American Brewers Historic Beer 12 Oz Flat Top Can

Lill & Diversey Historical Beer Can

The Can

Produced by the Jos. Huber Brewing Company of Monroe, Wisconsin, this 12-ounce crimped steel flat top can was issued in 1978 as part of the American Brewers Historical Collection commemorative series. Rather than featuring a standard commercial beer brand logo on its face, the exterior is dedicated entirely to rich, wrap-around historical artwork. The detailed illustration depicts the Lill & Diversey Brewery complex in Chicago alongside the year 1856, set under a sky filled with hot air balloons, horse-drawn delivery wagons in the yard, and Victorian-dressed onlookers framed by a brick-and-ivy border.

The Brand and Series

The American Brewers Historical Collection was launched in the late 1970s during the height of the nationwide breweriana collecting boom. Conceived as a tribute to pioneer American brewing institutions, the series spotlighted vanished breweries from the nineteenth century. This release honors Chicago's Lill & Diversey Brewery, established after William Lill and Michael Diversey acquired the city's earliest commercial brewing facility. Renowned for its cream ale, the operation grew to become one of the largest brewing establishments in the Midwest before the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the facility in 1871.

The Brewery

The Jos. Huber Brewing Company was founded in 1845 in Monroe, Wisconsin. Originally established as the Monroe Brewery and later known as the Blumer Brewing Company, the business was renamed after longtime brewmaster Joseph Huber in 1947. Huber navigated the challenges of Prohibition by manufacturing near beer and soft drinks, and it survived post-World War II consolidation by operating as an agile regional independent. During the 1970s, Huber built a reputation for specialty packaging, commemorative runs, and contract brewing while maintaining its traditional brewing heritage.

Collecting Context

Commemorative steel flat tops from this era hold significant appeal for breweriana enthusiasts. This can bridges nineteenth-century urban brewing history with twentieth-century commemorative canning, making it a sought-after piece for collectors of historic brewery series, Illinois breweriana, and Wisconsin packaging history.