Colt 45 Malt Liquor 16 Oz Tab Top Can

Colt 45 16 Oz Tab Top Overview

Introduced by the National Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland, Colt 45 became one of the most recognizable malt liquor brands in American brewing history. While widely assumed to take its name from the handgun caliber, the brand was actually named in honor of Baltimore Colts running back Jerry Hill, who wore jersey number 45.

The 16-ounce pint format provided a larger single-serve container compared to standard 12-ounce packaging. The graphics prominently display the brand's trademark kicking stallion silhouette framed inside a horseshoe, a visual motif conceived to represent the brand's marketed "extra kick".

For breweriana collectors, this Baltimore-mandated 16-ounce container represents a key era of National Brewing Company's mid-century portfolio. Multiple manufacturing variations exist across production runs, featuring differences in mandatory text layout, American Can Company markings, and multi-city brewery listings along the seam as National expanded packaging beyond Baltimore.