Beverwyck Famous Ale Cone Top Can

Beverwyck Famous Ale Cone Top

Produced during the late 1930s to early 1940s, this twelve-ounce high-profile cone top can represents an important chapter in early American canned beer packaging. Manufactured by the Continental Can Company, the container features Continental's trademark "Cap-Sealed" panel situated alongside the left seam. Mandated federal tax statements on the can indicate it was packaged under the Internal Revenue Tax Paid requirements enforced between the repeal of Prohibition and the early 1950s.

The label prominently showcases the brand's heritage with "SINCE 1878" set inside an arch above the script logo, alongside the familiar "BBBB" moniker beneath it. The four Bs served as shorthand for the brewery's long-running slogan and advertising cry, "Beverwyck, Best Beer Brewed". Positioned as a flagship regional ale across upstate New York and neighboring states, Beverwyck marketed its brews around deep-seated community tradition and time-honored brewing standards.

The brewery traced its origins to 1878, when prominent civic leader Michael N. Nolan—who concurrently served as Mayor of Albany and later in the United States Congress—established the Beverwyck Brewing Company on North Ferry Street in Albany, New York. Nolan invested heavily in state-of-the-art brewing architecture, building an expansive modern plant equipped with its own deep well and modern refrigeration machinery. When national Prohibition took effect in 1920, Beverwyck was one of the few Capital District breweries to endure by obtaining permits to manufacture non-alcoholic cereal beverages and sodas. Following repeal in 1933, the business reorganized as Beverwyck Breweries, Inc. and quickly became an early adopter of canned beer, partnering with Continental Can Company in 1936. The brewery operated independently until 1950, when it was purchased by the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company.

For breweriana collectors, Beverwyck cone tops hold a revered place in New York's rich brewing heritage. The label's bold geometric paneling, crisp typography, and vibrant green-and-red palette capture the distinct graphic styling of pre-war packaging. Its Continental Can Company construction and cone-profile manufacturing variations also make it an essential display piece for historians and enthusiasts of mid-century industrial canning.