Pabst Blue Ribbon Export Beer Flat Top Can

Pabst Blue Ribbon Export Flat Top

This twelve-ounce flat top can dates from the opening instruction era of early steel beverage packaging. Identified in reference documentation as Lilek 656, this particular issue features a reverse opening instruction panel distinguished by two brewing cities—Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Peoria, Illinois—alongside an illustrated blue can opener graphic. The front of the can presents Pabst's signature red script above the circular "Pabst Breweries" crest accented with ribbon banners, grounded by a solid dark blue lower band reading "Export Beer."

Brand History

Pabst Blue Ribbon traces its origins to the nineteenth century when it was brewed under the name Best Select. Beginning in 1882, the brewery tied blue silk ribbons around the necks of its bottled beer to celebrate major competition awards. After receiving top honors at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, customer demand for the "blue ribbon beer" prompted the official renaming to Pabst Blue Ribbon in 1898. Promoted heavily with iconic slogans like "Pabst Gets the Call," the brand established itself as a cornerstone American lager across generations.

Brewery Background

The Pabst story began in Milwaukee in 1844 when Jacob Best founded the Empire Brewery. The business expanded dramatically under Captain Frederick Pabst, taking his name in 1889 and becoming the largest brewer in the United States before the turn of the century. During Prohibition, Pabst remained solvent by producing malt syrup, near beer, and processed cheese. In 1932, Pabst merged with the Premier Malt Products Company of Peoria Heights, Illinois, creating Premier-Pabst Corporation. This multi-plant infrastructure allowed the brewery to resume commercial production swiftly following Repeal, driving widespread market reach through the mid-twentieth century.

Collecting Context

Opening instruction flat tops are central to vintage breweriana collecting. Because canned beer was new to consumers in the 1930s and 1940s, breweries printed illustrated opening diagrams directly onto the steel bodies. The combination of the two-city manufacturing credit and the blue opener graphic makes this can an engaging historical artifact from the foundational decades of canned American brewing.