Monarch Beer Cone Top Can

The Monarch Beer Cone Top

The Monarch Beer cone top represents one of the classic packaged offerings from Chicago's historic Monarch Brewing Company. Located on West 21st Street, Monarch was among the resilient Midwestern breweries that weathered Prohibition by producing near beer and malt products before resuming commercial brewing operations. The brewery promoted the brand locally with slogans such as "Chicago's Own" and "The Reigning Favorite".

Manufactured as a high-profile cone top container, the can design showcases bold red and white fields accented by metallic gold trim and prominent Monarch typography. Variations of the design exist, reflecting updates in federal labeling requirements and canning lines; these include versions with Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) statements, non-IRTP statements, and differences in the brewery credits along the bottom rim.

Monarch Brewing Company holds a notable place in Chicago lore, having survived decades of fierce industrial competition before the facility was purchased in the late 1950s by Joseph Fusco and reorganized under the Van Merritt name. Today, the Monarch Beer cone top stands as a quintessential artifact of Chicago's mid-century brewing landscape.