Olbrau Bavarian Style Beer Flat Top Can

Olbrau Bavarian Style Beer Can

The Can

The Olbrau Bavarian Style Beer flat top can is a mid-twentieth-century steel container produced for Metropolis Brewery of N.J., Inc., based in Trenton, New Jersey. The label draws heavily on Old World brewing traditions, framed by an intricate green banknote-style guilloche border and anchored by a central spread-winged eagle emblem. Distinctive blackletter script announces the "Bavarian Style Beer" designation, over which a bright red outline reading "PREMIUM" is printed diagonally across the lower panel. Below this graphic, a descriptive inscription details that the beverage is a seasoned brew crafted from selected grains and choice hops, aged under the supervision of the brewmaster.

The Brand

Olbrau was introduced during the mid-twentieth century as regional brewers sought to appeal to American consumers desiring full-flavored, European-style lagers. Positioned as an authentic Bavarian-style brew, the brand emphasized traditional craftsmanship and quality ingredients. Metropolis distributed Olbrau alongside companion ales and bocks in select regional markets throughout the East Coast. As large national breweries increasingly consolidated market share in the late 1960s, regional secondary labels like Olbrau were gradually phased out.

The Brewery

Metropolis Brewery of N.J., Inc. established its operations in Trenton around 1950, occupying the historic brewing complex at Lalor and Lamberton Streets that had previously housed the Peoples Brewing Company. Directed by brewer and entrepreneur Louis Hertzberg, Metropolis operated both as a regional beer producer and as a major contract packaging facility. The Trenton brewery gained national prominence primarily as the birthplace and production center of Champale, a sparkling malt liquor that achieved immense commercial success. The brewery operated under the Metropolis name into the late 1960s before undergoing corporate reorganizations and later closing in the 1980s.

Collecting Context

This flat top can is an attractive piece for collectors focusing on mid-century steel cans, New Jersey brewing history, and Germanic breweriana. Its balance of ornate border details, classic heraldic imagery, and bold two-tone typography makes it a notable representative of Trenton's post-war brewing heritage.