Guinness's Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Goebel's Guinness Lager Flat Top

The Guinness's Lager Beer flat top can represents a notable chapter in mid-century American brewing history, stemming from a contract brewing and licensing arrangement between Arthur Guinness Son & Co. and the Goebel Brewing Company of Detroit, Michigan.

Following the closure of Guinness's American production facility in Long Island City, New York in the mid-1950s, the company partnered with Goebel to produce and package Guinness-branded beverages domestically. Under this arrangement, Goebel produced both Guinness's Ale and Guinness's Lager Beer from its facilities in Detroit (as well as Oakland, California) to supply the domestic market without the burden of transatlantic shipping duties.

The can design integrates traditional Guinness heraldry and bold typography onto a standard steel flat top format. Collectors note several variations across production runs, showing differences in mandatory legal text, color saturation, and brewery location statements. Because the licensing arrangement between Guinness and Goebel was relatively short-lived, this container remains a prized crossover item bridging classic Irish brewing heritage with Detroit's industrial canning legacy.