Oldstyle Pale Export Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Oldstyle Pale Export Flat Top Can

The Oldstyle Pale Export Lager Beer flat top can dates to the early 1940s, originating during the classic opening-instruction era of American canning. Produced as a 12-ounce container, the can carries an OT tax statement. In collector literature, this release is documented within Pete Lilek's specialized reference guide to opening-instruction cans under listing 621. The front design is highlighted by bold Old English Gothic lettering for the brand name, while the bottom displays a stylized mountain range backdrop anchored by an illustrated natural bubbling spring fountain.

Oldstyle was originally developed as a flagship label for the Silver Springs Brewing Company of Port Orchard, Washington. Looking to meet growing regional consumer demand for canned beer without incurring the steep capital expense of installing an in-house canning line, Silver Springs contracted with Oregon's Salem Brewery Association to brew, package, and distribute Oldstyle Pale Export in cans. Positioned as a clean, traditional lager, the brand emphasized its natural spring water heritage through both its packaging artwork and regional distribution in Oregon and Washington. The canned presentation proved short-lived due to metal rationing during World War II and subsequent ownership shifts.

The Salem Brewery Association possessed roots tracing back to Samuel Adolph's 1860s Pacific Brewery in Salem, Oregon. After several ownership transitions and a devastating fire, the firm was purchased in 1903 by Leopold Schmidt of Olympia Brewing fame and reorganized under the Salem Brewery Association banner, growing into one of the largest brewing concerns in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon enacted prohibition years ahead of the Eighteenth Amendment, prompting the plant to survive by manufacturing fruit juices and sodas. Following Repeal in 1933, the brewery re-emerged under Schmidt family leadership and local investors. To keep production high during the early 1940s, the plant engaged in contract packaging arrangements like the one for Silver Springs. In late 1943, regional brewing magnate Emil Sick acquired the plant, ending the Oldstyle contract and eventually closing the facility in 1953.

Within the hobby, this can stands out as a prime artifact of pre-war Pacific Northwest contract packaging. Because it bridges the brewing histories of both Washington and Oregon, it remains a sought-after piece for regional collectors and enthusiasts of early flat tops.