Brown Derby Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Brown Derby Lager by Best Brewing

The Brown Derby Lager Beer flat top produced by Best Brewing Company of Chicago, Illinois, represents an interesting chapter in American contract brewing and store-brand distribution. While the Brown Derby label originated on the West Coast as a private-label grocery brand—famously prompting early legal disputes over the naming rights with the iconic Hollywood restaurant chain—production eventually expanded to regional breweries across the country. In the Midwest, the Best Brewing Company handled canning operations from its facility on Fletcher Street in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

Best Brewing Company established a strong reputation for packaging private labels and contract beers for various regional retail outlets. Cans from this Chicago plant display the classic Brown Derby presentation, highlighted by prominent brand typography and the recognizable derby hat graphic designed to stand out on grocery store shelves. The packaging exemplifies the era's growing trend of supermarket-distributed beers, which offered economical alternatives to major national brands.

For breweriana collectors, the Best Brewing Company iteration of the Brown Derby flat top holds substantial interest. Several variations are known among collectors, featuring differences in canning manufacturer marks, mandatory alcohol statement placements, and paint applications ranging from metallic sheen to enamel finishes. Because Best Brewing operated as an independent regional producer before concluding operations, examples bearing the Chicago brewery's name represent a distinct chapter of Midwestern industrial brewing history within the widespread Brown Derby lineage.