A is for Acme Brewing of San Francisco and Los Angeles. In Calif. and adjacent states, if a 1930's to late 1940's era beer can happens to be found, among the most commonly seen would be an Acme Beer - the red/black can from the 1930's or the black can used into the 1950's.  A few Acme cans are moderately scarce when found on- grade - the two Ale variations produced in the 1930's, and the bock can with the "shield" label, produced in the early 1950's.   
    Acme Brewing, with its two plants combined, made it the largest brewing company in Calif. in the 1930's. However, after WWII, its market share dropped steadily as Lucky, Burgermeister, Regal, and Maier increased their market shares temporarily until the early 1950's. Then starting in the mid 1950's, outside-California brewers Coors, Olympia, Budweiser, Hamm, and Schlitz began capturing market share from most other sellers. Acme Brewing Company ended in 1954, selling the Los Angeles plant to Rheingold of New York. 
    By the late 1960's, Coors had become the leader in California beer sales with around 25% of the market; together with Olympia, Budweiser, and Schlitz, the four brewers had over 65%. The only remaining California brewers that canned beer were Lucky and Maier with a 10%, and declining, market share.

A is for Associated: From a collection assembled by a couple in Clovis, Calif. who traveled around Calif. in the mid-late 1930's and may be the only authentic paper label, opening direction can. At one point on the bottom of the label, there is a small gap between the label and the metal rim, which shows the colors of a "green" Brown Derby can. "Two-cans-in-one" was coined by Gene DiCicco for this beer can. Gene was given ideas to take the label off, but being an experienced collector and knowing the provenance of the can, Gene preserved it as was found by the Clovis couple. (A slightly short Associated label was obtained with other beer labels by Rawley Douglas BCCA #19952 in a San Francisco antique shop, but later without his permission copies were made; these xerox copies have been seen in collections placed around an unrelated can. Humboldt Malt and Brewing Co had its office at 50 Sutter St and the location of this office may account for the label being found in SF.))

In early 2008 Herman Oswald reported in Rusty Bunch website that he and another collector opened a "30's" pit in Northern Calif. at a higher elevation campsite. In the pit along with "usual stuff" were found a number of Associated paper label cans with the remains of their paper labels still attached over a "silver primer". When the silver primer was cleaned off, at least 9 "green" Brown Derby cans were revealed - for an unprecedented group of a previously rarely seen beer can label.

Herman thinks the campsite pit was of the type used by tourists to the area rather than by local residents. Also for another clue, Herman has described he found, "a couple Coca-Cola soda bottles mixed in with the Brown Derby layer of the pit that had Los Angeles on them, which would indicate possible Southern California tourist influence." When digging, Herman also brings a "Sherlock Holmes" perspective by looking for signs as to the pit's age and who could have been there those many years before.

Herman has made many top "finds", but this one could be among the "Top 10" for about any year, and possibly for any of several longer time intervals, decade, etc. The Associated paper label can was first seen in Clovis collection in 1971. At the time, it was thought to be "authentic" since part of a beer can group assembled by a couple who picked up cans as they vacationed around Calif. in the 1930's, but many years were needed until 2008 when other examples were dug from a pit to give more confirmation that it was an "authentic" beer can.

Dan Andrews in April/May, 1994 BCCA Magazine has a "Can Close Up" article on the Brown Derby and Associated paper label cans from Humboldt Malt and Brewing Co. Top

A is for Ambassador: Dan Andrews wrote an article in BCCA magazine on this small Los Angeles brewery that operated until around 1941, producing only one can label and apparently very little breweriana. Per Calif. Brewing Assn. records, after ranking #14 in beer sales for 1935 among 35 Calif. breweries, Ambassador dropped steadily in the following years during the time when it was canning beer. By Dec. 1937 the brewery had dropped down to 22nd and had annual taxable beer sales only ahead of Globe and Salinas (Monterey brand).

Among the on-grade examples known for Ambassador:
--one from Canada that a bottle collector reportedly picked up at a Portland, OR show was located by Dick Caughey in the 1980's. (Maybe ended up in Oregon via a train rider from Los Angeles?)
--Mercier Collection example
--an example which oddly turned up in the 1970's in New Jersey and its history is described as part of the "Leidigs" story describing the "Leidigs Deluxe" variation. (A Horton Brewery employee saved "mis-sent" cans that were occasionally found mixed in with Horton brand cans from Continental Can plant.)
--around 2001 Dan Scoglietti located a former Los Angeles plumber who had retired out-of-state and had saved over 100 cans produced during the 1930's to 1950's that he had picked up over the years. The rarest ones were three grade 1 or better Ambassador cones, along with a Balboa from Monarch Brewing. Pictures of these cans are on beercanmuseum.com under "Calif. beer can find".
--in 2008, a grade 1 or better appearing example turned up on ebay that was found at a flea market in NE Texas. The finder said the flea market seller had it on display for 2 1/2 days before he bought it, which he (and other collectors now too) thought was a very long time for a rare can to be available for sale at a flea market. Another example showing that beer cans are still a lesser known collectible that can have value.

