Heileman's Old Style Lager Beer Cone Top Can

Old Style Lager Low-Profile Cone Top

Produced in the late 1930s, this 12-ounce low-profile cone top can showcases the pre-World War II presentation of G. Heileman's flagship lager. Manufactured with a smooth cone shoulder and sealed with a crown cap, the container features an Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) designation and carries no alcohol content statement. A notable graphic element appears along the lower red band: "THIS CAN CONTAINS 12 FLUID OUNCES SAME AS STANDARD BOTTLE." During the initial commercial adoption of canned beer, such explicit reassurances were printed to convince wary consumers that metal containers held the identical volume to traditional glass bottles. The front face features Heileman's signature heraldic shield with Old English lettering, underlined by the word "BEER" flanked by yellow horizontal rule bars.

Heileman first introduced Old Style in 1902 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Highlighted by its traditional kraeusening process, the brew established a passionate following across the Upper Midwest. Early advertising cheekily promoted it as "The Medalless Beer," poking fun at larger competitors who bragged about medals won at international expositions. Over the ensuing decades, Old Style evolved into a working-class staple and an institution across Midwestern taverns and ballparks, particularly throughout the Chicago market. Although its founding brewery eventually ceased independent operations, the Old Style brand survived and continues under Pabst Brewing Company stewardship.

The G. Heileman Brewing Company was founded in 1858 when German immigrant Gottlieb Heileman partnered to establish the City Brewery in La Crosse. Heileman took full ownership in 1872, building the firm into an enduring regional brewing powerhouse. The company navigated the thirteen years of Prohibition by manufacturing near-beer, sodas, and malt extracts. When Repeal arrived in 1933, Heileman rapidly resumed production and emerged as an early partner for Continental Can Company's cone tops in 1935. Later in the 20th century, Heileman orchestrated a massive expansion by acquiring legacy regional labels nationwide, growing into one of the country's largest brewing entities before financial restructuring and consolidation led to its absorption in the late 1990s.

For breweriana historians and enthusiasts, pre-war low-profile cone tops are among the most revered formats in the hobby. Because cone tops permitted regional brewers to fill cans using existing bottling equipment without massive capital overhauls, they bridged the gap between draft bottles and modern cans. Marked by its educational bottle-equivalence phrasing and classic graphics, this can serves as an evocative artifact of late-Depression era packaging.