London Bobby Brand Ale Crowntainer

London Bobby Brand Ale Crowntainer

Dating from the late 1940s, this twelve-ounce London Bobby Brand Ale container is produced in the drawn-steel Crowntainer format. The can includes an Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) mandatory tax statement alongside a statutory alcohol content notation specifying a 3.2% to 7% range. The funnel-neck Crowntainer construction provided regional operations with an economical packaging solution, as its bottle-like profile allowed the cans to run along standard bottling lines without requiring the massive capital expense of a dedicated canning line.

Miami Valley Brewing Company introduced the London Bobby brand following Repeal, positioning the label as a classic, full-flavored English-style ale. The front panel prominently displays the central "LB" crest declaring the beverage "One of the Finer Ales" beneath the banner "A Product of the U.S.A.," accented by prominent blackletter typography. When Miami Valley ended operations around 1950, the brand was acquired and briefly produced by the Cincinnati Brewing Company in Reading, Ohio, before fading from the market in the mid-1950s.

Miami Valley Brewing Company operated from a storied brewery property at First and Beckel Streets in Dayton, Ohio. Brewing on the parcel began in 1865 with John B. Wager and expanded significantly under Nicholas Thomas as the Hydraulic Brewery, eventually emerging as Dayton's largest brewing facility. In 1906, the plant joined the Dayton Breweries Company syndicate before statewide and national Prohibition halted beer production. Re-established with updated equipment when Prohibition ended in 1933, the renamed Miami Valley Brewing Company served the regional Ohio market. Despite postwar modernization, mounting competition from major national shipping breweries forced the independent local brewery to permanently close in 1950.

For cone top and Ohio breweriana enthusiasts, this London Bobby Crowntainer holds substantial historical appeal. It stands out as a key artifact of Dayton brewing heritage, highlighting the postwar packaging strategies of local mid-century American regional brewers.