Regal Bock Flat Top Can

Regal Bock Aluminum Soft Top Can

Produced in the early 1960s, this twelve-ounce flat top can represents a short-lived packaging transition in the American brewing industry. The container features a prominent jagged burst advertising "NEWEST! Easy Opening ALUMINUM TOP," heralding the introduction of softer aluminum lids on steel-bodied cans to facilitate easier piercing before pull tabs overtook the market. Across the body, the design integrates heraldic rampant lions within an interlocking diamond pattern, spotlighting the brand name within contrasting blue and brown lozenges, while the top border proclaims the brew as recognized among America's finest beers.

The Regal name enjoyed wide recognition across the West Coast, originating as a celebrated regional label in California. Maier introduced seasonal variants such as Regal Bock alongside its flagship Regal Select lager. Bock beers in the United States were traditionally brewed as richer, darker lagers released in late winter and early spring, offering regional breweries an opportunity to showcase specialty brewing heritage beyond standard pale lagers. As mass-market consumer preferences leaned increasingly toward light lagers in subsequent decades, production of specialty regional bocks like Regal Bock was ultimately phased out.

Maier Brewing Company was one of Southern California's foundational brewing enterprises. Established in 1875 by Joseph Maier and George Zobelein in downtown Los Angeles, it grew into an industrial mainstay of the city. The brewery navigated the dry years of Prohibition by manufacturing near-beer and non-alcoholic malt tonics, allowing it to quickly resume commercial brewing following Repeal in 1933. In 1958, industrialist Paul Kalmanovitz acquired the company, steering Maier toward high-volume regional brands, contract packaging, and value-oriented labels. The historic Los Angeles plant operated through intense industry consolidation before shutting its doors in the early 1970s.

For breweriana enthusiasts, West Coast bock cans from the post-Prohibition era represent a popular collecting focus. The combination of Maier's heraldic diamond graphics and the explicit transitional "Aluminum Top" marketing text makes this container a compelling artifact from the rapid evolution of mid-century beverage packaging.