Olympia Pale Export Type Beer 16 Oz Tab Top Can

Olympia Pale Export Half Quart Can

This 16-ounce straight steel tab top container represents the classic "Half Quart" pint format issued by the Olympia Brewing Company of Olympia, Washington. Produced with an enamel finish, the label features the brewery's traditional graphics, including the hallmark horseshoe framing a scenic view of Tumwater Falls, accompanied by the famous tagline "It's the Water". The front panel highlights the brewery's tribute to the purity and solvent properties of its local artesian water. Within collector reference literature, this specific design has undergone catalog renumbering over time as researchers revised classifications.

The Pale Export brand was the foundational recipe of the brewery, first introduced to consumers in October 1896. Positioned as a crisp, premium lager brewed from natural subterranean artesian wells, the beer quickly earned widespread popularity throughout the Pacific Northwest and the American West. The celebrated slogan, "It's the Water," was officially adopted in 1902 and remained the centerpiece of the brand's marketing campaigns for generations. Over the decades, Olympia grew into a cultural touchstone, appearing across regional folklore, film, and television before industry consolidation altered the brand's production path.

The Olympia Brewing Company was established in Tumwater, Washington, by German immigrant brewmaster Leopold Schmidt, who selected the Deschutes River location specifically for its pure artesian springs and hydroelectric power. Originally founded as the Capital Brewing Company, the business was renamed the Olympia Brewing Company in 1902. Washington's early adoption of statewide prohibition in 1916 forced the brewery to close, though the Schmidt family revived operations following the Repeal of Prohibition. By the 1970s, Olympia had expanded to become one of the top brewing companies in the nation before corporate acquisitions led to the eventual closure of the historic Tumwater facility in 2003.

For breweriana enthusiasts, oversized 16-ounce cans represent an appealing niche of mid-century packaging. This straight steel pint serves as a quintessential artifact of Pacific Northwest industrial heritage, admired for its classic typography and picturesque Tumwater Falls iconography.