Piels Real Draft Premium Draft 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Brooklyn's Real Draft Tab Top

Produced by Piel Bros. at their historic plant in Brooklyn, New York, the Piels Real Draft Premium Draft 12 Oz Tab Top Can represents a notable era in East Coast breweriana. Founded in 1883 by brothers Gottfried, Michael, and Wilhelm Piel on Liberty Avenue, Piel Bros. grew into a regional brewing powerhouse celebrated for creative advertising and packaging innovations.

When Piels introduced the "Real Draft" lineup, the brand heavily promoted the milestone of packaging draught-style beer directly into portable cans. The can's graphic design reflected this theme, incorporating keg-inspired motifs, woodgrain textures, and prominent branding that highlighted the brewery's draft heritage.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this Brooklyn-labeled tab top is especially prized as a tangible artifact from the brewery's long-running East New York operations before production eventually shifted away from the city. The can is known to exist across different manufacturing variations, with slight differences in metal composition, seam construction, and side-panel mandatory text markings. It remains a staple centerpiece representing New York's historic brewing heritage.