Olde Frothingslosh Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Olde Frothingslosh 1969 Steel Can

The Can

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top can represents the original release of Pittsburgh Brewing Company's celebrated seasonal spoof. Framed within ornate dark flourish accents, the central oval showcases a black-and-white portrait of a swimsuit-clad beauty pageant contestant wearing a sash that reads "MISS OLDE FROTHINGSLOSH OF 1969" while holding a bouquet on a dock. Distinguished as an original issue by its blank top lid rather than the textured or altered lids of later runs, this can features the classic brown backdrop that inaugurated the visual series.

The Brand

Olde Frothingslosh originated in the 1950s as a satirical on-air gag created by Pittsburgh radio personality Rege Cordic on KDKA. Cordic aired mock advertisements for an imaginary brew promoted as "the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom". Spurred by enthusiastic listener inquiries, Pittsburgh Brewing Company partnered with Cordic to transform the parody into an authentic holiday specialty, packaging their flagship lager under whimsical, self-deprecating labels. In the late 1960s, the brewery introduced a fictional contest winner named Fatima Yechburgh—portrayed by local entertainer and model Marsha Phillips—whose portrait and comical biographical notes became an enduring fixture of the brand's holiday marketing.

The Brewery

Pittsburgh Brewing Company trace its heritage to the mid-19th century with the founding of the Iron City brewery, formally incorporating in 1899 through the merger of multiple regional breweries. It rapidly established itself as the dominant force in Western Pennsylvania brewing. During Prohibition, the company survived by manufacturing near beer, soft drinks, and ice cream under its Tech Food Products division. Following the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, the brewery resumed full production and earned a reputation for packaging innovations, including pioneering early pull-tab cans in the 1960s before navigating modern industry shifts.

Collecting Context

Olde Frothingslosh cans occupy a prominent place in breweriana culture. Recognized as one of the earliest examples of a commercial beer can featuring a photographic portrait of an actual person, the Miss Olde Frothingslosh line helped fuel the rapid rise of beer can collecting during the 1970s. Collectors actively seek out these initial blank-lid steel originals alongside the subsequent multi-colored reissues and holiday variations issued across later decades.