Off-grade examples are also rare, but have been found in scattered dumps. In the early 1970's there was an active digger of cans, which were sold at his relics shop in Pear Blossom or Littlerock, Calif., who found some of the earliest Ambassador cone examples. Top

A is for Apex: A can filled in Seattle, which includes a statement that is was made for Alaska. On-grade examples that have been saved are relatively few such as the pictured can - a #701 Tichelar can; one in the Mercier collection; and a few others such as reportedly one in the "Seattle Jockey Club" collection that was located possibly around Coos Bay, OR. A number of examples have been dug and found under buildings in Alaska along with others in Washington State. Top

A is for Arrow Ale and Arrow Bock: Baltimore, Maryland was a brewing center with a number of major regional breweries. This Arrow Ale design was sold as the Depression was ending and apparently (?) was an attempt to convey the image as the beverage of choice for those living and riding as masters and huntsmen during the fox hunts on horse farms in Maryland and the Delaware/Pennsylvania "Chateau Country". Since this brand has been rare in the metallic can, the marketing venture must not have attracted those ale drinkers who actually bought Arrow products as the other Arrow can designs had more routine designs. This Arrow Ale was held by several collectors in the Mid-West for some years, but its prior history is uncertain; until 1976 it may have been in Will Anderson's collection?
Arrow Bock in on-grade condition is lesser seen, even among the typically limited distribution bock brands. Top

A is for Aztec Brewing Co. San Diego: per Will Anderson's Beer USA, the Aztec Brewing Company of Mexicali, Mexico in 1932 moved most of its brewing equipment to San Diego in anticipation that the American Prohibition would end. By 1936 it had become the 5th largest brewing company in California after Acme, Rainier, General, and Los Angeles Brewing.  By 1940 it had canned beer in the five different labels pictured - it's main ABC beer; graphic Old Dutch Beer and Ale, and the rarest can, Associated for a grocery chain. In 1947 Altes Brewing of Michigan made the right decision to include a brewery in a higher growth market and bought Aztec Brewing. However, sales didn't meet expectations and the San Diego brewery location was closed in 1953. Top


Brockert Porter "J" spout: in 1982 an Enterprise Auction featured a Brockert Porter ("click" to see a page from that Auction's booklet) with the claim: "the only known surviving example". However such claims of rarity are risky to believe when a previously unusual can is offered without a long provenance: within a year, Buffalo beer can dealer Paul Michel had located three more Brockert Porter cans held by antique dealer in Lowell, Mass. Two of these cans were top shape and one had a rust mark on the front. Since that time other Brockert Porter cans have been found in dumps but apparently no more on-grade examples have appeared of what still is the only Porter type beer that has been canned.

B is for Brown Derby: The "green" Brown Derby - a variation that apparently had a very short run as few examples are known. Saved early on by a collector who started in 1936 a beer collection at a small Sierra Nevada town and who assembled a 200+ can collection over the next 15 years. Top

B for Buckingham Ale: This metallic can has an unusual geometric cross-hatching that makes the can "dazzle" when turned in a light. The two pictures highlight small segments of the cross-hatching, especially in the side view. Two 1+ examples of this brand were in the Pottstown, PA collection and are bottom opened. Uncertain if any more 1+ all-original examples are around, and apparently there are just a few tarnished, to very tarnished/scratched cans also around. Additionally, a Colorado collector has a rolled example that as a flat was first found in the late 1980's by former BCCA member Harvey Lambert, along with some other flats such as Golden Rod. Top

B is for Buffalo breweries that canned beer:  Buffalo had a long brewing tradition before Prohibition reportedly with 80 or more breweries and around 30 operating at once during some time intervals. Around 1900, Buffalo was one of the country's major industrial centers as the 3rd largest steel producer, grain terminus for the Great Lakes, and major transportation hub with a substantial German and Polish population who liked beer. 
    For a U.S. city with a population around 270,000 in 2008, Buffalo has among the widest variety of architecturally significant civic and residential structures still in use and a very active Preservationist movement. There is a well organized and extensive website of current photos and historical background: "Buffalo as an Architectural Museum".
    Unfortunately in one industrial category, former brewery structures, not many are left but a good example remains - part of the original Phoenix Brewery (1888) at Washington and Virginia. This former brewery well represents the typical looking design by Otto Wolf of Philadelphia with elaborate brick work, etc. 
    After Prohibition the main breweries that returned to making beer were:
    ----Gerhard Lang Brewery (the largest in Buffalo before Prohibition, once covering over 30 acres at Best and Jefferson) which lasted until 1949.
    and five breweries in East Buffalo, south of Broadway:
    ----Magnus Beck Brewing Co. which lasted until 1955.
     ----Phoenix Brewery, which had relocated to Emslie St and canned beer briefly in the late 1950's before being bought by International Breweries in 1959, which then reportedly used the plant to brew ale. 
    ----Iroquois Beverage Corp., which in 1955 became the lead brewery of 4-5 breweries in several states that joined to become International Breweries, Inc. The Pratt St. brewery in Buffalo was a functional 1890's design that operated until 1971, and still has several buildings standing. 
            During the 1930's Iroquois Beverage had a Beer and an Ale in two graphic low profile cones, along with an  olive drab J-spout during WWII. Rumors continue that an all-original Half and Half cone exists. Currently the "Half and Half" cone that is pictured in books has been described by New York collector Tom Leo as: "a partial Half and Half sheet that has been rolled."
                After World War II, Iroquois filled several different cone labels and flat tops.
   Under the International Breweries name, the group of 4-5 breweries used a standard label design for a number of brands along with other brands having their own labels.  
    ----The William Simon Brewery, farther south on Emslie from Phoenix Brewery, canned beer from the 1950's into the later 1960's.  The Brewery, lasting until 1972, operated in a better-than-average architecturally detailed 1900-era building that is still standing. 
    ----George F. Stein Brewery, which stopped in 1958, had its brewery building demolished in 1959. The Stein location at 797 Broadway, had been the site of a brewery since 1852. (In the 1920's part of the former brewery plant was taken to realign Smith St. at the intersection with Broadway to match with Herman St. going north.)
            The Stein Brewery also only started canning in the early 1950's and filled six colorful beer and ale cans with the rarest being the early 1950's "Canadian Brand Cream Ale" which has a picture of that brand in a bottle by the seam. In the 1950's and 1960's the Buffalo area saw the importation of many Canadian beers and ales ("dumped" into the Buffalo market?), which was another challenge for Buffalo breweries.  Still to be uncovered is whether the Stein Brewery marketed its "Canadian Ale" to sell in Canada or to give Buffalo ale drinkers a "Canadian style" ale that was produced in Buffalo as an alternative to the flooding Canadian imports.
 
