Pabst Export Beer Flat Top Can

Pabst Export Beer TapaCan

This mid-1930s twelve-ounce flat top represents a defining milestone in early canned beer history. Produced under the Premier-Pabst banner, the front prominently displays American Can Company's "Keglined" trademark alongside Pabst's proprietary "TapaCan" moniker. Across the upper edge, the statement "12 FL. OZ. SAME AS BOTTLE" worked to reassure consumers wary of the newly introduced tinplate format, while the bottom navy band directs drinkers to "COOL BEFORE SERVING." Within collector reference systems, this container is categorized with an alternate tax statement designation and is noted as an identical counterpart to another listing, identified as a candidate for catalog consolidation.

Pabst Export Beer stood as the flagship offering spearheading the brewery's entry into metal packaging. In August 1935, Pabst made history by becoming the first national shipping brewery to bring beer in cans to the broader American market. Aggressive promotional campaigns supported the launch, heralding the "TapaCan" with slogans such as "Brewery Goodness Sealed Right In". Advertisements highlighted that the internal lining prevented metallic flavor contamination while the flat-top design stacked efficiently in home refrigerators. Pabst Export served as the primary canned product line throughout the mid-1930s before the brewery centered its branding strategy around Pabst Blue Ribbon.

The brewery itself originated in 1844, when Jacob Best established the Empire Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which Captain Frederick Pabst eventually developed into a dominant national operation. To endure Prohibition, the company diversified into malt extracts, near-beer, and cheese production. In 1932, anticipating Repeal, Pabst merged with Harris Perlstein's Premier Malt Products Company, creating the Premier-Pabst Corporation. This partnership brought vital executive direction and operational strength, allowing the brewery to modernize rapidly once brewing legally resumed. In 1938, the corporate entity reverted to the traditional Pabst Brewing Company name, continuing decades of industrial growth and consolidation.

Cans bearing the short-lived Premier-Pabst attribution and the early "TapaCan" identification hold significant historic value for breweriana collectors. They serve as tangible relics from the pioneering dawn of canning, chronicling how American brewers revolutionized beverage distribution and overcame public skepticism in the post-Prohibition era.