Old Timers Ale Flat Top Can

Old Timers Ale Buffalo Flat Top

The Can

This twelve-ounce flat top represents a notable early-1960s chapter in the packaging history of the Cleveland-Sandusky portfolio. The front face features a divided layout, pairing an off-white upper half with a deep green lower section. The brand name appears in a green blackletter typeface above a red line illustration depicting an early carriage drawn by a horse, complete with a seated driver holding an arched whip. Spanning the lower green field, "Ale" is emblazoned in oversized white Gothic script. While this artwork is synonymous with the brewer's flagship ale, this specific issue bears a Buffalo, New York mandatory statement rather than the standard Ohio origin, reflecting production after regional packaging operations shifted eastward.

The Brand

Introduced in 1933 immediately following the repeal of Prohibition, Old Timers Ale was launched to satisfy renewed demand for full-flavored traditional ales. The brand leaned into turn-of-the-century nostalgia, using tavern-era motifs, carriage artwork, and advertising slogans referencing late nineteenth-century brewing heritage. Cleveland-Sandusky promoted the brand across the lower Great Lakes using extensive point-of-sale displays, print advertisements, and molded chalk back-bar statues. Following the shutdown of the primary brewing plant in 1962, the brand name was acquired by International Breweries, Inc., which produced the ale out of facilities in Buffalo and other regional sites before the brand migrated to subsequent regional producers.

The Brewery

The Cleveland-Sandusky Brewing Corporation originated from an 1897 consolidation that merged nearly a dozen northern Ohio breweries. The company weathered Prohibition by reorganizing and producing near beer and malt products under corporate subsidiaries, but only two facilities resumed operations upon Repeal: the Fishel plant in Cleveland and the former Stang plant in Sandusky. After violent labor strikes forced the permanent closure of the Sandusky branch in 1935, brewing centered exclusively in Cleveland. The company maintained a dedicated local following for decades, but escalating distribution battles against national shipping breweries during the postwar years eventually forced its closure in 1962.

Collecting Context

Old Timers Ale cans are prominent fixtures among collectors of mid-century ales and Great Lakes breweriana. While examples bearing the traditional Cleveland imprint are widely recognized, the Buffalo canning variation is especially sought after due to its brief production window under conglomerate operation. It serves as a compelling cross-regional artifact documenting the final stages of a storied brewing label.