Rainier Beer Flat Top Can

1956 Rainier Jubilee Cartoon Can

Issued in 1956, this 12-ounce flat top can belongs to the celebrated Rainier Jubilee 07 set, manufactured with an enamel finish in a vivid red and candy apple red palette. As part of Rainier’s 1956 "Cartoon Series" subset within the broader Jubilee campaign, the lower band showcases the "Surprise Party" illustration drawn by famed cartoonist and author William Steig. The design depicts an unsuspecting host caught in pajamas by arriving guests, paired beneath Rainier's signature dotted red "R" logo and the upper gold chevron emblazoned with the "Rainier for Life" slogan.

Rainier traces its roots back to 1878, when German-born brewmaster Andrew Hemrich laid the foundation for what grew into the Seattle Brewing and Malting Company. Positioned as the preeminent lager of the Pacific Northwest, the brand cultivated deep regional loyalty with campaigns celebrating outdoor leisure and local heritage. Following the repeal of Prohibition, brewing entrepreneur Emil Sick revived the label in Seattle in 1935, driving the brand to regional supremacy across Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Rainier continued to dominate the Northwest market until the company was sold to G. Heileman Brewing in 1977.

This container carries the mandatory text of Sicks' Spokane Brewery in Spokane, Washington. The location possessed a long brewing heritage in eastern Washington, tracing its origins to the Galland-Burke Brewing Company and later Spokane Breweries, Inc. In 1944, Emil Sick acquired the operation to expand production capacity and supply regional distribution channels alongside his primary Seattle plant. Sicks' Spokane Brewery packaged both standard Rainier and commemorative Jubilee issues until the Spokane plant ceased operations in 1962.

The Rainier Jubilee releases are widely recognized as one of the most ambitious multi-design graphic packaging efforts of the 1950s. Among these colorful issues, the 1956 cartoon cans stand out because the brewery hired prominent commercial cartoonists of the era to provide individualized artwork, making this Spokane-brewed flat top a prized crossover artifact of vintage breweriana and mid-century illustration.