Burgermeister Beer 11 Oz Zip Top Can

Burgermeister 11 Oz Zip Top Can

The Burgermeister 11 Oz Zip Top Can from the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. in San Francisco, California, represents a notable chapter in West Coast brewing history. Jos. Schlitz acquired the San Francisco Brewing Corporation—the original producers of the popular "Burgie" brand—in the early 1960s to expand its manufacturing footprint on the Pacific Coast. Following the acquisition, the facility operated under the name Burgermeister Brewing Corp. as a division of Jos. Schlitz.

This container features the distinctive 11-ounce capacity, a regional sizing format that achieved strong consumer traction in California and neighboring western states. While 12-ounce containers dominated the majority of the national market, western brewers frequently packaged beer in 11-ounce cans to maintain specific retail price points and cater to established regional drinking customs.

The can face prominently displays the classic Burgermeister typography alongside contemporary promotional text noting the self-opening pull-top format. Variations of this can exist among collectors, with differences commonly found in manufacturer stamps from fabricators such as the American Can Company and National Can Company, as well as slight text shifts in mandatory brewery statements and graphic borders.

In addition to its appeal within regional breweriana collections, this can is linked to a landmark antitrust ruling in American business history. The Department of Justice challenged Schlitz's purchase of the San Francisco brewery, resulting in a prominent anti-monopoly case that eventually required Schlitz to divest the Burgermeister brand and the local facility. Consequently, cans produced with the Jos. Schlitz San Francisco divisional credit stand as tangible artifacts of this transitional corporate era.