Old Dutch Brand Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Old Dutch Brand Beer Tab Top Can

The Old Dutch Brand Beer 12-ounce can is a straight-steel tab top container produced under the Old Dutch Brewing Company name in Detroit, Michigan. The centerpiece of the design is the brand's iconic illustrative artwork depicting an elderly couple sharing a beer across a red-and-white checkered table, framed by decorative scrollwork and pastoral vignettes of a coachman and tavern patrons. Below the illustration, the design prominently features the long-running tagline "THE GOOD BEER" alongside the ingredient declaration "CHOICE HOPS, MALT, CORN, AND PUREST WATER" and mandatory Detroit brewery credits.

Old Dutch was originally introduced in the early 1900s by the Krantz Brewing Company of Findlay, Ohio. Its signature label design, first adopted around 1907, became a hallmark of Midwestern brewing advertising. Krantz weathered Prohibition by manufacturing cereal beverages and soft drinks under the Old Dutch banner before resuming full brewing operations in 1933. After Krantz merged into International Breweries Inc. (IBI) in 1957, the brand underwent a modern graphic redesign that diminished the classic illustration. Following the closure of the Findlay brewery in 1966, the label was acquired by Detroit interests, which promptly restored the original heritage illustration and traditional slogan in a widely advertised return to classic branding.

In Detroit, the beer was produced by Associated Brewing Company—operating under the assumed trade name Old Dutch Brewing Company—at the historic former Pfeiffer Brewing Company plant on Beaufait Avenue. Associated Brewing was an aggressive consolidator during the postwar era, assembling a roster of regional Midwest labels to compete against surging national shipping brewers. As regional consolidation continued through the 1970s, Old Dutch eventually shifted production to other regional producers, including Queen City Brewing and Pittsburgh Brewing Company.

Among breweriana collectors, this can is an appealing artifact from the late 1960s to early 1970s pull-tab era. It represents a notable moment when mid-century brewers looked backward to restore turn-of-the-century aesthetic traditions on modern beverage packaging. The can remains popular with collectors who focus on Detroit brewing history, heritage brand revivals, and illustrative folk-style label art.