Iron City Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

The Historic Iron City Snap Top

The Iron City Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can represents a landmark milestone in beverage packaging history. In 1962, the Pittsburgh Brewing Company partnered with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to commercialize the self-opening closure developed from Ermal Fraze's invention. Iron City served as the pioneer brand for this technological leap, fundamentally reshaping how canned beverages were packaged across the industry.

Pittsburgh Brewing Company test-marketed the new closure on Iron City Beer in Staunton, Virginia, in late 1962. Consumer response was immediate and overwhelmingly positive, with canned beer sales in the test market more than doubling within two months. Following this success, the brewery quickly transitioned its primary canning lines to the format, leading canned sales to triple shortly after the wider rollout. The commercial victory prompted breweries across the country to follow suit with their own self-opening cans.

The brewery vigorously protected its pioneering marketing position. In 1963, Pittsburgh Brewing Company filed a lawsuit against local rival Duquesne Brewing over the use of the trademarked "Snap Top" name.

Among collectors, several variations are known to exist across production runs. Early versions promoted the design with text proclaiming the "New Easy Open Snap Top". After competing brands entered the market with their own versions, the brewery updated the can's label copy to read "No. 1 with the Snap Top" to emphasize its role as the originator. Variations also include minor differences in the lid stamping, ranging from plain metal lids to versions with embossed instructional text.