Piel's Special Light Dortmunder Beer Cone Top Can

Piel's Dortmunder Cone Top Can

Manufactured as a 12-ounce low-profile cone top, this can represents an era when regional brewers embraced European-style brewing traditions on American packaging. Prominently reading "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" along the decorative frame, the can bears the mandatory IRTP statement used between 1935 and 1950. Its crimson background frames an ornate, scrollwork medallion that highlights the label text: "Dortmunder Type" positioned above bold serif lettering, accompanied by "Special Light" in a flowing script and the brewery's circular monogram trademark.

Piel Bros. cultivated a reputation for Germanic brewing styles, having marketed Dortmunder-style brews dating back to the pre-Prohibition era. While traditional Dortmunder lagers historically stood apart from standard Bohemian pilsners, Piel's positioned this offering as a "Special Light" variation to appeal to mid-century American preferences for crisp, pale lagers. Piel's eventually focused its portfolio toward mainstream light lagers and draft beers—later achieving widespread recognition in the 1950s through animated television spokesmen Bert and Harry—before the Dortmunder formulation was retired from the company's lineup.

The brewery behind the can was established in 1883 when German immigrant brothers Gottfried, Michael, and Wilhelm Piel purchased a small brewery in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. Utilizing pure yeast cultures and the region's soft brewing water, brewmaster Michael Piel guided the company to regional prominence. Piel Bros. weathered Prohibition by manufacturing cereal beverages and near beer, allowing it to quickly resume alcoholic brewing upon Repeal. In the postwar years, Piel Bros. expanded by acquiring regional competitors, including John F. Trommer's in 1951 and Rubsam & Hormann in 1953. Rising competition from national shipping breweries and changing distribution economics led to the company's sale in the 1960s, culminating in the closure of the Brooklyn facility in 1973.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this can holds lasting appeal as a tangible artifact of New York City's mid-century brewing landscape. Cans from metropolitan brewers that showcase specific Old World styles like Dortmunder, rather than generic lager designations, are especially valued by collectors of early canned beer packaging.