Bohemian Club Beer Cone Top Can

Boise's Bohemian Club Cone Top

Dating from the 1950s, this twelve-ounce high-profile cone top was packaged for Bohemian Breweries, Inc. in Boise, Idaho. A key distinguishing element of this specific issue is its mandatory state alcohol content declaration, which denotes that the alcohol content does not exceed four percent. Visually, the lithography is highlighted by a smiling gentleman clad in traditional alpine folk attire—complete with a feathered hat and embroidered vest—who holds up a labeled stubby bottle while pointing toward it, accompanied by the bold promotional slogan, "TASTES SO GOOD!"

Bohemian Club served as the primary flagship brand for the brewing company throughout the mid-twentieth century. Marketed across Idaho, Washington, and surrounding western territories, the brand positioned itself around cheerful camaraderie, dependable quality, and local pride. The folklore-attired mascot and the spirited "Tastes So Good!" campaign were featured prominently across tavern back-bars, print advertisements, and outdoor signage to maintain customer loyalty as major national brands increasingly moved into regional markets.

The brewery itself holds a prominent place in the industrial past of Idaho's capital city. Operating near 6th and Idaho streets in downtown Boise, Bohemian Breweries, Inc. functioned alongside a affiliated plant in Spokane, Washington. Idaho had enacted statewide prohibition early in 1916, shutting down the local beer industry for years before federal repeal finally allowed legal brewing to resume. Following the end of the dry years and continuing through the post–World War II era, Bohemian invested in expanded cellars and modern packaging lines. In the 1950s, however, regional independent breweries faced intense competitive pressure from large national shipping brewers. The Boise plant finally halted brewing operations in the early 1960s, marking the end of production as the last packaging brewery standing in Idaho for over two decades. The former downtown facility was subsequently torn down to make room for municipal development.

Within the collecting community, Idaho cone tops occupy an elite niche. Idaho was home to only two brewing companies that ever canned beer during the cone top era, making containers carrying Boise mandatory text especially significant. Cans bearing specific statutory alcohol statements, paired with the colorful character artwork, make this can a celebrated prize among Pacific Northwest and Intermountain breweriana specialists.