Heurich Brewery
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA historic Washington, D.C., brewery that became the capital's largest brewer before closing in 1956.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Christian Heurich Brewing Company, commonly known as Heurich Brewery, was a major Washington, D.C., lager brewery founded in 1872 by German immigrant Christian Heurich. It grew from a rented neighborhood brewery near Dupont Circle into the largest brewery in the history of the capital. Its principal products included Senate Lager, Heurich Lager, Maerzen Beer, Bock, Home Beer, and, later, Senate Ale. Although the company remained primarily a regional producer rather than a national shipping brewery, it achieved a dominant position in Washington and surrounding parts of Maryland and Virginia. Christian Heurich was born in 1842 in Saxe-Meiningen, apprenticed as a brewer and butcher, and traveled through several European brewing regions during his journeyman years. After immigrating to the United States in 1866, he worked in Baltimore and several other cities before settling on Washington as a promising market. In 1872 he and Paul Ritter rented the Schnell Brewery and Tavern on 20th Street NW. The partners shifted the business from small-scale weissbier production toward lager brewing, but soon separated. Heurich retained the Washington operation and incorporated the business in 1890. The company expanded despite the economic difficulties of the 1870s. Fires and the changing character of the Dupont Circle neighborhood eventually encouraged Heurich to relocate. A large new plant opened in Foggy Bottom in 1895 near the Potomac River, at what later became the site of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The facility was designed for annual production of approximately 500,000 barrels and included a substantial ice plant. The ice operation supported both beer production and a home-delivery ice business, helping the company remain active during periods when alcohol sales were restricted. Bottling capacity was added in 1897, with additional bottling facilities established in Baltimore and Norfolk. By the late nineteenth century, Heurich was Washington's leading brewer. Its beers won medals at the 1900 Paris World's Fair, the 1905 Liège World's Fair, and the 1907 Jamestown Exposition. The company also became involved in a prolonged local pricing conflict known as the Beer War after Heurich broke an agreement among Washington brewers concerning minimum prices. Competitors and some labor organizations attempted to limit saloon sales of Heurich products, but the campaign failed and the brewery retained its leading local position. Prohibition severely damaged the business. Virginia adopted statewide prohibition, and Congress subsequently prohibited alcoholic beverage production and sales in Washington, D.C., beginning in 1917. Heurich's beer operation remained closed until 1933, while the ice plant continued operating and supplied institutions including the United States Senate and Supreme Court. After repeal, the company deliberately waited to release properly matured beer rather than rushing underaged product to market. This strategy helped it become Washington's only surviving brewery for a period, and Senate Beer became its central post-Prohibition label. The company expanded its packaging during the late 1930s, placing Senate Beer, Senate Ale, and Senate Bock in cans. Nevertheless, postwar changes in the brewing industry, declining sales, and the anticipated government acquisition of the Foggy Bottom property contributed to closure in 1956. The plant was demolished in 1961. The Heurich name was later revived by Christian Heurich's grandson Gary Heurich through the Olde Heurich Brewing Company in Utica, New York, which operated from 1986 until 2006. That later venture was a separate successor operation rather than a continuation of the original Washington brewery.
