Century Lager Beer Cone Top Can

Trinidad's Post-Repeal Cone Top

Manufactured in the late 1930s by the Continental Can Company, this twelve-ounce low-profile cone top represents an early canned offering from southern Colorado. The container features a flat bottom construction paired with an inverted rib cone, bearing the Internal Revenue Tax Paid statement required during the era. The label design highlights a bold crimson tapered chevron set against a metallic gold background, anchored by a stylized barley ear medallion resting above the lower brewery banner.

Century Lager was originally introduced in 1908 as the flagship brand of the Schneider brewing operations. Positioned as a classic, high-quality German-style lager, it enjoyed widespread popularity across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in bottles and kegs. Following the national repeal of Prohibition, the brand was revived as the brewery's primary offering, packaged in modern metal containers to compete in regional markets.

The Ph. Schneider Brewing Company traces its origins to the 1880s when German immigrant Henry Schneider established brewing operations in Trinidad, Colorado. Formally incorporated with his son Philip by 1890, the brewery grew into a six-story industrial complex complete with a dedicated bottling plant, steam works, and modern cellars. The firm weathered Prohibition by producing non-alcoholic beverages and secured Colorado's first brewing permit upon Repeal in 1933. Although the brewery remained a regional staple through the 1930s and 1940s, rising competition and post-war consolidation led to management changes—including a period operated by Walter Brewing Company—before the plant permanently ceased operations in the late 1950s.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this Century Lager can represents an iconic artifact of pre-war Rocky Mountain brewing history. Early low-profile cone tops from independent Western breweries remain highly prized. Collectors actively seek this label, noting variations across different production runs that feature alternate bottom chime designs.