About Senate Beer

The Chr. Heurich Brewing Co. Senate Beer brand was popularized in the 1890s, survived Prohibition, and was produced until 1956. Test batches and the final recipe of Senate Beer revival were developed by Pilot Brewer Jeff Clawson from Oregon State University’s Fermentation Science Department who, together with Professor of Fermentation Science Tom Shellhammer, analyzed a 20-page-laboratory-report on Senate Beer from 1948 to recreate the historic DC hometown favorite. The report was discovered and initially reviewed by Lost Lagers partners Peter Jones and Mike Stein, the duo who developed the historic Heurich’s Lager recipe in 2015 together with the museum and DC Brau. The museum initially released the beer in June 2019 at a tasting event where they collected data from their guests which informed the final recipe. 

The Heurich House Museum partnered with DC’s Right Proper Brewing Company, who brewed the first Senate Beer to be available for public sale since the Chr. Heurich Brewing Co. ended the brand. A limited number of cans became available in July 2019. Currently the beer is being distributed across DC, Maryland, and Virginia - including at Nationals Park.