Rainier Beer Flat Top Can

Spokane Rainier Beer Flat Top

Produced by Sicks' Spokane Brewery in Spokane, Washington, this Rainier Beer flat top can represents a significant regional chapter in Pacific Northwest brewing history. Under the direction of brewing magnate Emil Sick, the company operated production facilities in both Seattle and Spokane, using the Eastern Washington plant to supply Rainier products throughout the Inland Empire and adjacent markets.

Regional Identification and Markings

While Rainier branding was widespread across the Pacific Northwest, cans packaged at the Spokane plant are distinguished by mandatory text explicitly identifying Sicks' Spokane Brewery. This manufacturer phrasing sets them apart from cans filled at the primary Seattle facility. The can design features the classic red gothic Rainier script set against metallic paneling, accompanied by traditional heraldic crests and regional motifs.

Production Variations

Breweriana collectors document multiple variations of this Spokane can. These variations exhibit subtle differences in the layout and formatting of the mandatory brewery text, shifts in background metallic coloration, and differing state-mandated alcohol content statements stamped onto the top lids. The Spokane facility also packaged cans associated with decorative pictorial and celebratory party themes.

The Seattle Wind Tunnel Discovery

Rainier flat tops from the Spokane plant gained widespread prominence in the collector community through what is widely considered one of the most famous discoveries in breweriana history: the Seattle wind tunnel find. A massive cache of Rainier cans originating from both the Seattle and Spokane packaging lines was discovered inside a decommissioned aeronautical wind tunnel in Washington. This historic find brought significant attention to the regional manufacturing variations across Emil Sick's brewing enterprise and established Spokane-issued Rainier flat tops as core pieces of Pacific Northwest breweriana.