History
Christian Heurich established the brewery in Washington, D.C., in 1872 after gaining brewing experience in Europe and the United States. He and Paul Ritter rented the Schnell Brewery and Tavern on 20th Street NW, where they replaced the existing small-scale weissbier operation with equipment and methods suited to lager production. Their partnership ended soon afterward, leaving Heurich in control. His sister Elisabeth helped him manage the early business, and he married Amelia Mueller Schnell, the former brewery owner's widow, in 1873. The brewery expanded during the 1870s and 1880s, employing a sizable workforce and delivery network for a local producer. Fires, including a major 1892 fire, and the increasingly residential character of the Dupont Circle area prompted Heurich to seek a larger and safer site. The Foggy Bottom brewery opened in 1895 along the Potomac River. Its planned capacity was about 500,000 barrels annually, and its ice plant could produce roughly 150 tons of ice per day. The company used the ice for lagering and also sold it through home delivery. Bottling was introduced in 1897, followed by facilities in Baltimore and Norfolk. Heurich's principal market remained Washington and nearby portions of Maryland and Virginia. Unlike nationally distributed brewers such as Pabst, Schlitz, or Anheuser-Busch, the company concentrated on regional strength. By the 1890s it was the capital's largest brewery and sold Senate Lager, Heurich Lager, Maerzen Beer, and seasonal Bock. Its products received medals at international and regional expositions, including Paris in 1900, Liège in 1905, and Jamestown in 1907. The company faced commercial and labor conflict in the early twentieth century. In 1904 Heurich abandoned a local agreement governing minimum beer prices, leading competing brewers and some unions to pressure saloon owners not to carry his products. The campaign lasted several years but collapsed by 1907. Lower prices and Heurich's comparatively strong relations with local labor helped preserve the brewery's market position. Temperance legislation presented a more serious threat. The company introduced Home Beer, containing less than two percent alcohol, and used advertising and promotional material to present beer as compatible with domestic and family life. These measures could not prevent prohibition. Virginia's prohibition regime and a congressional law making Washington, D.C., dry in 1917 stopped the brewery's beer business. Heurich kept the plant's ice operation running and supplied ice to federal institutions, including the Senate and Supreme Court. A proposed apple beverage, Liberty Apple Champagne, fermented beyond permitted alcohol limits and was ultimately discarded rather than sold as vinegar. After national Prohibition ended in 1933, Heurich did not immediately release beer. It waited for proper maturation, then returned with Senate Lager, Heurich Lager, Maerzen, Bock, and Home Beer. Senate Beer became the leading label, followed by Senate Ale. Beginning in 1939 the company packaged its beers in cans, reflecting the growing importance of canned beer. The brewery celebrated Christian Heurich's seventy-fifth year as a brewer in 1940, but postwar industry consolidation and weakening sales eventually undermined the business. The brewery closed in 1956. Arena Stage temporarily used part of the former complex for performances, but the buildings were demolished in 1961 as the Foggy Bottom site was redeveloped for the approaches to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and related public works. In 1986, Heurich's grandson Gary established the Olde Heurich Brewing Company in Utica, New York. That revival reproduced or adapted historic labels, including Foggy Bottom, Old Georgetown, and Senate, but it also closed in 2006.
- 2006
Olde Heurich Brewing Company closes
[1]The later family-associated revival operation ceased production.
- 1986
Heurich name revived in New York
[1]Gary Heurich founded the separate Olde Heurich Brewing Company in Utica, New York.
- 1961
Foggy Bottom complex demolished
[1]The former brewery buildings were removed during redevelopment of the site.
- 1956
Original brewery closes
[1]Declining sales and redevelopment pressure led to the closure of the Washington brewery.
- 1939
Senate brands enter cans
[1]The company began packaging Senate Beer, Ale, and later Bock in cans.
- 1933
Beer production resumes after Prohibition
[1]Heurich returned to brewing after repeal, initially emphasizing properly matured beer and rebuilding its pre-Prohibition labels.
- 1917
Washington, D.C., goes dry
[1]Congressional prohibition ended Heurich's beer production in the capital; the ice plant continued operating.
- 1913
Home Beer introduced
[1]The brewery launched a low-alcohol beer containing less than two percent alcohol in response to growing temperance pressure.
- 1907
Beer War ends
[1]The prolonged local pricing conflict against Heurich's brewery had largely dissipated, leaving it Washington's largest brewer.
- 1905
Gold medal at Liège
[1]Heurich products received a gold medal at the Liège World's Fair.
Products and positioning
A regional German-American lager brewery positioned around reliable local production, traditional beer styles, Washington identity, and broad distribution throughout the capital region. In the early twentieth century it also used low-alcohol and family-oriented marketing to respond to temperance pressure.
Lager
Senate Beer
The brewery's best-known flagship label, Senate Beer became the central product of the post-Prohibition business and was strongly associated with Washington, D.C. It was also among the company's products packaged in cans during the late 1930s.
Lager
Heurich Lager
A core house lager sold by the original Washington brewery before Prohibition and brought back after beer production resumed in 1933. It represented the company's German-American brewing heritage and regional lager focus.
Lager
Maerzen Beer
A seasonal or specialty lager in the brewery's traditional portfolio. Maerzen Beer was sold alongside Senate Lager and Heurich Lager before Prohibition and returned to the lineup after repeal.
