Heileman's Old Style Beer Flat Top Can

Heileman's Old Style Lager Flat Top

This 12-ounce flat top can represents a classic mid-century pictorial release for G. Heileman Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Set against a lighter green background, the upper panel features metallic gold scrollwork framing the traditional cavalier mascot raising a glass. The lower portion showcases an intricate, multi-vignette Old World brewing scene depicting monks seated around a table, an ox-drawn cart delivering ingredients, and cellars filled with lager casks. Prominently displayed text outlines the brand's traditional process—touting imported hops, in-house malting, pure Wisconsin water, and double fermentation—accompanied by a diagonal red banner denoting the La Crosse brewery.

First introduced in 1902, Old Style Lager was crafted to appeal to the Upper Midwest’s deep German immigrant heritage. Heileman distinguished the brand in regional advertising by emphasizing kräusening, a secondary fermentation technique that delivered natural carbonation and a clean finish. Positioned around Old World craftsmanship and brewing authenticity, Old Style grew into a dominant regional powerhouse and went on to establish an enduring cultural stronghold across Chicago taverns and ballparks.

Gottlieb Heileman founded the brewery in 1858 alongside partner John Gund as the City Brewery. Following Gottlieb's death in 1878, his widow, Johanna Heileman, assumed control of operations, becoming one of the first female brewery chief executives in the United States and steering the enterprise through incorporation. Heileman survived Prohibition by producing near-beer and soda, rebounding strongly after repeal. In the post-World War II decades, the company executed an aggressive expansion campaign by acquiring numerous legacy regional brands, eventually becoming the nation’s fourth-largest brewing firm by the early 1980s.

Pictorial flat tops from this era are highly prized by breweriana enthusiasts for their ornate storybook lithography. The detailed narrative artwork and subtle design distinctions across manufacturing runs—such as metallic scrollwork styling and variations in green coloration—make these cans central pieces in collections focused on Midwestern brewing history.