Jennings Deluxe Beer Flat Top Can

Jennings Deluxe Beer Flat Top Can

This twelve-ounce flat top can represents a classic mid-century private-label brew from Minnesota. Constructed with a gold-tone metallic background accented by white starbursts, the front panel prominently advertises the contents as "Finest Golden Lager Beer" packed especially for Jennings Liquors of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Below the store name, the label features the quirky and memorable slogan "DIAL WET BREW" flanked by stars. A bold red trim band wraps the lower section of the can, providing mandatory fluid ounce and brewing declarations.

Jennings Deluxe Beer originated in the late 1950s when Milt Stralow, manager of Jennings Liquors in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, sought to expand the retailer's successful private-label liquor line into beer. After partnering with brewery management, the private brand debuted around 1959 and was sold locally into the mid-1960s. Marketed as an exclusive house lager for the liquor store's suburban clientele, the brand eventually ceased production as private-label canning arrangements wound down.

Cold Spring Brewing Company produced the beer at its plant in Cold Spring, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, the brewery capitalized on pure local spring water and established a enduring regional presence in central Minnesota. During Prohibition, the company survived by bottling soft drinks and mineral water before resuming commercial brewing upon repeal. As national brewing giants consolidated market share in the mid-twentieth century, Cold Spring stayed competitive through a mix of its own proprietary beers and versatile contract brewing for third parties, retailer labels, and regional distributors.

For collectors of Midwestern breweriana, the Jennings Deluxe flat top is a highly prized regional private label. Rather than being distributed across multiple states, cans of this type were sold through a single suburban retail outlet, significantly limiting their circulation. Its distinctive graphic combination of space-age starbursts, specialty typography, and the odd "DIAL WET BREW" phrase makes it a standout piece within Minnesota flat top collections.