Blatz Ale Cone Top Can

Blatz Ale 1936 Cone Top Can

This twelve-ounce cone top container represents the dawn of canned brewing in the mid-1930s. Manufactured during the early years of canned malt beverages, it features a low-profile cone top closure originally engineered by the Continental Can Company, which allowed breweries to package beer and ale on standard bottling machinery. Marked with a 1936 copyright date and an Internal Revenue Tax Paid statement, this specific version is recognized for omitting the "English Type" qualifier found on other releases from the period. The label displays the prominent script logo over an oval field, flanked by the company crest and a star emblem containing a hop blossom.

Blatz Ale was formulated to offer an American interpretation of traditional top-fermented ale, providing a richer, fruitier alternative to the light lagers that dominated the domestic market after the repeal of Prohibition. Marketed to consumers who preferred a more robust body and distinct hop character, the ale maintained a regional presence alongside the flagship Blatz Pilsener and Blatz Old Heidelberg brands. Although lager production remained the brewery's primary focus, Blatz Ale continued to be produced into the postwar era before changing consumer tastes led to its discontinuation.

The Valentine Blatz Brewing Company trace its roots to 1851, when German immigrant Valentin Blatz took over John Braun’s City Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Under his leadership, Blatz modernized operations, embraced technological innovations such as mechanical refrigeration and early bottling lines, and established itself as one of Milwaukee's historic "Big Four" brewing giants alongside Pabst, Schlitz, and Miller. The brewery adapted during Prohibition by manufacturing near-beer, industrial alcohol, and malt syrups. Following Repeal, Blatz quickly rebuilt its national footprint. The company was acquired by Pabst in 1958, though federal antitrust regulators later forced Pabst to divest the brand, leading to ownership by the G. Heileman Brewing Company.

For collectors, pre-World War II cone top cans from major regional and national breweries represent an essential snapshot of early packaging innovation. The clean graphic design and the historical context of Blatz's immediate post-Prohibition portfolio make this early ale container an enduring centerpiece among Midwest breweriana enthusiasts.