Old Milwaukee Pale Gold Beer Pint Can

1960 Tampa Old Milwaukee Pint Can

This 16-ounce flat top beer can represents a classic 1960 release of Old Milwaukee Pale Gold, produced at the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company's plant in Tampa, Florida. Formatted as a "Half Quart" pint, the can is distinguished by its bold upper-case size banner across the top rim, a vibrant red central rectangular field carrying the brand name, and the "BREWED IN TAMPA" declaration near the bottom rim. Below the primary script, the label features a vintage illustration depicting an 18th-century horse-drawn stagecoach carrying passengers, anchored above the "PALE GOLD" designation.

Old Milwaukee was originally introduced by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company in the late 19th century before being phased out and later reintroduced as a value-priced, dependable American lager designed to compete with expanding regional and national economy brands. Marketed on its Midwestern brewing heritage and accessible taste, Old Milwaukee grew into one of the country's most widely recognized everyday beers, supported in later years by well-known advertising campaigns celebrating working-class sensibilities. The brand evolved through various ownership shifts, moving into the portfolios of Stroh and eventually Pabst.

The brewery behind the can, the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company, was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, traceably rooted in August Krug’s 1849 brewing tavern. Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Schlitz sent vast shipments of beer south, establishing a distribution dominance that vaulted it to become one of the world's largest breweries under the famed slogan "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous". As postwar consumer demand grew nationwide, Schlitz expanded beyond Wisconsin, constructing a modern, multi-million-dollar production facility in Tampa in the late 1950s to serve the booming Southeastern market.

For breweriana enthusiasts, 16-ounce half-quart cans occupy a popular niche, prized for their taller presentation compared to standard 12-ounce packaging. The coach-and-horses graphic represents an evocative, short-lived styling era in Old Milwaukee packaging, making branch-brewery variations like this Tampa-marked flat top particularly interesting to collectors of mid-century macro-brewery heritage.