Noch-eins Pale Beer Cone Top Can

Pre-War Noch-Eins Pale Cone Top

Manufactured during the late 1930s, this 12-ounce cone top can represents a classic pre-World War II regional package from Washington Breweries, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio. This specific version is distinguished by its cream background and the absence of an alcohol content declaration, while carrying the mandatory federal Internal Revenue Tax Paid statement. The label is anchored by a central oval portrait depicting a smiling, mustachioed gentleman in a formal waistcoat raising a frothy glass mug marked with a "W." Below a decorative row of red stars, the brand name is rendered in heavy German blackletter script set over a dark horizontal band, situated above script and block lettering identifying the brew as Pale Beer.

Washington Breweries introduced the Noch-Eins brand during the mid-1930s to celebrate traditional German tavern culture—the name translating literally from German to "another one" or "one more." The jovial character on the label reinforced Old World brewing hospitality and resonated strongly with regional consumers. However, as the United States entered World War II, anti-German sentiment prompted American brewers to rethink their marketing strategies. Washington Breweries eventually phased out the Noch-Eins brand in favor of the overtly patriotic Washington’s XX Pale Beer, replacing the cheerful burgomaster figure with an American bald eagle and a red, white, and blue theme.

The origins of the brewery date back to 1906, when the Washington Brewing Company was founded at West 2nd Avenue and Perry Street in Columbus. The company survived Prohibition by producing near beer and cereal beverages under the name The Joyce Products Company. Following the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1933, the plant resumed commercial beer production under the reorganized banner of Washington Breweries, Inc., maintaining steady distribution across central Ohio until the operation finally ceased business in 1953.

Among breweriana collectors, pre-war cone tops from independent Midwestern breweries are prized for their artistry and packaging history. The Noch-Eins can is especially valued as a prime example of how geopolitical events dramatically shaped American packaging design, with enthusiasts closely tracking label variations across background colors and regulatory tax texts.