Iron City Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Historic Iron City Snap Top

Produced by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Iron City Beer 12 oz tab top can occupies a celebrated place in breweriana history. In September 1962, Pittsburgh Brewing partnered with the Pittsburgh-based Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to test-market the brewing industry's first self-opening can in Staunton, Virginia. Utilizing a design concept developed by inventor Ermal Fraze, the breakthrough package eliminated the traditional requirement for a handheld church key opener.

The packaging innovation caused an immediate sensation. Sales in the initial test market doubled in less than two months, prompting Pittsburgh Brewing to convert its entire canned packaging line to the new closure and leading to a tripling of can sales over the following year.

To capitalize on consumer excitement, the brewery incorporated promotional slogans directly into the can's label graphics. Early production runs proudly advertised the "New Easy Open Snap Top," which was later updated to "No. 1 With The Snap Top" as rival breweries rushed to introduce their own pull tabs. Pittsburgh Brewing was fiercely protective of the marketing term, even filing a notable lawsuit against local competitor Duquesne Brewing in 1963 over the use of the "Snap Top" name.

For collectors, the can represents a major milestone that permanently altered the beverage packaging landscape. Known variations exist across different manufacturing runs, reflecting minor text revisions, updated slogans, and differing mandatory brewery statements.