ABC Premium Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

August Wagner ABC Premium Beer

The ABC Premium Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can represents a notable chapter in the midwestern brewing legacy of August Wagner Breweries, Inc., operating out of Columbus, Ohio. Originally established in 1906 as the Gambrinus Brewing and Bottling Company by Bavarian immigrant brewmaster August Wagner, the brewery became a cornerstone of Columbus's historic Brewery District.

Brewery History and Cultural Notoriety

August Wagner Breweries survived the Prohibition era by manufacturing cereal beverages and malt tonics before resuming full-scale brewing operations. Over the decades, the plant gained substantial regional distribution across Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia. The brewery achieved national television exposure in 1962 when Helen A. Wagner, daughter of the founder and vice president of the company, appeared on the CBS game show What's My Line?

While Augustiner served as the brewery's primary flagship brand alongside names like Gambrinus and Mark V, labels such as ABC Premium Beer catered to regional markets seeking classic local lagers. The Columbus facility continued brewing operations until shutting its doors in 1974, leaving cans like ABC Premium Beer as tangible relics of central Ohio's twentieth-century industrial brewing era.

Label and Collector Notes

The can showcases straightforward mid-century commercial typography on a straight steel body. For breweriana enthusiasts, variations exist across different production runs, exhibiting subtle differences in brewery mandatory text, font weight, and state tax stamping.