Augustiner Beer 12 Oz Zip/Tab Top Can

Augustiner Beer Tab Top Can

The Augustiner Beer 12 Oz Zip/Tab Top Can is a piece of Midwestern brewing history issued by August Wagner Breweries, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio. Augustiner served as the flagship brand for the Columbus facility, which was established in the city's historic Brewery District by Bavarian immigrant brewmaster August Wagner.

Brewery Heritage and Brand Legacy

Originally founded in 1906 as the Gambrinus Brewing and Bottling Company, the enterprise survived the Prohibition era before resuming full-scale brewing under the August Wagner name. The brewery became a major regional staple across Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia with brands like Augustiner, Gambrinus, Mark V, and Robin Hood. The company also gained national television exposure when August Wagner's daughter, Helen A. Wagner—serving as Vice President of the brewery—appeared as a contestant on the CBS game show What's My Line? in 1962.

Can Design and Collector Notes

The Augustiner label prominently features classic Bavarian-inspired typography and traditional heraldic branding. For breweriana collectors, variations exist across different production runs, showing subtle differences in mandatory text, brewery identification lines, and metallic background tones.

Following decades of operation under the Wagner family and later ownership groups, the Columbus brewing facility closed its doors in 1974. Today, cans bearing the Augustiner brand from August Wagner Breweries serve as enduring artifacts of central Ohio's industrial brewing heritage.