        ----One of the most active 1980's beer can dealers was in Buffalo, Paul Michel, until he unfortunately died in the later 1980's. Tom Leo understands Paul located the Stein's Canadian Ale can in a Buffalo collection just in time for a picture of it to be included in the Class Book. While Paul's father was a coin dealer and Paul grew up knowing all the "dealer angles", he was known to convey many rarer cans to on-going collectors at prices that encouraged their continuing buying, rather than pricing a can for only the one buyer who might appear.   Top

Butte Beer low profile:  The brewery in Montana filled two different cones and several flat tops until going out of business in the early 1960's, with the 1930's low profile was the rarest. Clay Tichelar found a Butte low profile cone in the Bensenville, IL collection and for some years it was thought to be the only example available. However, by the late '70's, collectors in Montana had heard about a small find held originally by a former employee. Per Jack Riesselman, around 1983-4 a Montana antique dealer turned out to have 17 of the low profiles and sold some to him, Ole Olsen, and a few other collectors. In the 1990's Jack saw another low profile at a Butte show that wasn't part of the original "17", which makes "19" on grade examples, so far.
    Also Jack knows of at least two flat sheets that have been made into cones, and has seen two dumpers.
   
    The Butte low profile continues as a rare can with less than a case of on-grade examples and unusually for a rare cone, as of summer, 2009 apparently there are more on-grade examples than dumpers. 
 
    Some collectors have copies of correspondence on Butte Brewing Co. letterhead from late 1936 that discusses sending "6 cases" to one distributor, and more were likely shipped. In Montana cabin or campsite pits from the '30's, more Butte low profile cones are awaiting discovery. Top

C is for Chester: The quart and left side 12oz were in a Pottstown, PA collection and were kept full until 1972 when bottom opened. The other 12oz cone was obtained by Dick Caughey in the 1980's from a Philadelphia "find". Top

C is for Clipper: This pair represents two of the better shape examples from the 13 can West Sacramento "find" in 2002, and is described in the April, 2003 BCCA magazine article highlighted by Gene DiCicco's picture with a large group of Clipper flats. Today at Treasure Island there is still "Clipper Cove" where these airplanes would gather in San Francisco Bay when returning from or flying to across-the-Pacific destinations. Top

D is for Dobler Bock: A bottom opened example from the collection of Joe Veselsky and a can he said he picked up in the mid 1950's while on a drive from Long Island to Niagara Falls. Top

D is for Doelger Ale: Found in the 1990's by Ken Ostrow at a New Hampshire show and obtained from an antique dealer who travels the New England/upstate New York area. However, how and where this top shape example was saved isn't known. Top

D is for Dutch Club: These two cone variations were of a brand connected with "Eberhardt & Ober Brewing Co", part of Pittsburgh Brewing Company. Details are in the August, 2003 BCCA magazine article, but in 1899 Pittsburgh Brewing Company led one of the larger mergers of local breweries which combined to make, at the time, the 3rd largest brewing company in the U.S. Top

E is for Eagle from El Rey Brewing and Albion Brewing which were at the same location in San Francisco. El Rey Brewing was far out Mission St. in the 5000 block and had one of the most colorful group of beer can brands, such as Eagle.
"Eagle" as a brand has been prominently associated with the American brewing industry by at least ten breweries being named Eagle; and the bird has been featured in the breweriana from many more breweries. "El Rey" was the brewery's name until changed in July, 1938 to "Albion"; then in 1941, this brewery location's name was changed a 3rd time to Eagle just prior to going out of business in 1942.
This grade 1 Eagle example from Albion Brewing (the Eagle cone with the solid blue banner at bottom of can and the "Albion" name is on the side) was seen at Joe Veselsky's as early as September, 1970, and was in Wally Gilbert collection for many years. Around 2002, 5-6 Eagle-by-Albion cans were reportedly dumped in the Grass Valley, CA area and the label remains rare in any condition. Also a dozen or more Eagle "withdrawn free" examples reportedly were found off Highway 50 in the Sierras.
Besides these two different Eagle cones, the brewery also sold beer in cones under the Tornberg's Old German label, Leidig's Dutch Mill, and the most common brand found by collectors, El Rey. In December, 1936 of the breweries in California that sold beer in cans, El Rey Brewing was among the smaller ones with sales only ahead of Grace Brothers Los Angeles, Globe Brewing of San Francisco, and Salinas Brewing. Top

E is for Eastside Ale: Los Angeles Brewing was a major California brewery for many years with their popular "Eastside" beer and the name is connected with the brewery's location being just east of the Los Angeles River. This metallic Ale can is from the unusual group of 1930's cans originially in a Chico, Calif. bar collection that was obtained by Randy McMahon (former BCCA #31597). Top

