Bb Special Export Beer Cone Top Can

B B Special Export Cone Top

This twelve-ounce low-profile cone top container dates to the late 1930s era of canned beer packaging. Manufactured in the classic Continental Can Company Cap-Sealed style, the design showcases a deep royal blue backdrop framed by tiered red-and-white geometric margins evocative of late Art Deco graphic styling. At the center of the display, an illustrated tall pilsner glass filled with golden lager and a generous foamy head is flanked by ornate script lettering reading "B B." Directly beneath the glassware, "Special Export" and "Beer" appear in crisp, high-contrast block lettering above the bottom twelve-fluid-ounce volume statement.

The "B B" monogram represented "Better Buy," a proprietary label line packaged for The Bert McDowell Company, a prominent wholesale grocery distributor headquartered in Sacramento, California. During the late 1930s and 1940s, wholesale grocers routinely partnered with regional brewing facilities to produce private-label beers. Positioned as an economical yet premium-styled "Special Export" lager, the brand was supplied to independent grocers across Northern California before fading as grocery supply chains reorganized in the postwar era.

The beer was brewed and packaged at the Rainier Brewing Company plant on Bryant Street in San Francisco. Rainier’s California roots were established after Washington state enacted statewide prohibition in 1916, prompting the famous Northwest brewing outfit to establish operations in the Bay Area. The San Francisco plant survived federal Prohibition by producing near-beers and malt syrups, emerging upon Repeal in 1933 with substantial facility upgrades. Rainier's San Francisco operation thrived by producing both its celebrated flagship lines and extensive contract canning runs for regional merchants like Bert McDowell, continuing until Rainier sold the plant in the early 1950s.

For vintage beer can enthusiasts, pre-war and early post-war California cone tops maintain strong historical appeal. Private-label cans from this era document the fascinating intersections between regional wholesale grocers and large commercial breweries. With its striking graphic layout and distinctive glassware centerpiece, this can stands out as a memorable piece of Golden State brewing heritage.