Best's Hapsburg Brand Quality Beer Quart

Chicago's Best Hapsburg Cone Top Quart

This 32-ounce cone top represents a classic large-format package produced during the 1940s by the Best Brewing Company of Chicago. Standing out as a full-quart "picnic" size, the can features a dull gray finish across its metallic surfaces and bears the mandatory Internal Revenue Tax Paid statement, dating its manufacture to the pre-1950 era before the federal tax phrasing was eliminated. The layout is dominated by bold Gothic lettering for "Best's" paired with stylized lettering for "Hapsburg," anchored at the bottom by an intricate hop-cone seal emblem reading "Best Brewing Co. of Chicago" flanked by winged geometric striping.

Best's Hapsburg was marketed as the flagship European-style lager in the brewery's portfolio. Evoking Old World brewing tradition through its imperial name, the brand was promoted for everyday refreshment as well as casual social gatherings. The 32-ounce cone top format in particular was advertised as an economical picnic container—designed to keep a full quart of beer cold and portable for outdoor excursions and family tables without requiring a carrier of individual smaller containers. Across the post-Prohibition decades, the Hapsburg label appeared in both twelve-ounce flat tops and cone tops before eventually disappearing when the company ceased brewing.

Best Brewing Company of Chicago traces its roots to the 1880s on Chicago's North Side. Operating primarily out of its complex along Fletcher Street in the Lakeview neighborhood, the operation took the Best name in 1891, functioning as an independent local producer entirely distinct from the Best family associated with Milwaukee's Pabst lineage. During Prohibition, the firm sustained itself by manufacturing malt syrups and near beers, successfully reopening to produce genuine lager when Repeal arrived in 1933. Despite enjoying steady local patronage through the mid-20th century, increasing pressure from national shipping breweries squeezed mid-tier regional brewers, and the Chicago plant ultimately shuttered in 1961.

Among breweriana enthusiasts, 32-ounce cone tops hold a revered status. Their imposing shelf presence, evocative pre-1950 tax stamps, and distinctive graphics make them showcase pieces for collectors focusing on odd-size containers and historic Chicago brewing history.