F is for Finer Flavor Ale: This can was part of a large collection, that included at least four other Monarch Brewing cans, found by Tom Leo in the mid 1980's that originally had been assembled by a U.S. Army tank officer stationed in Calif., probably Fort Irwin, and written up in the BCCA magazine. Unfortunately the Army officer didn't survive World War II and his cans went through several hands until they were found in upstate New York around 1984 still wrapped in 1940 era newspapers. Top

Fox Export: An "Export" label from the large Fox Brewery of Chicago. Top

F is for Frederick's 4 Crown: Picture shows two of the 3 known "tall 12oz" cans made for a brief interval by South Side Brewing of Chicago. Originally in the Pottstown, PA collection and these tarnish-free examples were kept full until 1972 when bottom opened. Top

Gold and Silver Mug cans: Two metallic cans by Lebanon Valley Brewing Co for "P. Donohue and Son, Rt 38, Maple Shade Township, New Jersey. Later 1950's cans with one of the more intricate label designs that understandably tend to tarnish and limited numbers of on-grade examples are in collectors.  Dumpers are also only found in limited numbers in poor condition.  Top


G is for Grace Brothers Ale: This can was found by Ken Jerue (former BCCA member) around 1974, reportedly in a Los Angeles store and is from the Grace Brothers Brewery in Los Angeles that started in 1937. Ken Jerue was one of the more colorful 1970's collectors who attended several early Canventions from Geneva on, and who last lived on Brookhurst in Fullerton, Calif. He accumulated several collections, selling the first one to Ron Moermond around 1973; then starting another collection but died driving down the highway from Lake Arrowhead around 1976. Top

H is for Hornung Bock: Hornung was a small Philadelphia brewery on 22nd St. that went out of business in 1954, but per Will Anderson had two canning lines, which accounts for the good variety of cans produced. When Will Anderson sold his collection in 1981 by a mail bid auction, a Feb., 1982 Beer Cans Monthly summary of the sales showed his Gibbons Bock sold for $3750, and the "green" Hornung Bock was the next highest sale, at $2100. Top

H is for Humboldt: Humboldt Malt and Brewing, Eureka, Calif. was a small brewery set up (per Jack Nash, BCCA#1016 and President of Eureka Historical Society) by an ownership group outside of Eureka who wanted to produce beer from the waters of a special spring in the south part of town. The brewery was named for the local county. The brewery had several different can brands, Associated, Eureka, and Brown Derby. Per Beer USA by Will Anderson, Western States Grocery Co. (later Safeway, which emphasized the Brown Derby brand) signed in 1933 a 10 year contract to buy the brewery's entire output. This Humboldt can was pictured in the Class book prepared by Jeff Cameron. Top

H is for Horluck's: This can was one of two held by a woman in a town just on the "dry side" of the mountains east of Seattle and located by BCCA member Greg Stinza through his advertising contacts. She set them aside in her basement around 1940 and thought they stayed in top condition due being in the drier area where she lived. Top



I is for India Cerveza by Hornung: India was the main brand for a Puerto Rican brewery and apparently that brewery's first label in cans was this can filled by Hornung. A few years later, a similar label design was used on a can filled by the brewery in Puerto Rico. Greg Stinza, an active collector since the 1980's advertised widely and located this can which was found originally by a person in the framing of their home, protected from the weather. This brand is one of the earliest examples of an American brewery filling beer for the Hispanic market; another a slightly earlier example was a copper Schlitz flat top for "Export." Top

J is for John Bull: From a small brewery in New Philadelphia, Ohio; while scattered examples of the high profile version of this label have been found, this low profile variation has been less seen and was in several collections, such as Joe Veselsky's and Will Anderson's, among other a few others. Top

J is for Jax Beer: The Jax brand was produced by two breweries in the South, and due to humidity, retaining most of the silver trim is rare for this late 1940's cone from Jacksonville, Florida was found by Dick Caughey. Top

J is for Jolly Scot Ale: The Robert H. Graupner Brewery of Harrisburg, Penna. operated until 1951 and had several brands in "J spouts" in the 1930's, among which were these two. Dick Caughey bought this Jolly Scot example from Fred Goodheart, a well regarded collector in Lexington, VA during November, 1991 - along with several other top shape cones such as SB. Where Fred found this Jolly Scot isn't known directly, but this example could be the one that reportedly was found among "159 cans found in New Jersey, 1980", described in April/May 2007 BCCA article by Matt Menke. The can lists a "New York Sales Office" at 111 Broadway, which is the building just north of the Trinity Church. Top

K is for Kaier's: The later Kaiers "high profile" cones are common, but this 1930's "J" spout is rare in approximately grade 1 condition and was found by a collector at a yard sale outside Philadelphia around 2000. A Kaiers Brewing family member recalled in 2002 seeing during the late 1930's this label in quart size, but not in 12oz size. It likely was a short run, and has been rarely seen in "on grade" condition. Top

K is for Kiewel's: During the 1930's Kiewel's Brewery in Little Falls, Minn. used this "low profile" cone. These cones have remained rare and among the on-grade examples may be several in upper mid-west collections and other examples were in the Clay Tichelar collection and Ron Dick cone group. Clay's example was from the Continental Can photographer's group. Reportedly Ron Dick got his Kiewel's from Rollo Carlson of Waukesha, Wisconsin, formerly bcca #317, who found it in a Cando, North Dakota building in the late 1970's. Ron Dick of Burnsville, Minn. had one of the larger cone collections when he sold around 1981. The page attached is from his cone list showing his two highest asking prices: London Tavern Ale and Kiewel's at "$1750 up". A page from Ron Dick cone collection sale showing Kiewel's. Top

