Drewrys Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Drewrys Beer Tab Top Can

This 12-ounce aluminum tab top container represents Drewrys Beer during the pull-tab packaging era, produced under the name of Drewrys Ltd. in South Bend, Indiana. Constructed from all-aluminum stock, the design features Drewrys' classic heraldic crest centered by an ornate Gothic "D," set within an oval border and overlaid onto bold vertical red banding. Notable script along the front proclaims, "Brewed with a Choice Selection of Fine Grains and Hops". In the collector catalog, this specific variation is designated by its silver aluminum base and a higher positioning of its contents statement.

Originally established in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1877 by Edward Lancaster Drewry, the Drewrys brand built a formidable reputation across Western Canada before expanding southward into the United States following the repeal of Prohibition. Drewrys was marketed across the American Midwest with vibrant advertising campaigns, frequently using the slogan "More Flavor, Less Filling, More Fun" long before light beers popularized similar themes. The brand also promoted lighter aluminum packaging by showing that its cans could float in water.

Drewrys' American brewing footprint was established in 1936 when company investors acquired the historic Muessel Brewing Company complex in South Bend, Indiana. The South Bend facility grew significantly over the decades, churning out well over a million barrels annually at its peak in the 1960s. As regional brewing consolidated, Drewrys merged with Detroit-based Associated Brewing Company in 1963. Associated was later acquired in 1972 by the G. Heileman Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, which ceased brewing operations at the historic South Bend plant shortly thereafter.

For breweriana enthusiasts, Drewrys cans from South Bend serve as quintessential examples of mid-century Midwestern brewing heritage. The transition from traditional steel to aluminum tab top containers marks an important developmental phase in beverage packaging, making cataloged graphic and text placement variations of core regional brands like Drewrys an enduring area of focus for tab top collectors.