Iron City Premium Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Pioneer of the Snap Top Can

The Iron City Premium Beer 12 oz tab top can holds a legendary place in breweriana history as the package that revolutionized beverage packaging. In 1962, Pittsburgh Brewing Company partnered with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to commercially introduce Ermal Fraze's self-opening pull-tab mechanism on Iron City Beer cans.

Pittsburgh Brewing first test-marketed these self-opening cans in Staunton, Virginia, in late 1962. The market test proved to be an immediate sensation, with regional sales more than doubling within months. Following this success, the brewery converted its canned beer production to the new format, leading to canned sales tripling in early 1963.

To capitalize on consumer excitement surrounding the innovation, the brewery updated the can graphics with promotional slogans. Early production runs featured bold side-panel text heralding the "New Easy Open Snap Top," while subsequent releases proclaimed Iron City as "No. 1 With The Snap Top". Pittsburgh Brewing was so protective of this branding that in May 1963, the company filed a lawsuit against cross-town rival Duquesne Brewing over the commercial use of the phrase "Snap Top".

For collectors, Iron City tab tops represent an essential cornerstone of breweriana history. Several graphic variations exist across production runs, featuring differences in promotional slogans, mandatory text, and lid stampings. This landmark can documents the historic transition away from church keys and into modern beverage convenience.