Iron City Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Iron City Snap Top Innovation

Iron City Beer holds a prominent place in beverage container history as the flagship brand that launched the self-opening can revolution. In 1962, Pittsburgh Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, partnered with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to test and introduce the first commercial pull tab beer cans.

Initial market testing in late 1962 demonstrated overwhelming consumer demand, leading Pittsburgh Brewing Company to rapidly expand production and transition its canned line to the new format. The brewery celebrated this packaging breakthrough directly on the label art, emblazoning the cans with promotional slogans like "Snap Top" and declaring the brand "No. 1 with the Snap Top".

For collectors, the Iron City 12 oz tab top is recognized as a milestone artifact. Several production variations exist across its manufacturing run, reflecting early design iterations such as the addition of stamped instructional lettering, rolled pull edges, and raised beads on the lid. This can stands as one of the most historically transformative designs in American breweriana.