Drewrys Extra Dry Beer Flat Top Can

Drewrys Extra Dry Flat Top Beer Can

This 12-ounce flat top steel can features Drewrys Extra Dry Beer, produced by Drewry's Ltd. in South Bend, Indiana. The can face is anchored by a large blue shield trimmed with red and yellow borders. Displayed prominently within an inset badge at the top of the shield is the brand's iconic Canadian Mountie emblem, showcasing the uniformed officer in a scarlet tunic with hands on his hips, flanked by red stars. Upper and lower rims carry the traditional slogans "Brewed From Choice Materials" and "A Famous Name Since 1877." While standard production examples were sealed as flat top beverage cans, this graphic design was also issued in promotional bank top configurations featuring a coin slot.

The Drewrys brand traces its origins back to 1877, when Edward Drewry founded a brewing operation in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Following the repeal of Prohibition in the United States, investors brought the name southward to establish an American presence. Marketing campaigns heavily leaned into the brand's Canadian heritage, using the resolute Mountie character to convey qualities of purity and craftsmanship. Drewrys positioned its Extra Dry beer as a refreshing, crisp lager, achieving high visibility across the Midwest through extensive print advertisements, sports sponsorships, and promotional novelty giveaways.

The South Bend brewing plant originally belonged to the historic Muessel Brewing Company before being reorganized during the 1930s as Drewrys Ltd., U.S.A. The company expanded significantly through the post-World War II brewing boom, becoming a major regional powerhouse and acquiring other well-known regional labels, including Chicago's Schoenhofen-Edelweiss. Drewrys maintained substantial production volume for decades before industry consolidation took hold. The South Bend operations became part of Associated Brewing Company in the 1960s, and brewing at the South Bend plant ceased in 1972.

Mid-century flat tops from Drewrys remain staples among regional breweriana collections. The eye-catching Mountie mascot, bold shield layout, and existence of both beverage and coin-bank formats make this design a quintessential representative of classic Indiana brewing history.