporating the Adam Scheidt Brewing Company in 1890. The facility grew into a massive five-story industrial complex supplied by deep artesian wells, operating its own rail transit spurs to serve Mid-Atlantic markets. Scheidt navigated Prohibition by bottling sodas, distributing coal, and delivering block ice alongside near-beer. Strong post-repeal expansion fostered a robust portfolio that also included Ram’s Head Ale and Prior Beer until the Norristown facility closed in 1975.

Quart cone top cans are prized among breweriana collectors for their imposing stature and brief window of commercial production compared to standard 12-ounce containers. This Valley Forge quart represents an iconic crossover between mid-century industrial canning innovation and American historical iconography.