Hull's Export Beer 12 Oz Zip/Tab Top Can

Hull's Export Beer Pull Tab Can

This 12-ounce straight steel can represents the self-opening era of New Haven's historic Hull Brewing Company. The clean label presentation highlights the red diamond emblem inscribed with "H Co B" and flanked by "EST. 1872". Beneath the company mark, the brewery's flowing script name is displayed above a bold, red stencil-style treatment for the "EXPORT" designation. Vertical text along the seam lines identifies the contents as 12 fluid ounces and documents that the beer was brewed and packed in New Haven, Connecticut. While tab top versions of this can are well recorded in reference literature, period zip top variations remain undocumented in standard catalog guides.

Hull's Export was the flagship lager of the brewery, serving as a neighborhood staple across taverns and package stores throughout Connecticut. Despite the "Export" naming convention—historically adopted by American brewers to denote a higher-quality or premium lager formulation—the beer remained an intensely local institution that rarely traveled far from the Elm City. It was celebrated as everyday refreshment and was an indispensable presence at local gatherings and statewide celebrations.

The Hull Brewing Company was established in 1872 by Colonel William Hull. The company weathered the dry years of National Prohibition by producing manufactured ice and non-alcoholic cereal beverages. Following Repeal in 1933, the operation relocated to the former Philip Fresenius brewery complex on Congress Avenue. Following the demise of other regional operations by the mid-1950s, Hull persevered as Connecticut's lone surviving commercial packaging brewery. Rising production costs and intense competition from heavily advertised national mega-breweries eventually led to the brewery's closure in 1977 after more than a century of continuous operation.

For breweriana collectors, this can serves as a key artifact of New England's regional brewing heritage. It exemplifies the mid-century transition to self-opening beverage cans during the final operational decades of Connecticut's last historic production brewery.