Old Timer's Lager (west Bend) Beer Flat Top Can

West Bend Old Timer's Lager Can

This 12-ounce flat top can represents a classic mid-century package from the West Bend Lithia Company. A defining hallmark noted in collector documentation is the light blue fill used in the ornate, gothic-style lettering of the "Old Timer's" brand script. The base of the can features a bright red banner framing the brewery's long-standing promotional tagline, "THE BEST OF THE BETTER BEERS". Directly above this border sits a colorful, highly detailed lithograph depicting four elderly gentlemen seated around a wooden tavern table, raising heavy steins and enjoying one another's company.

West Bend introduced Old Timer's to celebrate traditional brewing heritage, pitching the beer to working-class patrons who valued time-honored recipes over modern mass production. The label's nostalgic artwork and familiar slogan anchored the brand's identity throughout eastern and central Wisconsin. The label enjoyed a remarkably loyal local following for decades. Following West Bend Lithia's closure in 1972, the Old Timer's brand was acquired by the Walter Brewing Company in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, which continued brewing and canning the label under its own imprint until Walter shuttered operations years later.

The West Bend Lithia Company's lineage dates back to the 1850s, when local brewers founded small frame breweries along the Milwaukee River. These early efforts consolidated into the West Bend Brewing Company during the 1880s, eventually adopting the West Bend Lithia name in the early 20th century due to local well water naturally infused with lithium carbonate—a selling point marketed as producing beer that prevented headaches. The company weathered Prohibition by bottling near beer and soft drinks before returning to traditional brewing upon Repeal. However, the aggressive post-World War II consolidation of the American brewing industry placed tremendous economic pressure on regional producers, culminating in the West Bend facility shutting its doors in 1972.

Wisconsin flat top cans hold an enduring appeal for breweriana collectors, reflecting an era when local breweries dominated community taverns. Cans from West Bend Lithia are sought after for their classic narrative artwork, and collectors pay particular attention to color variations in the typography across production runs.