Krueger Finest Beer Flat Top Can

The First Commercial Beer Can

The Krueger Finest Beer flat top holds a monumental place in breweriana and packaging history as one of the first canned beers ever sold commercially to the public. Produced by the G. Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, New Jersey, the can officially debuted in a Richmond, Virginia test market on January 24, 1935, alongside Krueger's Cream Ale.

The Historic Richmond Launch

The collaboration originated when the American Can Company developed a container capable of withstanding internal carbonation pressure and sought a commercial brewing partner. To persuade Krueger to take the gamble, American Can Company installed the canning line machinery at no upfront cost, agreeing to absorb the expense if the venture failed. Krueger selected Richmond as the test site to evaluate consumer reception at a safe distance from its core northeastern market. The launch was an overwhelming success, achieving a 91% approval rating from consumers and triggering a packaging revolution across the entire brewing industry.

Design and Collector Variations

Manufactured by the American Can Company, the container featured the patented "Keglined" interior coating, a specialized lacquer developed to prevent the beverage from interacting with the metal. The exterior lithography highlights classic pre-war industrial design, displaying the prominent G. Krueger branding alongside the "Keglined" trademark.

For collectors, this can represents the foundation of modern beer can history. Production runs feature notable variations, showing subtle differences in mandatory regulatory text—such as "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" (IRTP) statements—as well as slight modifications to border accents, manufacturer markings, and volume phrasing such as "Same As Bottle" inscriptions.