Rainier Beer Flat Top Can

Sicks' Spokane Rainier Flat Top

Produced by Sicks' Spokane Brewery in Spokane, Washington, this Rainier Beer can represents a key era in Pacific Northwest brewing history. Under the leadership of brewing magnate Emil Sick, the enterprise expanded beyond its primary Seattle operations, utilizing the Spokane facility to bottle and can beer for distribution across the Inland Empire and neighboring regional markets.

Identification and Design Features

Cans filled at the Spokane plant are distinguished by mandatory text reading "Sicks' Spokane Brewery," setting them apart from counterparts produced at the flagship Seattle brewery. The primary visual design prominently features the classic red Rainier gothic script and traditional heraldic branding set against metallic paneling.

Collectors recognize several variations associated with the Spokane facility. These include subtle adjustments in mandatory typography layouts, variations in metallic background tones, and differing top lid stampings created to comply with distinct state alcohol control regulations across regional territories. The Spokane plant also produced cans featured in pictorial designs, including illustrated toast themes and scene motifs.

The Wind Tunnel Discovery

Rainier flat tops from both the Spokane and Seattle facilities are famously tied to one of the most celebrated events in breweriana collecting: the Seattle wind tunnel discovery. A massive cache containing Rainier cans was uncovered inside a decommissioned aeronautical wind tunnel in Washington. This find brought significant hobby attention to Emil Sick's mid-century packaging and emphasized the wide variety of regional mandatory prints issued across his network of breweries.