K is for Krueger's Beer and Ale: These two Krueger's brands (with the " 's" variation) are examples of the first can labels that held beer that were sold to the general public in the 1935-6 period. (Specialists have identified other cans with slight variations of these "Krueger's" labels that are thought to be the actual "first" cans from January, 1935.) Top

K is for Krug: The brand was used in 3 cans, two cone variations and one flat top for a liquor store chain in San Francisco. The two cones are slightly different with the rarer variety showing a woman standing. The other variety is similar but missing the woman. Top


L is for Little Imp: A late 1940's metallic can by Southern Brewing in Los Angeles with one of the oddest beer brand names. While different stories on the origin of the name are heard, Ken Jerue (past BCCA member) was told by former brewery workers the story they had heard: a young daughter of an employee visited the brewery occasionally and she was called "Little Imp". During a meeting looking for new brand names, somebody suggested trying "Little Imp" and that brand was started. This is the can pictured in the Class Book by Jeff Cameron. Top

M is for McSorley's Ale by Rheingold: Since this Ale label has been rare when packaged in cans, apparently it was a minor seller for one of New York's major brewers (peaking at #8 Nationwide in 1965.) Perhaps the only multiple "find" of on-grade McSorley's Ale cans was by John Paul, a '60's-'70's collector in Cincinnati. John's beer can collection was "made" with one collection he bought in 1971 somewhere near the Ohio/PA border in 1971 (brief article in BCCA magazine.) Among this approx. 300 can group were the set of New Yorkers, a Clipper cone, and two McSorley's Ale cans. The Joe Veselsky collection and a couple of others had the can, but most other examples are typically off grade due to the metallic label. Top

M is for Monogram: One of the more colorful Grace Bros cans. For collectors, one of the first times this brand was seen was in the early 1970's at Chip Truett's (former BCCA $826) "Marvin Gardens Bar" display of beer cans in Belmont, Calif. He had found the label among a small group of older cans that had been saved by a collector in San Mateo County. Top

N is for National Brewing Co., Baltimore, Maryland:  At the O'Donnell and Conkling corner was the National Brewing Co., and across O'Donnell, was Gunther Brewing Co.  Since around 1850 there had been breweries in this area which became known as "Lager Brewery Hill". 
    The picture shows five of the rarer and colorful cone tops that National Brewing used in the 1930's and 1940's.  The high profile National Bohemian Bock and the low profile National Beer cones are the rarest ones in the picture, followed by the high profile National Ale and the Old Bohemian. The low profile National Ale is seen more but is still moderately scarce.
    The Brewery's lead brand, National Bohemian Beer, was also sold in a low profile cone and is the most commonly found 1930's cone from National Brewing. The Bensonville, IL collection found by #701 Clay Tichelar had the rarest National Brewing Co. cone, the low profile National Bohemian Bock, and also an Old Bohemian. These two examples in the mid-1970's were the only ones known, but in the 1980's around a case of Old Bohemian cones were found, but it still remains scarce. 
    In the 1930's National was smaller than several other breweries in Baltimore that also canned beer at the time, Gunther and Globe Brewing Co. However, by the early 1960's after several decades steady growth, National became the leading brewery in Baltimore selling National Bohemian Beer with the Mr. Boh icon, along with another brand, National Premium. This success was due to the over 900 workers at the O'Donnell plant; Brewmaster Carl Kreitler who made a beer that won local "blind tasting" tests; and the marketing by Dawson Farber, Jerry Di Paolo, etc., who sold the National brands into over 2500 outlets throughout Baltimore's many neighborhoods. 
    National Brewing Co. also bought plants in Michigan, Florida, Arizona and developed several malt liquors, such as Colt 45 in 1963 which grew to a coast-to-coast distribution, along with French 76, and 007 Special Blend - beer and malt liquor.  However by the late 1960's the majors with their economies of scale that reduced unit costs, engaged in aggressive price competition along with heavy marketing via television and "behind-the-bar" distributions of glassware, draft beer equipment, etc.  These methods added challenges to even a strong regional brewery as National Brewing and it merged with Carling in 1975. 
    As of 2009, the largest remaining building of the former National Brewing complex is the 10 story former Brew House at O'Donnell and Conkling that was built in the early 1950's and is now the Natty Boh Tower. These buildings and others, including ones at the Gunther Brewing location, are part of a 27 acre mixed-use development called Brewers Hill.  Top


N is for Nu Deal: A name variation on government programs in the Depression by Grace Brothers Brewing of Santa Rosa. Scattered examples of this can have been found such as 4 at the San Mateo Flea Market in the 1970's, and in dumps. Top


N is for Neuweiler's Bock: One of two beer cans pictured on the front of the BCCA book, United States Beer Cans. However the cover example may be an "improved" photo of a lesser grade Neuweiler's Bock. Over the years a number of Neuweiler's Bocks have been found in dumps in Northeastern Penn., and reportedly also in New York and Virginia.
Among the cleaner examples: a scratched can, that was kept in a workshop to hold screws/bolts; an on-grade example, one of a several mugs, picked up by the neighbor of a man who reportedly had worked at some unnamed brewery. The group of mugs turned up on Long Island in 2007, and the others were: Trommers bock, Senate bock, Feigenspan beer, Ballantine's, and a Dartmouth Reunion Can 1941 - all appeared to be from the around 1940 era. Top


