Iron City Premium Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

The Dawn of the Snap Top Can

The Iron City Premium Beer 12 oz tab top can holds a prominent position in the history of breweriana. Produced by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this container represents a watershed moment in beverage packaging: the widespread commercial introduction of the self-opening pull tab.

In the early 1960s, Pittsburgh Brewing Company collaborated with aluminum manufacturer Alcoa to pioneer easy-open tab tops. The brewery test-marketed the new lids in Staunton, Virginia, in late 1962. The market test was an instant success, driving a dramatic surge in regional sales and prompting the brewery to convert all of its canned beer production to the new top by early 1963.

To highlight this convenience, Pittsburgh Brewing Company updated the can's graphics to advertise the breakthrough. Early production runs featured promotional text heralding the "New Easy Open Snap Top," which was subsequently updated to "No. 1 With The Snap Top" as rival breweries began adopting similar closures. The brewery defended its packaging milestone aggressively, even filing a notable 1963 trademark lawsuit against local competitor Duquesne Brewing over the commercial use of the term "Snap Top".

For collectors, the can is notable for its known variations across different production runs. Graphic variations include shifts in mandatory brewery text, slogan placement, and slight modifications to the iconic red, white, and gold shield motif. Lid variations also reflect the progression of early tab designs, showing changes in rivet styling, stamped instruction text, and rim bead profiles.

Representing the flagship brew of an iconic industrial hub, the Iron City 12 oz tab top stands as an essential artifact of twentieth-century American packaging history.