Milwaukee's Best Light Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Gettelman Milwaukee's Best Light

The Milwaukee's Best Light 12 oz tab top can carries a legacy linking one of Milwaukee's historic brewing houses with the modern era of domestic light beer packaging. The brand traces its heritage to 1895, when it was introduced by the A. Gettelman Brewing Company, historically recognized as one of the "Big Five" breweries of Milwaukee alongside Schlitz, Pabst, Blatz, and Miller. After Miller Brewing Company acquired Gettelman in 1961, the storied name was preserved, maintaining the "A. Gettelman Brewing Co." mandatory trade designation on containers.

This light beer offering extended the brand into the rapidly growing low-calorie domestic market, eventually gaining the popular consumer moniker "The Beast Light". For breweriana enthusiasts, the can is recognized for its crisp light blue, silver, and white color scheme, styled specifically to contrast with the deep blue and red livery found on the flagship regular brand. The face features the traditional heraldic shield insignia and bold, arching brand typography.

Because the brand was distributed across a nationwide network of production facilities, cans exhibit variations that interest collectors. Documented differences include shifts in side-panel brewery city rosters, mandatory deposit text, metric measurement notations, and UPC barcode framing. Rather than bearing the Miller moniker on the front-line credit, the can preserves the historic A. Gettelman nameplate, making it a notable piece of Wisconsin brewing history.