Old Crown Premium Quality Ale Flat Top Can

Centlivre's Old Crown Ale History

Produced by the Centlivre Brewing Corporation in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Old Crown Premium Quality Ale flat top represents an important era in mid-century Midwestern packaging. Centlivre, founded in 1862 by French immigrant Charles L. Centlivre, became an early pioneer in northern Indiana's canning operations through partnerships with the American Can Company.

The Old Crown label served as the brewery's hallmark line, highlighting the brand's well-known "Lazy-Aged" marketing slogan alongside a regal crown motif. The can's bold graphics and heraldic imagery were designed to project quality and distinguish the ale on store shelves.

Among breweriana collectors, this can is notable for documented label variations distributed during the brewery's active canning years, with differences reflecting regulatory text changes and manufacturer plant codes. Centlivre continued brewing in Fort Wayne until the early 1970s, making these original Fort Wayne cans enduring centerpieces of regional brewing history.