Tru-Blu


Company Names, addresses, dates: 1
  Northampton Brewery Tru-blue, 4th & Channing NE (1936-1939)
  Tru-Blu beer Corp, 6100 Sligo Mill Rd NE (1941-1947)
  Tru-Blu beer Corp, 6000 Chillum pl NE (1948-?)

Notes:
Tru-Blu was a beer brewer in Northampton PA, from 1898-19522.
According to Washington DC city directories, the Tru-Blu bottling plant opened in 1936, where they bottled Tru-Blu beer that had been brewed in Northampton.
An announcement on page 4 of the Dec 9, 1940 Washington Star newspaper said that Hires RJ Root Beer had appointed the Tru-Blu Beer Corporation of Washington DC as the exclusive distributor of Hires Root beer.

Bottles:

trublu_06 book # 685
This is an amber 9.5" machine-made lady-leg crown top bottle. The label says:
neck label: TRU BLUE / FAMOUS OLD BREW OF THE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH / FAMOUS OLD BREW OF THE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH
main label: TRU-BLU / REG U.S. PAT OFF / WHITE SEAL / PILSNER STYLE / BEER BOTTLED BY TRU-BLU BEER CORP / WASHINGTON DC / BREWED BY NORTHAMPTON (PA.) BREWERY CORP. / CONTENTS 12 FL. OZ. / TAX PAID AT THE RATE PRESCRIBED BY INTERNAL REVENUE LAW
trublu_1 book # 687
This is an amber 9.5" machine-made lady-leg crown top bottle. The label says:
label: TRU-BLU / REG U.S. PAT OFF / c1939 N.B.C. / Old Fashioned / BREWED BY NORTHAMPTON (PA) BREWERY CORP / PREMIUM / BEER/ BOTTLED BY TRU-BLU BEER CORP / WASHINGTON DC
trublu_04 book # 689
This is a green 9" machine-made crown top bottle. The label says:
label: PREMIUM / Loewer's / PILSNER / STYLE / BEER / V.LOEWER'S GAMBRINUS BREWRY / BOTTLED BY TRU-BLU BEER CORP / WASHINGTON DC / INTERNAL REVENUE TAX PAID / BREWERY MANAGEMENT CORP. NEW YORK, N.Y.
The bottom of the bottle is embossed with "BOTTLE MADE IN SCOTLAND"



labels:
trublu_02 This 4"x3.75" label is similar to the one on the above bottle. It says:
TRU-BLU / REG U.S. PAT OFF / c1939 N.B.C. / Old Fashioned / BREWED BY NORTHAMPTON (PA) BREWERY CORP / PREMIUM / BEER/ BOTTLED BY TRU-BLU BEER CORP / WASHINGTON DC / CONTENTS ONE QUART / INTERNAL REVENUE TAX PAID
trublu_05 This 3.25"x3" label is similar to the one on the above bottle #687. It says:
PREMIUM / OLD / FASHONED/ BEER / CONTENTS 12 FLO. OZS. INT REVENUE TAX PAID / NORTHAMPTON BREWERY CORP. NORTHAMPTON PA. / TRU-BLU / BOTTLED BY TRU-BLU BEER CORP. WASHINGTON, D.C.
trublu_03 This 3.25"x3" label says:
TRU-BLU / REG U.S. PAT OFF / WHITE SEAL / PILSNER STYLE / BEER BOTTLED BY TRU-BLU BEER CORP / WASHINGTON DC / BREWED BY NORTHAMPTON (PA.) BREWERY CORP. / CONTENTS 12 FL. OZ. / TAX PAID AT THE RATE PRESCRIBED BY INTERNAL REVENUE LAW
trublu_07 This 3.25"x3" brown & blue label says:
BREWED UNDER FAMOUS TRU BLU PROCESS / TRU-BLU / TRADE MARK REG U.S. PAT OFF / HALF ALE & HALF PORTER / BOTTLED BY TRU-BLU BEER CORP / WASHINGTON DC / BREWED BY NORTHAMPTON (PA.) BREWERY CORP. / CONTENTS 12 FL. OZ. / TAX PAID AT THE RATE PRESCRIBED BY INTERNAL REVENUE LAW
trublu_08 I beleive this is called a "ball metal truck seal", used to seal trucks, rail cars, etc to make sure they weren't opened/tampered with. It says:
TRU BLU BEER D.C. 1837
I don't know what the "1837" refers to, but I'm sure it's not a date.


1 Boyds directories and various phone books for Washington DC, various years
2 Rich Wagner, article in ABA's American Brewerianna Journal Jul-Aug 2016


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This page last updated on April 6, 2024.