Seasonal beer
Bock
A spring seasonal beer associated with the brewery's traditional German-style range. The brand returned after Prohibition and was later packaged in cans along with Senate Beer and Senate Ale.
Low-alcohol beer · 1913
Home Beer
Introduced in 1913 with an alcohol content below two percent. It was marketed as a milder, more domestic and broadly acceptable beverage during the rise of temperance campaigns, and the product was also offered after Prohibition.
Ale · 1938
Senate Ale
Introduced in the late 1930s as a companion to the dominant Senate Beer label. Senate Ale was part of the brewery's post-Prohibition portfolio and was subsequently packaged in cans.
Apple beverage
Liberty Apple Champagne
A non-alcoholic apple drink developed during Washington's dry period. Fermentation in storage raised its alcohol level beyond what could legally be sold, so the remaining stock was discarded rather than marketed.
Ice and industrial by-product · 1895
Ice
The Foggy Bottom plant included a large ice operation used for lager production and home delivery. During Prohibition, ice became the brewery's principal operating business and was supplied to federal institutions.
Marketing campaigns
- 1914Beer cookbook coupon promotion
Washington, D.C. · Virginia · Maryland
The brewery offered a cookbook in exchange for coupons included with cases of beer. The publication also advertised Home Beer and helped frame the product as part of domestic life.
Outcome. The promotion could not offset the prohibition measures that soon removed the company's principal market.
- 1913Home Beer temperance-era marketing
Washington, D.C. · Virginia · Maryland
Heurich promoted a beer containing less than two percent alcohol as a milder beverage suitable for women and people seeking a less potent drink. The effort formed part of a broader attempt by brewers to respond to the growing influence of temperance organizations.
Outcome. The campaign did not prevent prohibition in Virginia or Washington, D.C.
Brand decisions
1986
Revival through Olde Heurich Brewing CompanyOtherBackground
The Heurich family name retained historical recognition in Washington brewing.
Action taken
Gary Heurich established a separate brewery in Utica, New York, and revived labels connected with the original company.
Aftermath
The successor operation closed in 2006 and did not restore the original Washington brewery.
1956
Close the original breweryStrategyBackground
Sales had declined and the government was expected to acquire the Foggy Bottom property for bridge approaches and related infrastructure.
Action taken
The Christian Heurich Brewing Company ended brewing operations.
Aftermath
The complex was used briefly by Arena Stage and demolished in 1961.
1939
Adoption of canned packagingProduct launchBackground
Cans were becoming increasingly important in the American beer market.
Action taken
Heurich began packaging Senate Beer, Senate Ale, and later Senate Bock in cans.
Aftermath
Canning broadened the packaging range but did not reverse the long-term pressures that eventually led to closure.
1933
Cautious post-Prohibition reopeningStrategyBackground
Beer sales resumed under federal reforms, but many breweries rushed underaged beer to market.
Action taken
Heurich waited for its beer to mature properly before relaunching its traditional brands.
Aftermath
The approach helped Heurich become Washington's only remaining brewery for a period and strengthened Senate Beer as its flagship.
1917
Continue operating the ice plant during ProhibitionStrategyBackground
Congress prohibited alcoholic beverage production and sales in Washington, D.C., ending Heurich's beer business.
Action taken
Heurich kept the brewery complex active through ice production and secured institutional supply work.
Aftermath
The brewery remained closed as a beer producer until 1933 while the ice business preserved some activity and employment.
1913
Launch of Home BeerProduct launchBackground
Temperance organizations were gaining influence and alcohol restrictions were expanding in Virginia and elsewhere.
Action taken
The brewery introduced a low-alcohol beer containing less than two percent alcohol.
Aftermath
Home Beer remained part of the portfolio but did not prevent the closure of the beer operation when Washington went dry in 1917.
1895
Move from Dupont Circle to Foggy BottomStrategyBackground
Repeated fires and the residential development of the Dupont Circle neighborhood made the original brewery increasingly unsuitable.
Action taken
Heurich built a much larger, fire-resistant brewery beside the Potomac River in Foggy Bottom and added extensive ice and later bottling capacity.
Aftermath
The new plant became the largest brewery in Washington's history and supported the company's regional dominance.
Sources2 sources
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