Old Tap Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Pabst Los Angeles Old Tap Lager Can

This twelve-ounce aluminum can showcases the late-era packaging for Old Tap Lager Beer, produced by the Pabst Brewing Company at its Los Angeles, California facility. The can features an all-aluminum body bearing a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode on the lower side, placing it in the late 1970s packaging era when automated retail scanning became standard. Centered on the label is the classic wooden barrel-head motif rendered in solid brown tones with stylized red lettering. While the standard reference example features a pull tab top, stay top variations from this production run are also documented.

The Old Tap brand traces its ancestry to the Los Angeles Brewing Company, which popularized the Eastside brand family across Southern California. Originally introduced as Eastside Old Tap Lager, the brand was marketed as a traditional draft-style lager designed to appeal to local tavern goers and regional consumers. Over time, Pabst shortened the name to Old Tap Brand Lager Beer while retaining the traditional keg and barrel imagery that highlighted its draft-drawn heritage. As consumer tastes shifted toward light lagers and national distribution patterns consolidated, the legacy label was eventually phased out.

Pabst Brewing Company, founded in Milwaukee in 1844 and expanded into national prominence under Captain Frederick Pabst, undertook rapid post-war geographical expansion. In 1948, Pabst acquired the historic Los Angeles Brewing Company plant on North Main Street to establish a permanent West Coast production hub. For three decades, the Los Angeles brewery produced national flagship brews alongside regional favorites until Pabst ceased operations at the plant in 1979. The facility was subsequently repurposed into the renowned Brewery Arts Complex.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this can represents an important bridge between California brewing heritage and modern canning technology. It captures the final evolution of an iconic Los Angeles label under the stewardship of a national brewing powerhouse, making it a compelling piece for collectors of West Coast regional brands and vintage aluminum packaging.