Arlington Brewing Co
Consumers Brewing Co
Cherry Smash Co
Company Names, addresses, dates1:
  Consumers Brewing Co, Rosslyn VA (1895-1902)
  Consumers Brewing Co office, 517 9th street NW DC (1899-1901)
  Arlington Brewing Co, Rosslyn VA (1902-1918)
  Cherry Smash, Rosslyn VA (1920-1933?)
  Dixie Brewing Corp, Rosslyn VA (1934)
Notes:
The dates above came from a combination of American Breweries II2,
DC City Directories1 and old articles in the Washington Post.
Consumers Brewing Co started in 1895 and built a brewery in Rosslyn VA.
It became the Arlington Brewing Co in 1902. If you compare the bottles
shown below it appears that there was very little difference between when
it was Consumers vs Arlington. After prohibition the brewery was bought
by John E. Fowler, who moved his Richmond based Cherry Smash soda company
to Rosslyn. In 1933 Fowler formed the Dixie Brewing Corp, but it doesn't
appear that the company lasted long enough to brew any beer. The Brewery
building was torn down in 1958 to make way for the Key Bridge Motel & Hot
Shoppes Restaurant, which is now the Key Bridge Mariott Hotel.
Bottles (Consumers Brewing Co):
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This is a 9.5" aqua blob-top (the only blob-top on this page), embossed: diagonal: Consumers below: Brewing Co. / ROSSLYN, VA. back: EHE CO |
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The bottle on the left is aqua and the one on the right is amber with
a lady-leg shaped neck. Both are 9.5" crown tops embossed: diagonal: Consumers below: Brewing Co. / ROSSLYN, VA. back: EHG CO |
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This is a 9" aqua crown-top embossed: diagonal: Consumers below: ROSSLYN, VA. |
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These bottles are the same except for the color (left is amber, right is aqua).
They are 9.5" crown tops embossed: round slugplate: CONSUMERS BREWING CO. / TRADE / CBCo / MARK / ROSSLYN VA. below slugplate: REGISTERED back: THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE SOLD |
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Left is a 9.1" aqua crown, center is a 9.7" aqua crown, and right is a 9.5" amber
lady-leg crown. They are all embossed the same: oval slugplate: CONSUMERS BREWING CO. / TRADE / CBCo / MARK / ROSSLYN VA. below slugplate: THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE SOLD The left bottle has a small glassmakers mark on the back: back: S C Co |
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These are 9.5" lady-leg crown-tops, in 3 different shades of amber.
They are embossed: diagonal: Arlington below: Brewing Co. / ROSSLYN, VA. The dark one with the painted letters is also embossed on the bottom: bottom: MALT BEVERAGE |
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These are 9.25" aqua plain-neck crown-tops. They're embossed the same, but I
included the right one because the letters are painted so it loks cool. They
are both embossed: diagonal: Arlington below: Brewing Co. / ROSSLYN, VA. |
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These are 9.5" light-amber lady-leg crown tops. The left bottle is embossed: shoulder: ARLINGTON BREWING CO. / CAPACITY / 12 1/2 OZ /ROSSLYN, VA. rear along the base: C. C. CO 931 A The right bottle is embossed: shoulder: ARLINGTON BREWING CO. / ROSSLYN, VA. rear along the base: C. C. CO 931 A |
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This is a Cherry Smash jug. Cherry Smash took over the brewery during
prohibition years. label: CHERRY / SMASH / READY TO USE / CHERRY FLAVORED / FOUNTAIN SYRUP / ... / MANUFACTURED BY / CHERRY SMASH / ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA / SINCE 1901 |
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This is another Cherry Smash jug, embossed "ONE GALLON", with the following label: label: CHERRY SMASH / READY TO USE / CHERRY FLAVORED / FOUNTAIN SYRUP / ... / DISTRIBUTED BY / ROSSLYN STATION CHERRY SMASH ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA |
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This is a textured, amber jug, embossed on both sides with "ONE GALLON". It also
has a line with an arrow pointing to it, presumably where the one-gallon mark is.
The label is the same as the one on the bottle above: label: CHERRY SMASH / READY TO USE / CHERRY FLAVORED / FOUNTAIN SYRUP / ... / DISTRIBUTED BY / ROSSLYN STATION CHERRY SMASH ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA |
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I suspect this bottle doesn't belong with the label. The label is similar to the labels on the
gallon jugs above. But the embossing on the bottle says: "5 / Five * Points / REG U.S. PAT OFF".
There was an area of Arlington called "Five Points", but I don't beleive there was ever bottling
plant there. The label of this bottle says: label: CHERRY SMASH / A BLEND OF CHERRY AND / OTHER TRUE FRUIT FLAVORS / ... ROSSLYN STATION CHERRY SMASH ARLINGTON, VA. |
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This is a cherry smash soda bottle. I don't know if it was made in the
Rosslyn facility, but it does say Arlington VA. It is a 9.6" clear
bottle with white ACL label marked: front: CHERRY SMASH / A True fruit blend / CHERRY SMASH / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / CARBONATED WATER, CANE SUGAR, / CHERRY AND OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS, / CITRIC ACID, ADDED ARTIFICIAL / FOOD COLOR, 1/20 of 1% SODIUM / BENZOATE / 10 FL. OZ. back: CHERRY SMASH / A True fruit blend / A / DELICIOUS / DRINK / FRANCHISED BY / CHERRY SMASH CO., INC. / ARLINGTON, VA., U.S.A. |
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This is a label. It says: CHERRY SMASH / TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PATENT OFFICE / CARBONATED BEVERAGE / ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, COLOR AND FRUIT ACID ADDED / BOTTLED BY AUTHORITY OF / JOHN E. FOWLER, ROSSLYN ON THE POTOMAC, VA. / MINIMUM CONTENTS 12 FLUID OUNCES / "OUR NATION'S BEVERAGE" |
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This is a letter that is postmarked 1941. It has "JOHN E. FOWLER / ROSSLYN, VIRGINIA"
on the top, and a picture of the "FOWLER BUILDING" on the bottom. |
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This is a letter that is postmarked 1935. It says: Fowler's / SMASH / "OUR NATIONS BEVERAGE"/ ROSSLYN-ON-THE-POTOMAC, VA. on the front, and a picture of the "FOWLER BUILDING" (former brewery) on the back. |