Meister Brau The Custom Brew Beer Flat Top Can

Meister Brau Moonlight Flat Top

Issued in the late 1950s by the Peter Hand Brewing Company of Chicago, Illinois, this 12-ounce flat top can belongs to a celebrated pictorial series released under the subtitle "The Custom Brew". Moving beyond conventional industrial branding, the can utilizes a wraparound graphic layout dedicated to painted mid-century lifestyle scenes. The "Moonlight" version presents an illustrated vignette of an evening gathering, highlighting a woman resting her chin on her hand while looking forward beside her companion under dim ambient light.

Meister Brau served as Peter Hand's flagship offering for decades. Long positioned as Chicago's quintessential working-class yet refined lager, the brand was supported by high-profile regional marketing, citywide billboard campaigns, and the famous Meister Brau Showcase radio program hosted by Franklyn MacCormack. Slogans often highlighted its premium character and value, while "The Custom Brew" campaign aligned the beer with casual leisure and home entertaining. The brand later made brewing history in the late 1960s by introducing Meister Brau Lite, the forerunner to modern low-calorie lagers, prior to the acquisition of the Meister Brau portfolio by Miller Brewing in 1972.

The Peter Hand Brewing Company traces its origins to 1891, when it was established by Prussian immigrant and American Civil War veteran Peter Hand on Chicago's North Side. Surviving the dry years of Prohibition, the brewery resumed production and grew into one of the dominant regional forces in the Midwest. Despite facing intense pressure from large national shipping breweries during mid-century industry consolidation, Peter Hand outlasted its local peers to become the final historic legacy brewery operating in Chicago before shuttering in 1978.

Pictorial flat top cans from the post-war era remain popular highlights within breweriana collecting. Scene-based series depicting recreation and social pastimes capture the distinctive graphic sensibilities of the late 1950s, making examples from this Peter Hand series sought after by enthusiasts of both mid-century advertising art and Chicago industrial history.