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Gangster Wood Crates

Manhattan Brewing Company of Chicago

I like what one would call 'vintage decor'. Just walk through my house and you can tell I've bought my fair share of Hobby Lobby 'vintage' -  you know, brand new stuff that looks old.

I see these vintage looking pieces every time I'm at the tavern, much like things I would gravitate towards when I see them in the store, but then I have to remind myself that these things are actual vintage! The real deal!

So I come across some old crates and decide I want to take one home, log in to Pinterest and find some great way to decorate with it that I would never be able to think of on my own.  I decided to select the crate that shows the bottle marks on the inside bottom and because it had the word beer printed on it in old-timey letters. 




I had never heard of the beer written on the crate - Old Manhattan Beer from Manhattan Brewing Company in Chicago (yes, Chicago, not to be confused with Manhattan Brewing Company in New York which from what I could tell are completely separate operations).

Google makes two distinct things stand out when you search this beer:  organized crime and Al Capone.

The brewery was founded in 1893. Then Chicago mobster Johnny Torrio and a brewing partner purchased the brewery in 1919.  Shortly after that, Al Capone's 'finance man' took over management responsibilities.  During prohibition (1920-1933), the brewery operated under Malt Maid and then Fort Dearborn Products, although it wasn't clear to me exactly what they claimed to legally produce under those names.  The brewery was often the target of searches, so I think we can all guess what was actually being produced there. It was no surprise to learn that it was during this time that Al Capone was known to mostly be associated with the brewery.

Old Manhattan was their flagship product up until 1936 and was mostly only distributed to states that neighbored Illinois. Like perhaps to Wisconsin!? To a tavern in East Bristol!?  From what I was able to find out, the crate is likely from before 1938 because of the signs that there were bottles stored in it.  After that, the brewery switched to all cans.

In 1947, they changed their name to Canadian Ace and anything bearing the Manhattan name was no longer produced. Canadian Ace brewing closed in 1968. Canadian and Manhattan branding from a brewery in Chicago, Illinois?  Perhaps the identity crises contributed to its demise.

Sources:
Wikipedia contributors. (2018, September 22). Manhattan Brewing Company of Chicago. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, August 26, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manhattan_Brewing_Company_of_Chicago&oldid=860700734

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