Olde Frothingslosh Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Miss Olde Frothingslosh Tab Top Can

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top can represents one of the most recognizable novelty releases produced by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company. Characterized by its narrow seam construction, the can's design is centered around an oval black-and-white photograph of mock beauty pageant queen "Fatima Yechburgh" wearing a sash that crowns her Miss Olde Frothingslosh. Framed by stylized ornamental scrollwork, the humorous portrait features Pittsburgh-area entertainer Marsha Phillips, who originally posed for the brewery's holiday promotional campaign.

The Olde Frothingslosh brand began in the 1950s as an elaborate radio spoof created by broadcaster Rege Cordic on Pittsburgh's KDKA. Marketed with parodic slogans such as "the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom" and "a whale of an ale for the pale stale male," the imaginary beverage was credited to the fictitious Sir Reginald Frothingslosh. In response to massive local listener interest, the Pittsburgh Brewing Company acquired the rights and produced real holiday batches of the beer filled into festive bottles and cans. In 1968, the packaging transitioned to spotlight "Fatima Yechburgh," humorously chosen for "beauty, talent, poise... and quantity," cementing the brand as a multi-decade seasonal staple.

Pittsburgh Brewing Company traces its origins to 1861, when German immigrant Edward Frauenheim established a small commercial brewery in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. In 1899, it joined a major merger of local brewing operations to form the consolidated Pittsburgh Brewing Company. The brewery navigated Prohibition by selling near-beer, ice, and soft drinks, quickly resuming commercial production upon repeal to dominate western Pennsylvania with flagship labels like Iron City. The company gained national acclaim for packaging innovations—including pioneering pull-tab can lids in the 1960s—and persisted as an enduring regional brewing presence.

Olde Frothingslosh cans hold a celebrated place in breweriana collecting. Regarded as classic examples of mid-century novelty marketing and radio crossover memorabilia, these colorful seasonal releases remain favorites among collectors focused on pop-culture artifacts, satirical branding, and regional Pennsylvania brewing history.