Fehr's Liquid Gold Beer Flat Top Can

Fehr's Liquid Gold Flat Top Can

The Can

Produced during the 1950s by the Frank Fehr Brewing Company of Louisville, Kentucky, this twelve-ounce flat top can features an all-metallic gold body layered with diagonal, repeating script reading "Perfect Taste" and "Supreme Quality." The central white diamond insignia highlights the company's heritage with "since 1872" at the top crest, centered around an illustrated sailboat and the company's famous pun slogan, "IT'S ALWAYS FEHR WEATHER." The bold red "Fehr's" brand name, accented with a decorative asterisk, sits prominently above "Liquid Gold BEER," anchored by the Louisville brewery mandatory text along the bottom rim.

The Brand

In the 1950s, Frank Fehr Brewing introduced "Liquid Gold" to appeal to post-war consumer preferences for lighter, smoother lagers. Marketed as a modern premium offering, promotional campaigns highlighted vacuum-aging techniques and clean brewing methods. Advertising leaned heavily on engaging slogans, pairing "Any Time's the Right Time for Liquid Gold" with the brewery's classic "It's Always Fehr Weather" tagline. Although heavily promoted across print and radio, the push behind Liquid Gold created internal competition that ultimately cannibalized sales of the brewery's long-running flagship, Fehr's X/L.

The Brewery

The Frank Fehr Brewing Company traced its origin to 1872 when Frank Fehr, an Alsatian immigrant who had worked in breweries across the Midwest, leased the former Otto Brewery on East Green Street (later renamed Fehr Avenue) in Louisville. The brewery grew rapidly, propelled by the regional success of its flagship Fehr's X/L ("Extra Lager"), which earned top honors at the Louisville Southern Exposition in the 1880s and became the city's top-selling beer. The company survived Prohibition by producing near beer, soft drinks, and commercial ice. Sales peaked in the late 1940s as Fehr led regional production across Kentucky and Indiana. However, aggressive expansion by national brewing conglomerates during the 1950s eroded independent market share, leading to the brewery's closure in 1964.

Collecting Context

Mid-century flat tops from the Ohio River Valley are standout pieces in regional breweriana collections. This can is particularly valued among Kentucky collectors for its radiant metallic lithography, stylized nautical graphics, and its place in the final chapter of Louisville's historic Frank Fehr Brewing Company.