Buckhorn Premium Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Buckhorn Premium Lager Can

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top container dates from the late 1960s and represents a classic era of Midwestern canning design. Originating from St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Buckhorn label, the can is distinguished by its warm yellow-cream background. At the center rests a detailed circular medallion depicting an antlered buck head against jagged, snow-capped mountain peaks and a vivid red sunburst, flanked on each side by delicate hop cone line illustrations. Directly beneath the medallion spans a bold, arched black banner displaying the brand name in stark white lettering, underscored by the red script phrase, "Brewed and Aged in the Quality Lager Tradition."

The Buckhorn label was established by the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company as an accessible companion brand designed to broaden market reach without diluting its flagship Hamm's identity. Positioned primarily as an affordable, everyday regional lager, Buckhorn relied heavily on rugged outdoor and wilderness imagery that resonated with sporting and blue-collar audiences across the Upper Midwest and western states. The brand enjoyed steady distribution across multiple decades, enduring through subsequent corporate owners before ultimately disappearing from retail shelves.

Behind the brand stood one of Minnesota’s most influential brewing institutions. German immigrant Theodore Hamm acquired the historic brewery along Phalen Creek in St. Paul in 1865. Over the ensuing decades, Hamm built the operation into a powerhouse of regional brewing. The company weathered Prohibition by manufacturing non-alcoholic beverages, malt syrup, and food products, successfully re-emerging at Repeal to become one of the largest brewing entities in the United States. Hamm frequently packaged secondary lines under dedicated corporate aliases like the Buckhorn Brewing Company. The family retained ownership until selling to Heublein in 1965, after which the operation passed through Olympia, Pabst, and Stroh.

For breweriana collectors, straight-steel tab tops represent a transitional phase in beverage packaging, bridging the gap between heavy soldered flat tops and modern two-piece aluminum cans. Buckhorn's vibrant wildlife motif and deep ties to the brewing heritage of the Twin Cities make this can an enduring favorite among Upper Midwest enthusiasts.