Old Chicago Lager Beer 16 Oz Tab Top Can

Peter Hand's Old Chicago Pint Can

The Old Chicago Lager Beer 16 oz tab top can represents a notable chapter in the industrial brewing history of Chicago, Illinois. Produced by the Peter Hand Brewing Company at its historic North Avenue facility, this pint-sized container dates to the brewery's spirited 1970s revival era.

Following the sale of the Meister Bräu label and its light beer formulas to Miller Brewing in the early 1970s, a group led by Fred Huber acquired the plant, revived the legacy Peter Hand company name, and launched Old Chicago as its flagship offering. Old Chicago stood as a determined effort to keep commercial beer production alive in the city. When the brewery shut its doors in 1978, it marked the end of Chicago's last surviving legacy macrobrewery before the modern craft brewing boom arrived decades later.

For collectors of Midwestern and Chicago-specific breweriana, the 16 oz format is a prominent display piece. Documented production variations exist across different manufacturing batches, with subtle differences observed in canning marks, mandatory side-panel verbiage, and top lid designs.