K & B Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

K & B Beer from New Orleans

This 12-ounce aluminum tab top container represents an era of private-label packaging produced for the Gulf Coast market. Bearing the dual volume marking of 12 fluid ounces alongside 355 milliliters—reflecting the transition to metric labeling—the can also highlights the phrasing "A Special Blend of" near the upper rim. Its central graphic features the oval emblem associated with one of the most recognizable retail chains in the South.

K & B Beer was created as an exclusive house brand for Katz & Besthoff, the legendary New Orleans drugstore chain established in 1905 by Gustave Katz and Sidney Besthoff. Renowned across Louisiana and neighboring states for its signature purple branding, soda fountains, and wide array of proprietary goods, K&B offered its private-label beer as an affordable everyday choice for local shoppers. Distributed throughout the chain's extensive network of pharmacies and liquor counters, K&B Beer remained a staple of regional grocery runs and social gatherings until the company was acquired in the late 1990s.

The beer was produced under the Royal Brewing Company name in New Orleans, Louisiana. Royal served as an alternate trade identity utilized by the historic Dixie Brewing Company, which had operated on Tulane Avenue since 1907. Throughout the twentieth century, Dixie navigated the challenges of Prohibition by manufacturing near-beer and ice, subsequently rebounding to become an enduring Crescent City institution. During the height of supermarket and drugstore private-label contracts, the brewery used the Royal imprint to package custom lines for regional retailers.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this can holds special appeal as a crossover between local brewing history and regional retail nostalgia. Store-brand cans from iconic Southern businesses capture a bygone era of metropolitan contract brewing, making K&B items especially prized among collectors dedicated to Louisiana artifacts, New Orleans brewing culture, and vintage beverage packaging.