Gretz Beer Flat Top Can

Philadelphia's Gretz Flat Top

Produced by the William Gretz Brewing Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Gretz Beer flat top can represents one of the most prominent regional labels in East Coast brewing history. Operating from its Kensington facility at Germantown Avenue and Oxford Street, Gretz established itself as a packaged beer powerhouse, outselling major national competitors in the local market during its mid-century peak.

The standard flat top can prominently displays the Gretz branding alongside the company's hallmark motto, "Made The Old Fashioned Way". Gretz was renowned for forward-thinking marketing, notably utilizing an iconic high-wheel bicycle rider across its promotional materials and becoming the first Philadelphia brewery to sponsor a televised variety show. This promotional creativity extended directly to can lithography; in addition to the standard beer can design, Gretz released thematic flat top sets, including the "Tooner Schooner" series displaying Gay Nineties song lyrics and illustrations, as well as sports car designs.

Known variations of the Gretz Beer flat top exist among collectors. These differences encompass adjustments in brewery mandatory text, packaging designations from the brewery's transitional era with Esslinger's, variations in alcohol content statements, and distinct state tax lids. For East Coast breweriana enthusiasts, assembling the various issues of this Philadelphia staple remains a classic collecting pursuit.