Queens Brau Select Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Queens Brau Select Beer Tab Top

This straight steel tab top container preserves a classic mid-century presentation for Queens Brau Select Beer. Set against a black rectangular field flanked by red and gold vertical accent stripes, the design showcases an elaborate golden double-headed heraldic eagle bearing a crowned shield with the initial "Q." Below the flowing script of the brand name, the prominent slogan "The Queen of Beers" anchors the upper panel. The lower white portion of the can highlights "SELECT BEER" printed in red, resting just above the standard contents declaration. On the lower side, the brewery mandatory information is arranged in multiple lines, distinguishing it within collector reference catalogs that catalog minor variations in line breaks.

Queen City Brewing Company introduced the Queens Brau brand in 1955 as an upscale, Germanic-styled companion to its core product line. Punning on both the brewery's moniker and the regal Germanic "bräu" style, the company promoted Queens Brau as "The Queen of Beers"—a playful, direct counterpoint to national slogans like Budweiser's "King of Beers." The label maintained steady production from the mid-1950s into the 1970s, serving both local taps and retail accounts throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

The Queen City Brewing Company was established in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1901, originally trading as the German Brewing Company. Operating out of its large complex on Market Street, the brewery quickly gained regional renown for products brewed with pure mountain water, anchored by its flagship Old German brand. Facing anti-German sentiment around the onset of World War II, the company formally adopted the Queen City Brewing Company name in 1941. After the war, Queen City grew into a regional powerhouse, eventually absorbing its crosstown competitor, the Cumberland Brewing Company, in 1958. Despite producing over 250,000 barrels annually at its zenith, intense market consolidation and competition from national mega-breweries forced Queen City to cease brewing operations in November 1974.

For collectors of Maryland breweriana and tab top cans, Queens Brau holds enduring appeal. It captures an era when historic regional breweries utilized elegant heraldic motifs and bold typestyles to defend their local territories against the rising tide of mass-market national brands.