Champale Pink Flavored Malt Liquor 12 Oz Tab Top Can

1970 Pink Champale Tab Top Can

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top can dates to 1970, representing a colorful era of malt beverage packaging produced by Champale, Inc. in Trenton, New Jersey. The front of the can features an illustration of an elegant wide-rimmed coupe glass filled with sparkling pink liquid, positioned below a heraldic crest and the distinctive script brand lettering. Text along the lower portion identifies the beverage as a flavored malt liquor formulated with certified color and artificial flavor. In collector reference guides, this particular design has been reclassified under an updated catalog designation.

Champale was originally developed to bridge the gap between traditional beer and wine by fermenting a malt base with yeast strains typically utilized in winemaking, producing an effervescent beverage resembling sparkling wine. Positioned as an accessible, celebratory drink that consumers were encouraged to serve like champagne, the brand enjoyed wide popularity across urban markets. Building upon the decades-long foundation of its flagship Extra Dry version, the brewery introduced Pink Champale to appeal to changing consumer trends, supporting the line with extensive national advertising and promotional placements across daytime game shows.

The brewing facility behind the label was located along Lamberton Street in Trenton, a historic industrial site that had previously housed Peoples Brewing Company. Operated for decades by the Hertzberg family under the name Metropolis Brewery of New Jersey, the firm formally changed its operating identity to Champale, Inc. in 1967. The operation was later acquired by conglomerate Iroquois Brands, Ltd., which expanded the Trenton packaging operations before selling the brand formulas and trademarks to the G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1986, which brought an end to production at the Trenton brewery.

To breweriana enthusiasts, this can stands out as a quintessential artifact of 1970s malt liquor marketing. Its pastel background and glassware graphic set it apart from conventional beer cans of the period, making it a desirable piece for collectors focusing on flavored malt beverages, Mid-Atlantic brewing history, and vintage beverage packaging.