Valley Forge Bock Flat Top Can

Mid-Century Valley Forge Bock Can

This 12-ounce flat top can represents a mid-century seasonal release from the Adam Scheidt Brewing Company of Norristown, Pennsylvania. The design features the brand name "Valley Forge" rendered in black lettering across the upper pale background, set above an ascending dark green diagonal band. Spanning the band are bold yellow script lettering for "Bock" and capital block lettering for "BEER," accompanied by the traditional illustrated profile of a horned billy goat on the lower right and a bottom yellow banner marking the twelve-fluid-ounce volume.

Adam Scheidt introduced the Valley Forge brand in 1912, quickly establishing it as the brewery's premier label alongside regional mainstays like Ram's Head Ale and Prior Beer. While bock beer was traditionally a seasonal specialty brewed during the winter months for early spring release, Scheidt was notable among regional brewers for regularly packaging its bock in cans during the 1940s and 1950s. The brewery marketed the rich seasonal brew across the Mid-Atlantic, often running advertising campaigns that encouraged consumers to enjoy the limited spring bock before transitioning to the flagship light lager for the summer.

The Adam Scheidt Brewing Company traced its origins to a brewery on Stony Creek acquired by Charles Scheidt in 1870. His brother Adam immigrated from Bavaria to join the business in 1878, and following Charles's death, the firm incorporated in 1890 under Adam Scheidt's name. The facility expanded into a large multi-story plant equipped with dedicated rail lines and on-site artesian wells. During Prohibition, Scheidt survived by producing near-beer, soda, ice, and coal, allowing it to quickly resume standard brewing upon repeal in 1933. Philadelphia-based C. Schmidt & Sons acquired the company in 1954, later renaming the facility the Valley Forge Brewing Company before eventually shuttering the Norristown plant in 1975.

Seasonal bock cans hold a distinguished place among breweriana enthusiasts because seasonal releases were produced in smaller quantities over shorter periods than year-round flagship beers. Featuring crisp typography and the classic goat motif, this can remains a representative artifact of mid-century Pennsylvania brewing.