Pabst Old Tankard Ale 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Pabst Old Tankard Ale Tab Top Can

This crimped steel tab top container represents Pabst Old Tankard Ale during the tab top era. The face of the can is centered on the brand's classic silhouette emblem—a standing figure holding a raised drinking vessel aloft alongside a protective shield—flanked by the script designation "Genuine Dry." Reflecting Pabst's multi-plant operations during this period, the can incorporates a five-city brewery statement that includes the company's Los Angeles, California packaging facility.

Pabst originally introduced Old Tankard Ale in the 1930s following the repeal of Prohibition. Offered among the earliest commercial canned malt beverages during the mid-1930s, the product served as Pabst's ale companion to its flagship Blue Ribbon lager. Promoted across national print campaigns for its robust character and traditional brewing heritage, Old Tankard Ale remained one of the leading widely distributed ales in the country for decades. Although broad shifts in mid-century consumer tastes toward lighter lagers eventually led to its retirement, the brand retained historical prestige and was later resurrected as a legacy recipe.

The brewery itself originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Jacob Best founded the Empire Brewery in 1844. Under the stewardship of Captain Frederick Pabst, the operation expanded rapidly to become one of the premier industrial breweries in the United States. Pabst endured Prohibition by manufacturing malt extract, processed cheese, and near beer, which allowed it to immediately resume large-scale brewing after 1933. To satisfy rising national distribution demands in the post-World War II era, Pabst opened and acquired regional manufacturing plants across the country, expanding packaging operations into cities such as Los Angeles, Peoria Heights, Newark, and Perry, Georgia.

For breweriana collectors, Old Tankard Ale cans represent an interesting crossover between major corporate brewing history and the niche American ale market. Steel tab top examples bearing multi-city brewery listings document the decentralized peak of nationwide macro-brewing prior to later rounds of consolidation. The striking juxtaposition of medieval-inspired iconography with bold mid-century typography makes it an enduring favorite among collectors of heritage Pabst packaging.