Mule Head Stock "wehle" Ale Flat Top Can

Wehle Mule Head Stock Ale

The Mule Head Stock Ale can was packaged by The Wehle Brewing Company of West Haven, Connecticut. The brewery operated on Campbell Avenue following the repeal of Prohibition into the early 1940s, producing a variety of regional ales and lagers under the Wehle family name.

Among breweriana collectors, the Mule Head brand is well recognized for its bold graphic design. The centerpiece features an illustration of a mule's head set within a circular medallion, flanked by classic typography and the distinctive "Wehle" naming. Manufactured with American Can Company tooling, the container features the mandatory Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) statement alongside instructional graphic panels on the side.

Variations of this can exist in the collecting community, with differences centering on subtle background color treatments—including light silver and white finishes—as well as slight alterations in mandatory text positioning and the formatting of the side instructional diagrams.

Following Wehle's closure during World War II, surviving examples of the company's canning runs became popular centerpieces for regional New England collections, with the Mule Head motif remaining one of the premier animal-themed packaging designs of the early canning era.