Old Reading "J" spout: The Old Reading brand has been canned in a number of beer can types, and the "J" spout version was distributed around the 1940 years. The "J" spout has been scarce in on-grade condition due to the metallic label, and per specialist Marc Tracy, apparently only 4 on-grade examples are generally known:
--one was turned up by a dealer in the late 1970's that was gotten by Bob Myers who sold it around 1982 to Jeff Smith; this example could be the one that ended up in the Dave Stark collection.
--another was found in Penna. during the 1980's and was in Bob McCoy's collection for a number of years.
--a 3rd example had been part of a small collection for years, having been found in Penna. during the 1970's.
--4th example around grade 1 condition: after being in another Chicago collection for some years, in 2004 it was sold to an Eastern collector. Top


O is for Oldstyle Lager Beer: This label was used on quarts by the brewery in Port Orchard, WA - across the bay south of the Bremerton Naval Yard, but this 12oz can was filled by a brewery in Salem, Oregon. Top

P is for Penguin: While most Horlacher brands are commonly found, Penguin brand in cans has rarely been dug and few on-grade examples are known, including several (?) rolled examples. For a documented purchase of the brand, Will Anderson in October, 1961 picked up two Penguins, keeping one which was sold with most of his cans around 1982; and passing the other on to Bob Myers - the one pictured which has Penn. tax stamp. As a possible help in digging others, Will doesn't recall for sure which town he bought them, but probably in Hancock, New York along old Rt 17. A reference to the brand is in an early 1980's Beer Cans Monthly: a "Virginia" collector is noted as digging some Penguins but location wasn't not given. Top

P is Primo Beer by Globe Brewing, San Francisco: The rarest label from this brewery, and this "store condition" example was fortunately saved by an original collector who started in a small Sierra town in 1936. Globe Brewing was a small brewery in San Francisco that closed in September, 1938 located at NW corner of Greenwich and Sansome Streets directly below Julius Castle and Coit Tower. Of breweries in Calif. that canned beer, only Salinas Brewing (name changed to Monterey Brewing in 1938) was listed in 1936 as smaller in size.) Within a short three year interval, Globe sold canned beer with four interestingly designed labels, Nu Globe, Fort Sutter, Log Cabin, and Primo. Several of these brands, helpfully for collectors, have been taken in fairly good numbers from dumps in the Sierra Mountains, but other breweriana from Globe is scarce. Little information has been easily available about this short-lived brewery and the owners who ran it. Top

P is for Pilser's brands: Pilser's Brewery (location of the pre-Prohibition A. Hupfel Brewery) was in the Bronx and in the 1930's produced three "J spouts", Pilser's Ale, Beer, and Half and Half which are scarce in on-grade condition, with the "Beer" being the rarest. Old Dutch Brewers of Brooklyn (the first brewery for the Hertzberg brewery group per Will Anderson's "Breweries of Brooklyn") bought the former Pilser's Brewery and both locations operated until 1948. The Hertzberg group also bought the former Fidelio Brewery in Manhattan at 1st and 29th streets, operating it under the Metropolis name from 1946 to 1953 - among these breweries a number of brands were produced. Per Tom Leo, two of the rarest Pilser's brands are flat tops: the IRTP gray "beer" from Old Dutch in Brooklyn and the "bock" from Metropolis in New York. Since the Pilser's Bock has no IRTP statement, apparently it was produced in Manhattan's Metropolis Brewery some time around or after 1950 during that brewery's last years - which explains the can's rarity. (The Hertzberg brewery group produced a variety of Old Dutch cans in Brooklyn and later a number of other brands in its many breweries outside New York City. One of those was the "Bock Brand" that continued the same goat design as in the Pilser's Bock.)
This Pilser's Beer "J" spout is rare with just a few on-grade and the one pictured was from the Joe Allis collection which then went to Will Anderson. It is pictured in several of his books, such as the 1969 loose leaf publication "Beers, Breweries, & Breweriana". That book has some of the earliest pricing of beer cans: routine cans were listed at $.25; medium cans at $1-2.00 and the rarest, such as Gibbons Bock, at $3.00 to $3.50.
The less rare Pilser's Ale cones have been found since the 1980's. Top


R is for Red Fox Ale: The 12oz Red Fox Ale cone to the left was found in the attic of the Owls Head, NY railroad station by Bob Myers and Will Anderson, and retains much of its original condition. To the right is the quart size of Red Fox Ale. Brewed and canned by Largay Brewing of Waterbury, CT, which per Beer New England by Will Anderson, sold its brands and equipment to Ruppert in 1947 facing cost pressures and marketing advantages of the larger breweries. Top

S is for Schwegmann bock: Schwegmann was a grocery store chain in New Orleans which had several brands made by a Chicago brewery, the rarest being Schwegmann Bock. Some "rolled" examples have been assembled and possibly 6 or more are in collections. Two cans were picked up by Bob Myers at a Schwegmann store on Rt 90 going east out of New Orleans in December, 1961; at that time in the middle of an aisle was a large pile of Schwegmann bock cans in cases, 5-6 high and several wide extending back 10 feet or so. The example pictured is one of those two cans with the other one going to Will Anderson who sold it with his collection around 1982. Top

S is for Sheridan Beer: While found in dumps in the Wyoming and Montana area, examples with full colors are scarce and this can was one of 4 found in early 2000 by a worker looking for scrap metal in the crawl space under the Armory in Lander, Wyoming. For an oddity of apparently unrelated timing, he found them just before an article on Sheridan was published in the BCCA magazine. Top

S is for Silver State: This brand was seen by most collectors for the first time at the 1974 Denver Canvention and was among the cans Clay Tichelar found in the Bensonville, IL cone collection. Since that time another 4-6 fairly good shape examples have been found, along with dumpers. This can was traced back to a Chico, Calif. bar collection of cones and flats acquired by Randy McMahon, which had been bought from an original collector, whose name is now unknown, around 1970. Top

