Eastside Export Beer Flat Top Can

Eastside Export Flat Top Can

This 12-ounce flat top container represents an early canning era release produced with American Can Company's patented Keglined process. Characteristic of pre-war and early post-Repeal manufacturing, the can features an Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) statement located to the left of the seam alongside illustrated opening instructions. In specialized reference literature focused on instructional flat tops, this particular variant is cataloged as entry 222 in Kevin Lilek's seminal guide. The face displays a bold red, white, and blue shield insignia surmounted by an outstretched eagle, with a 1936 copyright by the brewing firm printed below and the phrasing "Cool Before Serving" positioned along the top margin.

Eastside was established in the early 20th century by Bavarian brewmaster George Zobelein. After dissolving his prior partnership with Joseph Maier in 1907, Zobelein named the brand in honor of his facility's location on the east bank of the Los Angeles River. Positioned as an everyday, approachable brew for the expanding Southern California working class, Eastside became a dominant regional brand. Backed by extensive local print, billboard, and radio marketing, the brand remained a household name across California through multiple decades and ownership transitions before being phased out late in the 20th century.

The Los Angeles Brewing Company began operations in 1897 along North Main Street. After Zobelein acquired and modernized the business in 1907, it grew into one of the most prominent regional breweries in the American West. The company weathered Prohibition by manufacturing non-alcoholic cereal beverages, fruit juices, and malt syrups, which positioned it to resume alcoholic production immediately upon Repeal in 1933. In 1953, the plant was acquired by Milwaukee-based Pabst Brewing Company, which operated the historic Eastside site until 1979.

Instructional flat tops from this era hold significant historical interest for breweriana collectors. As early examples documenting the beverage industry's transition from glass bottles to metal cans, West Coast opening instruction cans with IRTP designations reflect the rapid technological modernization and vibrant regional identity of pre-war California brewing.