King Cole Premium Pale Beer Flat Top Can

Maier's King Cole Flat Top Can

King Cole Premium Pale Beer is a mid-century store-brand beer can produced by the Maier Brewing Company in Los Angeles, California. Maier, widely recognized across Southern California for its flagship Brew 102, maintained a robust business contract brewing proprietary house labels for regional supermarket chains and grocery retailers. King Cole was canned specifically for distribution through Southern California's King Cole Markets.

Graphic Design and Presentation

The can features a bold design centered around the King Cole brand identity. Set against a clean background, the face displays regal styling alongside mid-century lettering and crest accents. Cans for this label were manufactured by the National Can Company, featuring standard lithographed steel fabrication typical of Maier's contract-canned lines.

Historical Context and Collectibility

During the mid-twentieth century, regional West Coast brewers competed against large national shipping breweries by supplying custom private labels directly to local grocers. Maier Brewing became one of the most prolific contract brewers in the West, producing dozens of custom house brands. Because private-label supermarket cans like King Cole were distributed locally as value-oriented offerings, relatively few were preserved at the time.

Known Variations

Collectors recognize distinct variations across the King Cole line. Differences among surviving cans include subtle adjustments in brewery mandatory text, variation in the promotional slogans framing the label, and minor differences in manufacturer lithography markings.