Iron City Draft 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Iron City Stanley Cup Champions Can

This straight steel, 12 oz tab top can was issued by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company in the mid-1970s as part of its sports-themed promotional releases. The reverse panel features an expressive sketch illustration of an ice hockey player poised on skates with stick in hand, accented with an energetic splash of red. Running alongside the artwork is a historical record titled "Stanley Cup Champions," listing annual NHL victors from 1928 through the Philadelphia Flyers' landmark 1974 title victory. The opposite side of the can displays the standard Iron City Draft brand face.

Iron City Beer was established in 1861 and grew into the defining brew of western Pennsylvania's working-class communities. Positioned as an everyday lager for the region's steelworkers and laborers, the brand cultivated deep ties to local and national sports culture. Throughout the 1970s, the brewery leaned heavily into collectible packaging, transforming beer cans into commemorative keepsakes honoring championship rosters, schedules, and major athletic milestones. Iron City Draft offered consumers a smooth, draft-style experience in a packaged format while continuing the brand's long legacy of regional pride.

The Pittsburgh Brewing Company originated when German immigrant Edward Frauenheim founded the Iron City Brewery in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood. In 1899, it merged with twenty other local breweries to form the consolidated Pittsburgh Brewing Company. The brewery successfully weathered Prohibition by producing soft drinks, near-beer, and commercial ice. In 1962, the company made packaging history by collaborating with Alcoa to introduce the world's first pull-tab beer can. Through various shifts in ownership and modern relocations, the brewery remained a cultural touchstone of the Steel City.

Sports-themed commemorative cans from the Pittsburgh Brewing Company hold a special place in breweriana. By documenting specific athletic achievements and eras, these cans generate cross-collecting interest between beer can enthusiasts and sports historians. This can remains a notable example of the brewery's illustrated sports packaging from the 1970s.