Pabst Export Beer Flat Top Can

Pabst Export Flat Top with Red Opener

This 12-ounce flat top can represents an early chapter in the history of canned beer, produced during the late 1930s under the registered TapaCan trademark. The face of the container prominently displays the cursive Pabst script above the traditional hop leaf crest, with "EXPORT" positioned directly over a deep blue band bearing "BEER" in bold white lettering. Notable on the upper front shoulder is the period declaration "12 FL. OZ. SAME AS BOTTLE" alongside the TapaCan moniker. On the reverse panel, this variation is distinguished by its opening instruction diagram featuring an illustrated red can opener, as well as an optional tax statement and manufacturing credits noting two brewing cities, Peoria Heights, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Pabst Export was formulated and marketed as a premium lager, standing alongside the company's flagship Blue Ribbon line. In the years immediately following the repeal of Prohibition, Pabst played a pioneering role in the rapid expansion of canned packaging, aggressively promoting the TapaCan format as an airtight, lightproof alternative to standard glass bottles. Pabst advertising of the era emphasized convenience, rapid chilling, and modern brewery freshness, helping normalize metal containers for household beer consumption.

The enterprise traces its origins to 1844, when Jacob Best established the Empire Brewery in Milwaukee. Under the stewardship of Captain Frederick Pabst, the firm expanded into one of the largest brewing operations in the United States, officially renaming itself the Pabst Brewing Company in 1889. During Prohibition, the company sustained itself through the production of malt syrup, near beer, and processed cheese. In 1932, Pabst merged with the Premier Malt Products Company of Peoria Heights, Illinois, briefly operating as the Premier-Pabst Corporation and maintaining major production facilities across both locations before modernizing and consolidating its operations.

To breweriana collectors, early flat tops featuring explicit opening instructions are highly prized historical artifacts from the dawn of beer canning. Cans from this transitional era—particularly those showcasing colorful graphic elements like the red church key illustration alongside dual-city brewery text—remain key display pieces from the formative age of packaged beverage design.