Acme Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Blitz-Weinhard Acme Beer Tab Top

This twelve-ounce crimped steel tab top can represents the mid-1970s contract-brewed revival of a historic West Coast brand, produced by the Blitz-Weinhard Company in Portland, Oregon. Notable for the dual standard and metric volume statement along the bottom rim, the can features an elaborate wraparound tavern scene modeled directly after the brand's classic 1917 "Stein Girl" artwork. The detailed lithography incorporates vintage temperance-era slogans on decorative ribbons, including "The joyful temperance of Acme is expressed on every occasion" and "Good Old Acme - pleasing to the taste". In reference documentation, this specific issue is recognized by the bright red coloration of the "A" and "B" in the primary brand banner, with visual differences between related catalog entries remaining exceptionally subtle.

Acme Brewing Company was established in San Francisco in 1907 and quickly expanded to become one of the premier brewing brands in California. Prior to national Prohibition, Acme actively promoted its beer as a healthful, moderate household beverage in an effort to appeal to shifting public attitudes. The brand enjoyed widespread popularity through the 1930s and 1940s before post-war consolidation led to the original brewery's demise in the 1950s. During the 1970s, the brand was resurrected as a nostalgic contract label, leaning heavily into its turn-of-the-century heritage.

Blitz-Weinhard, the facility responsible for filling this can, traced its lineage back to 1862 when German immigrant Henry Weinhard established his landmark brewery in Portland. Blitz-Weinhard grew into the preeminent commercial brewery of the Pacific Northwest. It survived the dry years of Prohibition by manufacturing soda, syrups, and near-beer, re-emerging as a dominant regional producer. Blitz-Weinhard maintained high-volume regional production and contract brewing through the late twentieth century until the historic Portland plant finally ceased operations in 1999.

This container holds particular appeal for breweriana collectors interested in West Coast brewing history and the nostalgic retro-revival releases of the 1970s. Its intricate, storybook-style tavern artwork stands out sharply against the clean, minimalist graphic standards common to its era.