Ortlieb's Lager Beer Quart

Ortlieb's Lager Beer Quart Cone Top

This 32-ounce quart cone top was manufactured during the Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) era for the Henry F. Ortlieb Brewing Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bearing the mandatory "INTERNAL REVENUE TAX PAID" statement along its bottom rim and "CONTENTS ONE QUART (32 FLUID OUNCES)" across the upper rim, it represents the large-format metal packaging favored by regional breweries in the 1930s and 1940s. A key distinguishing marker on this variation is the complete "HENRY F. ORTLIEB BREWING COMPANY" wording across the lower mandatory line, differentiating it from sister variations that omitted the word "COMPANY." The front display incorporates the brewery's monogram crest with the interlocking letters "HFO" nestled amid hops and grain, alongside the notation "PACKAGED AT THE BREWERY" set beneath a bold diagonal banner.

Ortlieb's Lager Beer served as the primary flagship label for the Ortlieb family, positioned as a reliable, working-class standard across the greater Delaware Valley. Over several generations, the brand cemented its regional reputation through localized marketing campaigns, sports broadcasts, and folksy slogans highlighting its local freshness. It grew to become a household name throughout eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey before broader national consolidation caught up with regional beer distribution.

The brewery traced its roots to Civil War veteran and German immigrant Trupert Ortlieb, who began brewing in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties neighborhood during the late nineteenth century. In the 1890s, Henry F. Ortlieb assumed control of the North American Street site, formally consolidating the enterprise. The company survived Prohibition by producing near beer and non-alcoholic malt extracts, quickly pivoting back to commercial lager production upon Repeal in 1933. Ortlieb grew to become one of Philadelphia’s major independent brewing fixtures in the post-war era, operating until escalating competition culminated in the sale of its brands to crosstown competitor Christian Schmidt Brewing Company in 1981.

Quart cone tops represent a beloved niche among breweriana collectors due to their imposing physical scale and early canning technology. Because 32-ounce cans were manufactured in far smaller quantities than standard 12-ounce packages, pre-1950 quart containers from Philadelphia's golden era of brewing remain cornerstone display pieces.