Noch Eins Pale Beer Cone Top Can

Noch Eins Pale Beer Cone Top Can

This twelve-ounce cone top can represents a classic pre-World War II regional container packaged by Washington Breweries, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio. Built with a smooth cone spout and rolled bottom rim, the can displays an explicit alcohol declaration noting a range between 3.2 and 7 percent alcohol by weight, alongside a mandatory federal internal revenue tax statement. The container's central focal point is a framed oval medallion featuring an illustrated, smiling German gentleman in formal attire sporting a mustache and vest chain while raising a foamy mug of beer. Beneath this illustration runs a row of red stars bordered by clean pinstripes, leading into the brand name rendered in prominent Gothic blackletter script over crisp contrasting color bands.

The Noch Eins brand originated before Prohibition with the Ohio Brewing Company. Following the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, Washington Breweries acquired the rights to the name and reintroduced it to midwestern consumers. Translating from German as "Another One"—a familiar refrain in traditional German drinking halls—Noch Eins was marketed as an authentic Old World lager. Its jovial burgermeister-style mascot and German appellation underscored the heritage of the recipe. However, the onset of World War II and the resulting anti-German sentiment prompted the brewery to shift its marketing focus, setting aside the Germanic persona in favor of patriotic branding such as Washington XX Pale featuring an American eagle.

The brewery itself began operations in 1906 as the Washington Brewing Company, situated at West 2nd Avenue and Perry Street in Columbus. It navigated the dry years of Prohibition by reorganizing as the Joyce Products Company to produce near beers and soft drinks. Upon Repeal in 1933, the business reorganized as Washington Breweries, Inc., re-establishing itself as an essential part of the capital city's brewing landscape alongside local competitors such as August Wagner and Franklin Brewing. Despite solid regional loyalty, intense postwar competition from national shipping breweries steadily eroded sales, leading the firm to permanently cease brewing operations in the early 1950s.

Among breweriana enthusiasts, cone top cans from Ohio's independent regional breweries are avidly sought after. Pre-war examples bearing tax statements and period alcohol notations are particularly prized, capturing an era of transitional packaging technology and evocative, heritage-rich tavern artwork.