Old German Lager Beer Cone Top Can

Old German Lager Akron Cone Top

The Old German Lager Beer cone top represents an important piece of mid-century industrial brewing history from Northeast Ohio, packaged by the Geo. J. Renner Brewing Company of Akron. Operating from North Forge Street, the Geo. J. Renner brewery was a central institution in Akron's brewing scene, navigating the challenges of Prohibition with non-alcoholic beverages before returning to traditional brewing.

Brewing Heritage

The Renner family legacy was split between independent brewing enterprises in Akron and Youngstown. While both operations eventually utilized shared brand names, cans bearing the Geo. J. Renner Brewing Co. Akron mandate hold a distinct standing in regional collections. Old German was marketed as a flagship regional brew, standing alongside Renner's Grossvater label in head-to-head competition with fellow local rivals like Burkhardt Brewing Company.

Design and Variations

Manufactured by the Crown Cork & Seal Company, the Old German Lager cone top features prominent gothic typography set against classic heraldic imagery and a metallic background. The design reflected the mid-century trend of honoring traditional heritage imagery on modern metal packaging.

Variations exist among Old German cone top cans. These differences primarily involve factory markings, tax statement revisions, and minor layout modifications that occurred across production runs. In later years, the Old German brand survived the closure of the Akron facility and was produced by other regional entities in flat top cans, making the Akron-origin cone top version a definitive relic of the city's independent brewing era.