Spearman Beer and Ale cones: The Spearman Brewing Company of Pensacola, Florida started with the two cones pictured in the late 1940's. The rarest cone has been the "Draft Beer", one of which reportedly was located around 1980 in a small 40 can collection by Craig Hasslinger of Baltimore and Ken Hostetter.Top


S is for St. Claire Beer and Ale: A small brewery in San Jose, Calif. that discontinued business in 1939, which also had a number of other brands, Old Gold, Pilsenbrau, Steinbrau, Black and White, etc., that were used later by other Calif. breweries. Top


T is for Tally Ho Ale and Beer: Per Will Anderson, the brewery was in Ridgewood, Long Island on the Queens side of the Queens/Kings (Brooklyn) border going along Cypress Ave. This brewery originally had several other names, such as the Frank Brewery, but in the 1920's became The City Brewing Corp. After Prohibition new management of John Koenig, President, Henry Rauch, Treasurer, and Frederick Paulsen, Secretary started brewing and selling under the Tally Ho labels. In earlier variations of the brands, their names were prominently shown on the can's front. During the years before World War II, Tally Ho was distributed widely around Brooklyn and Queens, including sales to South American and the Philippines (one withdrawn free cone for a 3rd variation of the beer was apparently found by Clay Tichelar #701). After World War II, the name was changed to Greater New York Brewery which began emphasizing a number of other brands. Sales were lost during the 1949 New York City beer strike, and the brewery discontinued in 1950.
Tom Leo first heard about this Tally Ho Ale example in the early 1980's which had been found by a long time collector from Liberty, NY who found it in the Catskills. It was placed in a Paul Michel auction and bought by a Texas collector. Another example of the Tally Ho Ale was recovered from trash during the 1980's in Long Beach, Calif., along with over 30 early Calif. and New York area cans such as Doelger Bock, etc. However, due to very poor storage most of these cans were grade 3 when examined by Gene DiCicco around 2002 prior to their sale. Most of the other Ale examples found, so far, have been other dumpers, including a grade 2-ish Tom Leo had.
Two of the three variations of Tally Ho Beer are shown: the rarer beer variety is the one with the names of the owners; several of the more common beer variety that have been found occasionally, have been in collections such as Will Anderson's and Joe Veselsky's, among others. Around 2003, 4-5 of the more common beer variety were found by an electrician in a New York City school per Keith Belcher, BCCA member. Top

T is for Tornberg's Old German from El Rey Brewing San Francisco in the late 1930's. ("Tornberg" may have been the name of a pre-Prohibition brewmaster in San Francisco who worked at several breweries.)
Two examples in different conditions for this brand are shown as a pairing that could be done with nearly all the beer cans on this website. One example is in "on-grade" condition; the other is in the category of an "under-the-house" or "off-grade" can.
Since photos need to be limited, most cans pictured are "on-grade" cans to show as possible the original colors and design, which is the typical approach when assembling pictures of coins, stamps, etc.
----Importantly however, from a beer can collector's perspective both cans are collectible and are essentially equal,
since either one would serve well as an example of this brand. -----
(From a non-collector seller's perspective, an on-grade example usually has an advantage of selling at a higher value - when a buyer is found.)

While the on-grade Tornberg's shows some colors and words better, the "under-the-house" category can has an advantage that it is an "authentic" beer can since it was found discarded with other beer cans that are known to have contained beer.
There can be an uncertainty with some "on-grade" cans if they contained beer or not. Many collectors only collect "authentic" beer cans that have been dug or found discarded to avoid ending up with "test" or other types of fabricated cans that likely didn't hold beer or were sold to the public - for those cans that they didn't buy in a store or know someone who bought it.
This "off-grade" example was located by Gene Dicicco in the 1980's. In response to a newspaper ad, a roofer contacted Gene about 10 cans found in an attic while reroofing a one-story commercial building in Watsonville. Besides the Tornberg's, among the other cans was an ever rarer can: the red/gold opening directions Lucky Ale.


On-grade examples of the two variations of the Tornberg's Old German cones have been scarce with examples being found in the Clovis, Calif. collection with Associated paper label can, etc. and other groups since the early 1970's, such as in the Mercier "find".
Off-grade examples have also been relatively rare, but have been dug in various locations around Northern Calif. Top


Townhouse: one of the 5 Monarch brewing cans in the group of cans found by Tom Leo around 1984, most of which are bottomed opened. Top

Travis Dark Beer and Travis Beer: Two brands from the Sabinas Brewing Co. in San Antonio, Texas, which operated from 1934 to 1939. Sabinas was one of the earlier brewers to can beer, and besides "Beer", the other brand included the word "Dark". "Dark" has been seen on other beer labels, and sometimes the German name was used directly as a brand, Dunklebrau. Until more information is ever developed, the likely individualistic the taste of the Travis "Dark" variation may not be known. Typically "dark" has been a generalized category that could include Bock, Stout, and Porter, or referred to creative steps and ingredients that an individual brewmaster used with deeper colored malt, roasted malt, even honey, etc. Both of the Travis low profile cones are lesser seen on grade and from dumps, with the "dark" variation being the scarcer of the two." Top

"On-grade" Trenton J's known in collections by J spout specialist Marc Tracy:
 
    ---Class Book and USBC example was found by Buffalo dealer Paul Michel around 1980 - "wall find in New England" and was originally in the Chet Bartol cone collection. Pictured above 
    ---Example pictured at bostonbeercans.com was brought to a 1980's BCCA Canvention by a New Jersey collector who had found it at a flea market.  Dick Caughey and Tom Waggoner "flipped" for it, with Tom winning the can and keeping it for some years.  
    ---A 3rd example was offered for sale in summer of 2009 by Breweriana.com.  Earlier it had been displayed for some years at Wilson's Auctioneers and Appraisers in Chester Heights, PA, who sold it at the end of April, 2009 along with the 3rd Class can.  
 
