Senate Ale Flat Top Can

Senate Ale from Chr. Heurich

Produced by the Christian Heurich Brewing Company in Washington, D.C., the Senate Ale flat top represents a distinguished piece of Mid-Atlantic brewing history. Located along the Potomac River in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, Heurich was Washington’s largest and most enduring brewery, operating until its closure in the mid-1950s.

While the brewery's primary product was its flagship Senate Beer lager, Heurich expanded its lineup by introducing Senate Ale, initially marketing the brand with festive seasonal themes before establishing it across the regional market. Manufactured with the American Can Company’s trademark "Keglined" process, the can features bold Senate branding alongside the Christian Heurich brewing name and Washington, D.C. mandatory text.

For breweriana collectors, Senate Ale cans are notable due to known design variations. These variations include early cans bearing the Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) mandatory statement, special promotional releases marking the brewery's 75th Anniversary celebration, and later post-tax-statement issues. Because the ale variant was packaged in far smaller quantities than the standard Senate lager, it remains a considerably scarcer find among East Coast regional flat tops.

Today, the legacy of the Chr. Heurich Brewing Company is preserved in the nation's capital through the historic Heurich House Museum, cementing Senate Ale's standing as a treasured artifact of District of Columbia commercial brewing history.