Old Crown Premium Quality Ale Flat Top Can

Centlivre Old Crown Ale Flat Top

This 12-ounce flat top can represents a mid-1950s release of Old Crown Premium Quality Ale, packaged by the Centlivre Brewing Corporation of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The can design features a distinctive metallic medium-purple field overlaid with a repeating subtle crown pattern. Centered on the front is a dark oval cartouche showcasing the brand name in traditional gothic blackletter typography, accented by "Premium Quality" rendered in red script and "ALE" anchored in a lower panel. Atop the shield sits the heraldic crown emblem stamped with the "1862" founding date, while the lower rim displays the brewery's corporate mandatory line.

Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Centlivre introduced the Old Crown label as its premier flagship line. Positioned as a full-flavored, heritage-driven regional offering, Old Crown was marketed on traditional brewing standards and local pride in northern Indiana. The brand's widespread success carried the brewery through the mid-20th century, becoming so synonymous with the company's identity that the business formally adopted the Old Crown name in its final chapter.

The brewery traced its origins to 1862, when French immigrant Charles Louis Centlivre established the French Brewery along Spy Run Creek and the St. Joseph River in Fort Wayne. Over generations of family ownership, the firm expanded into a regional staple, even operating its own streetcar route and community beer garden. When Indiana entered statewide prohibition in 1918, the company pivoted to commercial cold storage as the Centlivre Ice & Storage Company. Brewing resumed upon repeal under the Centlivre Brewing Corporation banner. Faced with aggressive pressure from national brewing giants during the postwar era, the plant operated until its final closure in 1973.

For collectors of Midwestern breweriana and flat top containers, Old Crown represents an iconic regional brand. The label is celebrated among enthusiasts for its rich assortment of metallic color variations and classic heraldic motifs, making this purple version an attractive showcase of postwar independent canning aesthetics.