Fort Pitt Extra Special Pilsener Beer Cone Top Can

Fort Pitt Extra Special Cone Top

The Fort Pitt Extra Special Pilsener Beer cone top can represents mid-century Western Pennsylvania packaging design. Manufactured in the 12-ounce high-profile cone top format, this container features the company's trademark emblem depicting the historic Fort Pitt Blockhouse set against a circular red crest. Flanking the central tapered blue panel, flowing script advertises "Extra Special" along the left and "Pilsener Beer" along the right.

Fort Pitt Brewing established the "Extra Special" line as part of a strategic shift toward crisp, lighter-bodied pilseners. Following the repeal of Prohibition and subsequent ownership changes in the late 1930s, the company repositioned its flagship lager through aggressive regional marketing. Supported by the ubiquitous slogan "Fort Pitt—That's It!" and sponsorships across local sports and radio broadcasts, Fort Pitt rapidly ascended to become one of the best-selling beer brands across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland.

Incorporated in 1906 by Dr. Herman Hechelman, Samuel Grenet, and fellow investors, the Fort Pitt Brewing Company opened its primary five-story plant in Sharpsburg, just outside Pittsburgh, in 1908. The company adapted during national Prohibition by manufacturing cereal beverages and specialty soft drinks. Following repeal in 1933, Fort Pitt enjoyed booming sales and expanded production in the 1940s by acquiring an additional brewery facility in Jeannette. By the early 1950s, Fort Pitt was the top-producing brewing operation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. However, a prolonged regional brewery workers' strike in 1952, combined with shipping missteps after the shutdown, severely damaged customer loyalty. Compounding pressure from expanding national mega-breweries led the company to cease brewing operations in 1957.

Among breweriana collectors, cone top cans from regional powerhouses hold significant appeal. This can remains an evocative piece of Pittsburgh's industrial brewing heritage, celebrating a brand that once dominated the steel city's working-class beer culture.