Old Crown Ale Flat Top Can

Centlivre's Old Crown Ale Flat Top

Produced by the Centlivre Brewing Corporation of Fort Wayne, Indiana, this flat top can represents a classic mid-century release from one of the Midwest's most enduring regional breweries. Founded in 1862 along the St. Joseph River by French immigrant Charles Louis Centlivre, the facility originally operated as the French Brewery before evolving through generations of family ownership into a major Indiana packaging operation. Following the repeal of Prohibition, Centlivre introduced the Old Crown label, which quickly became its flagship brand.

The label art centers on an intricate heraldic crown emblem, positioned directly above a small Centlivre family crest shield. A distinctive ribbon beneath the brand name highlights the company's regional heritage with "SINCE 1862" alongside the marketing tagline "MADE ESPECIALLY FOR BEER DRINKERS".

For collectors studying variations across the brewery's production runs, this version is defined by the inclusion of the statutory "INTERNAL REVENUE TAX PAID" mandatory statement along the upper-left banner. Unlike later iterations of Old Crown packaging that incorporated the brewery's well-known "Lazy-Aged" promotional slogan, this earlier instructional-era layout completely omits the "Lazy Aged" phrasing.