Cremo Lager Beer Crowntainer

Cremo Lager Beer Crowntainer

The Cremo Lager Beer Crowntainer was produced for The Cremo Brewing Company of New Britain, Connecticut. Bearing the "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" (IRTP) mandatory statement, this container dates to the 1940s when regional packaging relied heavily on the two-piece drawn steel container format.

Design and Branding

The can is distinguished by its classic faux woodgrain background motif, setting it apart from the metallic silver and light cream variations Cremo used on other contemporaneous product lines. Bold banner typography presents the "Cremo Lager Beer" brand name clearly across the body, accompanied by brewery mandatory text identifying New Britain, Connecticut as its place of origin.

The Cremo Brewing Company

Originally established in 1905 by Lithuanian immigrant John Skritulsky on Belden Street, The Cremo Brewing Company was a beloved manufacturing cornerstone of New Britain. After weathering the thirteen years of Prohibition, the brewery reopened to massive local fanfare in 1933. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Cremo grew into a prominent regional brewery, sponsoring community radio broadcasts and a semiprofessional baseball club while distributing beer across New England. Post-war market pressures and increased competition from national shipping breweries eventually led the facility to close its doors in November 1955.

Collector Significance

Among Connecticut and broader New England breweriana, Cremo containers from the IRTP era remain highly prized. While Cremo packaged its products in various formats over its operating lifespan—including cone tops and flat tops—the woodgrain lager design is regarded by collectors as one of the standout regional Crowntainers from the post-Prohibition brewing era.