Dixie Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Dixie Lager Tab Top Can

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top can was issued by the Dixie Brewing Company of New Orleans, Louisiana, during the 1970s. The design is defined by a sepia-toned central oval featuring an archival photograph of a mustachioed patron in a bowler hat holding a stemmed glass of lager, attended by a bartender in the background. Running along the side of the portrait is the tagline, "Yesterday's Care for Today's Taste," reinforcing the brand's traditional image. In the collector catalog, this particular issue is distinguished by having its volume contents statement printed opposite the side seam.

Dixie Lager served as the flagship offering of the brewery throughout the twentieth century. Positioned as a proud regional favorite, the brand leaned heavily into Crescent City heritage, slow-brewed craftsmanship, and southern hospitality. During the 1970s, as regional breweries faced intense pressure from rapidly expanding national conglomerates, Dixie leaned into nostalgic barroom themes and retro-styled packaging to remind consumers of its longstanding local roots and enduring recipes.

Dixie Brewing Company was founded in 1907 by Valentine Merz on Tulane Avenue in New Orleans. It quickly grew into one of the South's most recognizable names in brewing. When National Prohibition arrived in 1920, the plant stayed afloat by producing near-beer under the name "Dixie Beverage," as well as soft drinks and commercial ice. Following repeal in 1933, Dixie resumed full operations and remained a New Orleans staple for decades, eventually outlasting other major local competitors to become the city's sole remaining historic operating brewery. Decades later, catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 damaged the Tulane Avenue facility, prompting off-site contract brewing until new ownership invested in a modern facility in New Orleans and eventually renamed the company Faubourg Brewing.

Among breweriana enthusiasts, this can is an appealing example of 1970s straight steel tab tops. It is particularly valued by regional collectors focusing on New Orleans and Gulf Coast brewing history, as well as collectors drawn to vintage photographic can art.