Heileman's Old Style Light Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab/Stay Top Can

Old Style Light Lager Heritage

The G. Heileman Brewing Company was established in La Crosse, Wisconsin, evolving into one of the Upper Midwest's premier regional brewing powerhouses. Among the brewery's most enduring product lines was Old Style, a label that became deeply intertwined with Midwestern culture, regional sports traditions, and neighborhood taverns.

This 12-ounce can represents Heileman’s "Light Lager Beer" designation, showcasing the iconic Old Style branding defined by its traditional heraldic shield emblem, classic typography, and prominent La Crosse brewery credits. A hallmark of Heileman's identity featured on their packaging was their signature "fully kraeusened" natural carbonation process, an Old World brewing method the company actively promoted across its container designs.

During the brand's peak regional dominance, G. Heileman gained national attention for its brewery facility along the Mississippi River, home to the celebrated "World's Largest Six Pack"—massive storage tanks painted to replicate the company's can designs, turning their can graphics into a monumental roadside landmark.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this can marks an important chapter in Midwestern packaging history. Known variations exist across different production runs by major can manufacturers, differing in subtle graphic placements, mandatory regulatory text, and emblem detailing. As a central artifact of Wisconsin's industrial brewing past, this can remains a staple piece of classic Midwestern breweriana.