Rainier Beer Flat Top Can

Sicks' Rainier Spokane Flat Top

Produced by Sicks' Rainier Brewing in Spokane, Washington, this Rainier Beer flat top can represents a notable chapter in Pacific Northwest brewing history. Operating under brewing magnate Emil Sick, the Spokane facility served as a key regional production hub alongside the primary Seattle brewery, supplying Rainier products across Eastern Washington, Idaho, and the Inland Northwest.

Regional Mandatory Markings

While Rainier packaging shared standard graphic branding featuring the classic red gothic lettering and heraldic crest, cans filled at the Spokane facility are distinguished by mandatory manufacturer text explicitly identifying Sicks' Rainier Brewing in Spokane. This regional statement differentiates these cans from sister examples filled at the Seattle plant.

Design Variations

Collectors document multiple variations of this Spokane can across different production runs. Known variations include shifts in metallic background hues, subtle differences in mandatory text formatting and placement, and distinct top lid stampings applied to satisfy regional alcohol tax and labeling mandates across surrounding distribution territories. The Spokane plant also produced cans associated with decorative pictorial and Jubilee promotional releases.

The Seattle Wind Tunnel Discovery

Rainier flat top cans hold celebrated status within breweriana collecting due to the historic Seattle wind tunnel discovery. A massive cache of preserved Rainier cans from both the Spokane and Seattle packaging lines was uncovered sealed inside a decommissioned aeronautical wind tunnel in Washington. This landmark find brought significant hobby attention to Emil Sick's mid-century canning operations and established Spokane-labeled Rainier cans as foundational regional collector staples.