Krueger Finest Beer Flat Top Can

Postwar Krueger Finest Export Flat Top

This twelve-ounce flat top can represents a post-World War II iteration of one of the most historically significant labels in American brewing. Printed along the bottom rim is the tax statement, "Withdrawn Free of Internal Revenue Tax for Exportation," indicating that it was designated for civilian export abroad or distribution to military personnel overseas exempt from domestic excise taxes. Bearing a 1948 copyright from the G. Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, New Jersey, the front display is anchored by the brewery’s signature "K-Man" mascot—a stylized red waiter shaped like the letter K balancing a serving tray with a bottle and drinking glass.

Krueger introduced its Finest Beer brand alongside Cream Ale to spearhead a packaging revolution. On January 24, 1935, Krueger partnered with the American Can Company in Richmond, Virginia, to market the world’s very first commercial canned beer. Marketed as a flagship lager, Finest Beer was promoted through prominent advertising campaigns that placed the friendly K-Man front and center. In later promotional pushes, the mascot was colloquially dubbed "Mr. K," personifying cheerful service and convenience.

The brewery itself was established in Newark in 1858 by German immigrant Gottfried Krueger. Over the following decades, it grew into an industrial titan within New Jersey's competitive brewing hub. Krueger survived Prohibition by marketing near-beer and soft drinks, emerging after repeal ready to modernize its plant. Embracing the metal beer can provided the brewer with early nationwide fame and a major market edge during the late 1930s. In the post-war era, however, intense competition from national shipping breweries steadily squeezed regional producers. In 1961, Krueger closed its Newark plant and transferred production to Rhode Island’s Narragansett Brewing Company, which maintained the label until it was eventually discontinued.

Among breweriana collectors, Krueger cans hold celebrated status because of the company's pioneering role at the dawn of canned beer. Cans bearing the "Withdrawn Free" tax statement are especially sought after by collectors specializing in tax variants and military-era breweriana. Paired with the classic mid-century depiction of the K-Man emblem, this export can remains an iconic snapshot of post-war canning history.