Guinness's Ale Flat Top Can

Goebel's Licensed Guinness's Brite Ale

Manufactured in the mid-1950s, this 12-ounce flat top represents a notable collaboration between Dublin’s Arthur Guinness Son & Co. and the Goebel Brewing Company of Detroit, Michigan. The label features a vivid green metallic field accented with gold striping and a script border alternating the words "Ale" and "Brite Ale" along the upper rim. At the center of the oval crest sits a green rampant unicorn emblem above the reproduced signature of Arthur Guinness. Modeled after an official certificate or banknote with intricate background wave patterns, each label in the series displayed a stamped red serial code, with this example bearing designation #55057. Mandatory text indicates it was brewed in the United States under license from the historic Dublin and London firm.

The brand emerged following the 1954 shuttering of Guinness's American brewing facility in Long Island City, New York. To avoid heavy transatlantic shipping costs and import duties while keeping a presence on American shelves, Guinness licensed Goebel to brew and can branded domestic products, specifically Guinness Brite Ale and a companion lager. Positioned as premium domestic alternatives that combined Old World heritage with modern American convenience, the beverages struggled to find sufficient traction with American consumers. By late 1955, sluggish sales prompted Guinness to terminate the licensing arrangement and return entirely to imported offerings.

The Goebel Brewing Company was founded in Detroit in 1873 by Prussian immigrant August Goebel and partner Theodore Gorenflo. Situated in Detroit’s bustling brewing district, Goebel grew into one of Michigan’s premier regional brewers. Surviving Prohibition by producing near beer and non-alcoholic malt products, the company rebounded strongly in the postwar era, expanding distribution and acquiring a West Coast satellite plant. However, stiff price competition and aggressive marketing from national shipping breweries eroded its market share in the late 1950s, culminating in the sale of its brewing assets to Detroit rival Stroh Brewery Company in 1964.

For collectors, this flat top bridges transatlantic brewing history and mid-century American canning heritage. It holds cross-collectible appeal for breweriana enthusiasts who focus on Goebel, Michigan regional cans, or international Guinness memorabilia, particularly for those intrigued by the various serial variations printed across its brief production lifespan.