Prior Tasty Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Prior Tasty Lager Flat Top

The Prior Tasty Lager flat top can was produced by the Adam Scheidt Brewing Company of Norristown, Pennsylvania. Manufactured using the American Can Company's patented "Keglined" process, this container represents an important era for East Coast regional packaging.

Background and Brand History

The Prior label began through a relationship between the Adam Scheidt Brewing Company and Atlantis Importers of New York City. Positioned as a premium European-style offering under the tagline "Liquid Luxury," Prior served as Scheidt's high-end portfolio companion alongside their standard Valley Forge beer line.

Can Design and Visuals

The can is defined by its clean, mid-century graphic layout featuring distinctive stylized typography for the "Prior" title above the "Tasty Lager" brand designation. The side panels feature the brewery's mandatory location statements, volume indicators, and the American Can Company trademark.

Known Variations

Within breweriana collecting, several variations of this can exist. These differences are primarily found across the side and seam panels, showcasing variations in state tax endorsements—such as specific Pennsylvania tax-paid verbiage—along with minor adjustments in copyright phrasing and canning patent markings across manufacturing batches.

Historical Significance

The Adam Scheidt brewery was a central manufacturing institution in Montgomery County for decades, occupying a sprawling industrial complex along Stony Creek. The Prior line helped maintain the brewery's competitive presence across the Mid-Atlantic market before the facility transitioned under new ownership later in the century. Today, the can remains a sought-after historical artifact from Norristown's industrial brewing era.