Dutch Lunch Brand Beer Flat Top Can

Dutch Lunch Beer by Grace Bros.

This flat top can represents a classic pre-World War II era container produced by the American Can Company. Bearing the mandatory "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" (IRTP) statement alongside the proprietary "Keglined" trademark, the can is defined by its prominent vertical opening instruction panel. Illustrated with a line drawing demonstrating how to hold the container and hook a punch opener under the top rim, this variant is cross-referenced in specialized opening-instruction reference literature under catalog designation L213.

The Dutch Lunch brand was introduced during the post-Prohibition era to evoke Old World craftsmanship and hearty conviviality. The front panel showcases a cheerful, mustachioed figure in traditional European tavern attire holding aloft a foaming wooden stein. Positioned as an accessible, everyday lager suited for informal meals and social gatherings, the branding tapped into the popular culinary concept of the casual "Dutch lunch" buffet spread.

Brothers Frank and Joseph Grace initially entered the California brewing trade in 1897 by purchasing the Metzger Brewery in Santa Rosa. The enterprise survived Prohibition by producing carbonated soft drinks, near beer, and commercial ice, allowing it to quickly reopen and modernize after Repeal. In 1937, the firm expanded southward by purchasing the former Rio Brewing Company plant in Los Angeles, establishing it as Grace Bros. Brewery, Ltd. By the onset of the 1940s, the company had grown into the fourth-largest brewing operation in California before post-war competition and brewery consolidation altered the regional marketplace.

Opening-instruction flat tops from this period represent a pivotal moment in packaging history, as breweries and container manufacturers had to guide consumers through the unfamiliar process of opening canned beer. West Coast instructional cans featuring colorful narrative lithography and historic patent notices remain highly celebrated centerpieces of early American canned breweriana.