Iron City Beer 16 Oz Tab Top Can

First Pint Tab Top Beer Can

Manufactured for the Pittsburgh Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Iron City Beer 16 oz tab top can represents a major milestone in breweriana and packaging history. Following the commercial debut of the self-opening lid on standard 12-ounce containers in partnership with Alcoa, Pittsburgh Brewing expanded the format to pint containers, becoming the first brewery in the industry to release a 16 oz can equipped with a tab top.

The label graphics were created to aggressively market this packaging innovation. Early production runs featured promotional banners proclaiming "New Easy Open Snap Top". As competing breweries rapidly adopted similar pull-tab lids, Pittsburgh Brewing updated the can graphics to read "No. 1 With The Snap Top". The brewery fiercely defended this marketing identity, even filing a $150,000 unfair competition lawsuit in May 1963 against crosstown rival Duquesne Brewing over the use of the "Snap Top" phrase.

Among breweriana collectors, several variations exist across production runs. These variations feature differences in promotional slogan banners, side-panel mandatory text, seam markings, and state tax notices. The container remains an essential centerpiece representing mid-century canned beverage innovation and Pittsburgh's brewing heritage.