Heileman's Old Style Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Heileman's 11 oz Old Style Flat Top

Produced by the G. Heileman Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, this flat top container represents an unusual 11-fluid-ounce packaging format for the brewery's flagship Old Style Lager. While the vast majority of mid-century flat top beer cans were standardized at twelve ounces, regional market pricing strategies and tax considerations prompted several Midwestern brewers to occasionally package beer in slightly smaller eleven-ounce cans.

The can is celebrated for its elaborate, storybook-style lithographed label that illustrates traditional European brewing heritage. Across the center of the body, a highly detailed multi-scene mural depicts monks sampling beer from aging wooden casks marked "Old Style Lager," alongside horse- and ox-drawn wagons hauling barrels, an alpine tavern, and a nesting bird atop a stone chimney. Above the scene, a red diagonal banner bears the brewery's signature guarantee.

Directly above the pictorial mural, the label details Heileman's process, highlighting "Old World Methods," "Sparkling Pure Wisconsin Water," "Double Fermentation," and extended aging. The top portion of the can features gold and white scrollwork centered by a traditional costumed figure raising a foamy stein.

Collectors recognize variations of this eleven-ounce issue through differences in text placement. This specific version is distinguished by displaying the volume declaration, "CONTENTS 11 FLUID OZ.", in red lettering directly on the front face above the scenic artwork, while also stating the fluid ounce measurement along the vertical seam panel.