Iron City Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Iron City's Historic Snap-Top Can

The Iron City Beer tab top can holds a landmark place in breweriana history as the vehicle that revolutionized modern beverage packaging. In 1962, the Pittsburgh Brewing Company collaborated with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to commercially launch the self-opening pull tab lid developed from Ermal Fraze's invention. First test-marketed in Staunton, Virginia, in late 1962, the can was marketed under the name "Snap Top" and became an immediate commercial success, leading the brewery to rapidly convert its canning lines to the new format.

Following the breakthrough debut, Pittsburgh Brewing Company updated the can's label art to promote the advancement. Several variations exist from this transitional era, including early promotional versions proclaiming "New Easy Open Snap Top" and subsequent runs proudly declaring "No. 1 With The Snap Top" as competing breweries scrambled to adopt the technology. Today, this can is celebrated by collectors as the pioneer that sparked the era of self-opening beverage cans.