Pabst Export Beer Flat Top Can

Pabst Export Beer Flat Top Can

Dating from the mid-to-late 1930s era of the Premier-Pabst Corporation, this flat top container represents an early milestone in the history of canned beer. Prominently displayed in the upper right is the trademarked "TapaCan" moniker, identifying American Can Company's pioneering flat top design adopted by the brewery. The upper left corner features the text "MADE IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" alongside dual volume specifications of "12 FL. OZ. OR 35 CENTILITERS," pointing to its foreign export distribution. The can bears an alternate tax statement notation reflecting these export circumstances, and its mandatory text cites two production cities—Milwaukee and Peoria—documenting the can in collector literature under the Lilek opening-instruction classification guide as entry 650.

Pabst originally introduced its Export label in the late nineteenth century as a flagship pale lager, utilizing the term to denote high-grade beer suitable for shipping long distances. Following the repeal of Prohibition, Premier-Pabst selected the Export brand to spearhead its historic entry into canned packaging in 1935. Marketed heavily in national print and radio campaigns under the slogan "It's Pabst Export Beer in the TapaCan," advertisements emphasized that the can blocked flavor-damaging light, cooled quickly, and offered unmatched portability. In later years, Pabst phased out the standalone Export designation on cans to unify its branding under the globally recognized Pabst Blue Ribbon banner.

The brewery traces its roots to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Jacob Best and his sons founded the Empire Brewery in 1844. Steamboat captain Frederick Pabst married into the Best family, assumed leadership, and built the operation into the nation's top-selling brewery, formally renaming it the Pabst Brewing Company in 1889. The company weathered Prohibition by manufacturing malt syrup, near beer, and processed cheese before merging with the Premier Malt Products Company of Peoria in 1932. Operating briefly as Premier-Pabst before reverting to its heritage name in 1938, the brewer grew into an industrial titan throughout the mid-twentieth century until national competition prompted the closure of its historic Milwaukee plant in 1996.

For breweriana historians and can collectors, early opening-instruction flat tops from the dawn of canning hold enduring historical appeal. The metric volume designation, vintage "TapaCan" badging, and two-city Premier-Pabst mandatory combine to make this specimen a rich document of early American packaging innovation.