Frisco (old) Extra Pale Beer Flat Top Can

Old Frisco Extra Pale Lager Flat Top

Dating to the pre-1950 era, this 12-ounce flat top container carries the mandatory Internal Revenue Tax Paid statement that defines early canned beer production. The front panel is highlighted by an oval vignette capturing a historic maritime scene of early San Francisco, complete with multi-masted sailing vessels docked alongside waterfront stone wharves. Above the "Extra Pale" script, the brand name is rendered in ornate, notched frontier-style lettering that reinforces the label's Gold Rush aesthetic.

General Brewing Corporation introduced the Old Frisco label to capitalize on Northern California nostalgia and regional identity. Formulated as an extra pale lager, it celebrated the heritage and colorful past of the San Francisco Bay Area. While the company developed several specialty recipes, Old Frisco served as a dedicated tribute to the city's frontier roots during the post-Prohibition brewing resurgence before production ceased as brewing trends shifted in the postwar years.

General Brewing Corp. was established in San Francisco in 1934 shortly after the repeal of Prohibition. Operating from a modern production facility on Newhall Street in the city's Bayview district, the firm grew rapidly to become a leading brewing powerhouse across the Pacific Coast. Driven largely by the massive growth of its flagship Lucky Lager brand, the business adopted the name Lucky Lager Brewing Company in 1948. Over subsequent decades, the operation underwent further expansions and corporate reorganizations under the General Brewing banner before the original San Francisco plant permanently ended operations in the late 1970s.

For breweriana collectors, early West Coast flat tops from the post-Repeal era represent a celebrated chapter in California commercial art and packaging history. With its evocative harbor illustration and classic Western typography, this can stands as a prominent historical artifact from San Francisco's mid-century brewing landscape.