Eastside Old Tap Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Eastside Old Tap Lager Flat Top Can

This 12-ounce flat top can represents a classic mid-century design produced for Eastside Old Tap Lager by the Pabst Brewing Company at its Los Angeles, California packaging facility. The front label is highlighted by a distinctive gold-trimmed red shield surmounted by a soaring golden eagle emblem against a light woodgrain pattern. Bold gothic lettering frames the "Old Tap" brand name, anchored along the bottom rim by the promotional slogan, "it's real BEER".

The Brand

The Eastside name originally arose as the flagship label of the Los Angeles Brewing Company, named in reference to the plant's position east of the Los Angeles River. Under Pabst's ownership, the recipe was repositioned as Eastside Old Tap, functioning as a popular regional and value-priced offering throughout California and neighboring Western states. The brand earned a prominent place in Southern California sports culture by sponsoring radio and television broadcasts for the Los Angeles Dodgers after their arrival in 1958, eventually being poured for fans on opening day at Dodger Stadium in 1962.

The Brewery

The brewery's origins date to August 1897, when Edward Mathie and P. Max Kuehnrich founded the Los Angeles Brewing Company. Bavarian-trained brewer George Zobelein gained control of the business in 1907 and turned it into one of Southern California's largest brewing operations. The company navigated the Prohibition era by bottling soft drinks, fruit juices, and near beer before resuming full brewing operations upon repeal in 1933. In 1948, the Zobelein family sold the facility to Milwaukee-based Pabst. The purchase transformed Pabst into the first nationwide brewer with plants spanning from coast to coast. Pabst modernized and expanded the plant in 1953, but escalating consolidation and intense industry competition eventually led to the facility's closure in 1979.

Collecting Context

This flat top can is a prime collector piece from the mid-century era of American canned beer. It represents the intersection of historic Los Angeles brewing heritage, baseball lore, and the postwar expansion of national brewing giants into regional Western markets.