Rainier Beer Flat Top Can

Sicks' Rainier Flat Top History

Produced by Sicks' Seattle Brewing & Malting Co. in Seattle, Washington, the Rainier Beer flat top can holds a storied position in Pacific Northwest breweriana. Packaged during the leadership era of brewing magnate Emil Sick, this container represents a key chapter in regional commercial art and packaging.

Beyond standard corporate layouts featuring the prominent Mount Rainier silhouette, the brewery produced celebrated thematic releases known among collectors as the Jubilee and Party series. These illustrated cans featured dynamic mid-century scenes capturing outdoor recreation, social gatherings, and regional folklore, including depictions of Paul Bunyan. The brewery complemented these illustrations with diverse metallic background colors, rim text variations, and promotional slogans such as "Rainier for Life".

This can earned legendary status in collector lore through the famous "Seattle wind tunnel find". A massive, forgotten cache of Rainier flat top cans was uncovered inside a decommissioned local aeronautical wind tunnel testing structure. This discovery introduced a wealth of preserved stock to the breweriana community and greatly expanded the documentation of Sicks' graphic series and metallic palettes.

Collectors extensively study this can for multiple production variations. These differences span manufacturer factory codes from the American Can Company, side-seam fabrication styles, variations in rim text lettering, and subtle adjustments in mandatory brewery phrasing. These distinctions help collectors document the evolution of packaging at the Seattle plant prior to subsequent corporate transitions.