Iron City Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

The First Snap-Top Beer Can

Pittsburgh Brewing Company secured a landmark place in packaging history when it partnered with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to release Iron City Beer in self-opening cans. Utilizing the pull-tab mechanism pioneered by inventor Ermal Fraze, Pittsburgh Brewing test-marketed this can design in Staunton, Virginia, in September 1962. The test proved to be an overwhelming success, with regional sales reportedly doubling within two months. Following this triumph, the brewery rapidly transitioned its canned beer production to the format.

Iron City was marketed heavily under the moniker "Snap Top". The brewery actively defended this branding, even initiating legal action against regional competitor Duquesne Brewing over the use of the term.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this can marks a defining moment in American beverage packaging. Early production runs featured distinct lid designs, such as straight-edged pull tabs without rolled edges or stamped instructions, which were subsequently modified to improve safety. Graphic variations also appeared across the can body, with promotional slogans shifting from announcing the "New Easy Open Snap Top" to boasting "No. 1 with the Snap Top" as rival breweries began adopting similar closures across the country.