Old Dutch Brand Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Old Dutch Brand Lager Beer Flat Top

This twelve-ounce flat top container features Old Dutch Brand Lager Beer, produced by Old Dutch Brewers of Brooklyn, New York. Lithographed on a metallic background, the can showcases mid-twentieth-century packaging design with notable consumer text, including the top statement "12 FLUID OUNCES SAME AS BOTTLE" and the serving reminder "COOL BEFORE SERVING" along the lower rim. Cataloged with an internal revenue tax statement designation and documented in breweriana reference literature under the L599 classification, this can represents classic soldered steel container manufacturing from the post-Prohibition era.

Introduced to appeal to regional consumers seeking traditional quality, the Old Dutch brand leaned into nostalgic Old World imagery. Its primary graphic centerpiece features a prominent red-and-blue Dutch windmill set upon a rolling hill, accompanied by a smaller windmill in the background. Paired with bold blackletter typography for the brand name, Old Dutch was positioned as an approachable, dependable everyday lager across neighborhood taverns, package stores, and grocers throughout the greater New York metropolitan area.

Old Dutch Brewers was located in Brooklyn's Flatlands neighborhood along East 42nd Street and Glenwood Road. Unlike many historical breweries built before Prohibition, the Old Dutch facility was a post-Repeal operation equipped with modern brewing and refrigeration technology. The plant was tied to brewing executive Louis Hertzberg, whose regional brewing syndicate also encompassed other notable operations in the New York market, including the Pilser and Metropolis brewing companies. As major national brands expanded distribution and consolidated market share in the decades following World War II, independent operations like Old Dutch ceased production, and the Brooklyn facility eventually transitioned to other industrial uses.

For breweriana collectors, this flat top stands as an evocative artifact from Brooklyn's rich industrial past. Its distinctive windmill artwork, metallic sheen, and classic mandatory and instructional text make it a sought-after piece for enthusiasts specializing in New York brewing history and mid-century canned beer memorabilia.