Old Style Lager Beer Cone Top Can

Old Style Lager Strong Beer Cone Top

Originating in the post-Prohibition era, this 12-ounce cone top can represents one of the most artistically elaborate containers in early canned beer history. Manufactured with an internal revenue tax statement on its metal body, the can dates from the period when federal tax markings were mandatory on American packaged beer. A standout characteristic of this particular issue is the "STRONG BEER" designation printed along the lower front rim beneath the gothic lettering of the brand name, accommodating state-specific statutory regulations governing alcohol content labeling. The can is adorned with an intricate, full-wrap scenic lithograph depicting an Old World brewing narrative: monks gathered around a wooden table drinking beer, casks emblazoned with the Old Style emblem, a wagon laden with barrels approaching a rustic Bavarian alpine tavern, and evergreen-forested mountains rising in the background.

G. Heileman introduced the Old Style Lager label in 1902, marketing the brew as a premium lager crafted according to traditional Central European methods. The brand became well known for advertising its "Kraeusening" process—a slow, natural secondary fermentation technique intended to impart lively carbonation and a clean profile. Over the ensuing decades, Old Style established itself as an enduring Midwestern staple, eventually forging deep sports and cultural ties across Chicago, Wisconsin, and the wider Upper Midwest.

The brewery itself traces its origin to 1858 when German immigrant Gottlieb Heileman partnered with John Gund to establish the City Brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin. After Gottlieb passed away in 1878, his widow, Johanna Heileman, took charge of operations, standing out as one of the earliest female brewery heads in the United States and steering the firm through major modernizations and facility expansions. Heileman weathered Prohibition by manufacturing near beer, sodas, and malt syrups, emerging in 1933 ready to resume commercial brewing. In the decades following World War II, Heileman expanded into a national powerhouse through aggressive acquisitions of regional brewing labels before eventually being absorbed during late-twentieth-century industry consolidations.

Among breweriana enthusiasts, early cone tops featuring scenic pictorial lithography are celebrated for their storybook aesthetics and historical significance. Variations highlighting distinct alcohol classifications and tax statements make this classic Wisconsin cone top an engaging artifact of mid-century packaging laws and regional brewing heritage.