Hillman's Superb Beer Flat Top Can

Chicago Grocery Store Flat Top Can

The Hillman's Superb Beer flat top can is a 12-ounce steel container manufactured during the late 1950s to early 1960s. The face of the can features a two-tone design, split between a vivid blue upper section and a metallic gold lower band. Flanking the central typography on both sides are detailed illustrations of tall, ornate lidded steins. The brand name appears across the top in bold lettering above an intricate scrollwork flourish framing the word "Superb," while the lower gold section highlights the flowing cursive slogan "America's Premium Beer".

Hillman's Superb Beer was packaged as a private-label store brand for Hillman's Pure Foods, a well-known chain of grocery stores and supermarkets operating across the Chicago metropolitan area. Renowned throughout the mid-twentieth century for extensive bakeries and prepared foods departments, the grocer offered house-branded products to supply shoppers with dependable staples. Marketed with premium-themed phrasing and traditional imagery, the beer gave the supermarket chain a house lager positioned to compete with major midwestern commercial brews on store shelves.

The can identifies Empire Brewing Co. of Chicago, Illinois, as the producer. In practice, Empire was one of several trade names utilized by the Canadian Ace Brewing Company (historically known as the Manhattan Brewing Company), located on South Emerald Avenue in Chicago. During the post-Prohibition era and throughout the mid-century period, Canadian Ace kept its production facilities active by contracting to brew and package private labels under numerous assumed corporate names for regional retailers and distributors. Facing stiff competition from consolidating national brewing giants, Canadian Ace finally closed its doors in 1968.

For breweriana collectors, store-brand flat tops represent a distinctive specialty within vintage can collecting. Because private labels reflect both mid-century commercial canning art and the history of regional supermarket commerce, examples tied to prominent local institutions like Hillman's Pure Foods hold enduring interest for collectors of Chicago breweriana and vintage packaging history.