One Thousand Natural Process Beer Flat Top Can

Gettelman $1000 Natural Process Beer

This mid-century 12-ounce flat top can represents one of Milwaukee’s most enduring promotional trademarks. The front presentation highlights the bold "$1000" denomination above the script "Natural Process" label and the declaration proclaiming "Milwaukee's 100% Pure Malt and Hops Beer". Along the lower perimeter, a distinctive sequence of alternating square panels showcases mid-century graphic crests featuring stylized beer glasses, malt and pine motifs, and the Gettelman family monogram shield.

The origin of the "$1000" name dates back to 1891, when brewery owner Adam Gettelman launched a bold marketing challenge. The company publicly pledged a $1,000 cash reward to any chemist or consumer who could prove that their flagship brew contained corn, rice, chemical additives, or any substitute for pure malt, hops, and water. That promotional promise became the central identity of the brand for generations, standing unclaimed throughout the beer's production run and cementing its reputation as an uncompromising all-malt beverage.

The A. Gettelman Brewing Company traced its roots to 1856, when New York brewmaster George Schweickhart established the Menomonee Brewery along the Menomonee River in Milwaukee. Adam Gettelman became a partner in 1871 and took sole control later that decade, rebuilding the plant after a devastating fire. While Gettelman remained the smallest of Milwaukee’s historic "Big Five" breweries—competing alongside titans like Schlitz, Pabst, Blatz, and Miller—it maintained a fiercely loyal local following and developed a reputation for technical innovation. The brewery navigated Prohibition by producing near beer and diversifying into other manufacturing ventures before resuming beer production in 1933. Family leadership continued to guide the business through the postwar period until 1961, when the firm was acquired by its neighboring rival, the Miller Brewing Company.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this flat top can holds significant appeal as an artifact of Milwaukee’s golden age of brewing. It captures the spirit of independent regional competition and stands out as a physical tribute to one of American advertising’s most famous purity challenges.