    ----Lesser grade examples have also been scarce, with a few "dumpers" and a "bubbled" can that appeared on ebay around 2003.  Top

U is for Utica Club Famous Sparkling Ale: Two examples of this, rarer "high profile" variation, were found by Bob Myers and Will Anderson in an abandoned house south of Tupper Lake in the 1960's, plus scattered others have been found and were in collections. Top

V is for Vernon Brewing Company: In 1936 the Vernon Brewing Company was ranked 14th in production of around 32 breweries in California. In the October 1998 BCCA magazine, Dan Andrews described the brewery as having a smaller sized plant, 25,000 barrels, and early-on was marketing three labels in beer cans: Vernon Creme Beer, Golden Creme Ale, and Golden Creme Beer. All three labels are very rare in on-grade condition and only lesser seen in better off-grade conditions. As has been found in other metropolitan areas of the country, one reason for the rarity of beer cans produced by "big city" smaller breweries is that when the cans were distributed locally, they typically were discarded into "big city" dumps that are now long covered over.
Vernon Creme Beer: One on-grade example was in the Mercier collection, and Dick Caughey found another one, but the brewery's small size has resulted in few on-grade examples being found. Scattered off-grade examples have uncovered occasionally.
Golden Creme Ale: One "under the house" grade example was among the many other beer can brands found by Wally Gilbert in his 1971 Wagon Wheel dance hall "find", and the can is pictured in Ressel's Beer Cans Unlimited book. An on-grade example of Golden Creme Ale was part of the "Army Officer" collection found in 1984 by Tom Leo and Dick Caughey; in 2001 another on-grade example was sold by an antique dealer in the San Gabriel Valley. This example reportedly had had a paper label on it, as the can had been "recycled" to hold another product. In off-grade condition, some of the best dumpers have been found by Ed Scoglietti.
Golden Creme Beer: Among the first examples of the label were found in the 1970's by Dale Bramlette of Bishop, Calif., but other examples have been scarce. In the early 1990's, three on-grade examples reportedly were found in Riverside and bought by Dan Andrews. He held the can pictured until he died; Dan was well known for his collecting camaraderie, and contributions of many BCCA articles on breweries and beer can history. Top

Valley Forge Bock: An opening direction variation of one of the longer lasting bock brands from 1930's to 1960's. Top


White Cap and Red Fox Ale: Largay Brewing in Waterbury, Connecticut was run by George Largay and the brewery is well described in Beer New England by Will Anderson. Before Prohibition George Largay had been a brewmaster, and as written by Will Anderson: "Prohibition gave George Largay a good chance to reflect... and to realize that he'd like to operate his own brewery." This yearning to start a brewery was common among many Pre Prohibition brewmasters by the early 1930's, and a number of them did start breweries, even though they were often in their 60's. (Another such brewmaster, owner of the Delatron Brewery in Reading, Ohio - London Bobby, Gotham brands were canned, will be described by Robert Musson in his next book on Ohio breweries.)
George Largay purchased the former Hellman Brewery in Waterbury. He picked "Red Fox" for a brand partly as a result of his hunting interests and respect for the animal - a name that connected with the snappy slogan: "Just what you have been hunting for". ("Red Fox" as a brand wasn't new to New England; as Ken Ostrow found, it was used by a Massachusetts brewery before Prohibition.)
Largay Brewing expanded to a capacity of 150,000 barrels and the Red Fox brands sold well for a small town brewery, but especially after World War II, George Largay saw the building cost pressures from having to compete with the advertising economies of scale gained by the large regional's and the unending supply of beer and ale being sent ("dumped in Connecticut"?) by the New York City breweries. In 1947 Largay's brands and equipment were sold to Ruppert, which canned the Red Fox label in it's short lived Norfolk, Virginia brewery. The architecturally interesting Waterbury brewery building was later torn down, "replaced" by an apartment building of routine design.
For Largay, the Red Fox Beer and Ale brands label were the main sellers canned in 12oz and quart sizes, and on a very limited basis, the White Cap label was canned in the two sizes. The pictured White Cap qt. was originally in the Clay Tichelar collection that was part of the Bensonville, IL group saved by a photographer at Continental Can. The Red Fox Beer can labels are very scarce in on-grade condition, and while the 12 oz. Ale cones have been found periodically, the bright and colorful Red Fox cans are still one of the most popular for collectors. Top

W is for Wolf's Beer and Golden Age Beer: These are the two brands in cones (also in quart size for at least the Golden Age brand too) produced by a small brewery in the suburbs west of Philadelphia. The Wolf's cone was found by Dick Caughey in the 1980's. The Golden Age cone was located by John Kretschmer who said it had been found in a row house in Washington, DC in the late 1990's by a renovator who saw three cans under the floor boards (also a Gunther IRTP flat top, and a low profile National cone.) Top

Y is for Yuengling Old Oxford Brand Creme Ale: Of the Yuengling cans, this low profile variation of the Ale is the rarest label. This can is one of the better shape examples found during the late 1990's in a side room of a horse barn in Eastern Pennsylvania. The best known example of this label is marked #701 and is from the Bensonville, IL cone collection. Top

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