Rex Pale Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Maier's Rex Pale Lager Tab Top

The Rex Pale Lager Beer can is a 12-ounce straight steel container featuring a tab top lid. Characteristic of its mid-1960s production era, this particular variation is distinguished by its wide side seam and the inclusion of a postal ZIP code in the mandatory brewery information. The volume contents notice is placed along the bottom margin of the label. The can’s graphic presentation emphasizes classic mid-century design cues, highlighted by bold regal lettering and royal insignia that defined the label during the tab top transition period.

Rex was developed and marketed by the brewery as an everyday regional lager, framed with a royal theme. Often accompanied by the slogan "Fit for a King" alongside crown motifs, the brand was positioned as a dependable, budget-friendly option for consumers and supermarket shelves throughout Southern California and neighboring Western states. While widely distributed during the postwar decades, the brand was phased out in the early 1970s as regional labels succumbed to market pressure from expanding national mega-breweries.

The brewery behind the label, Maier Brewing Company, was an institution in Los Angeles brewing history. Established in 1882 when Joseph Maier partnered with George Zobelein at the old Philadelphia Brewery site, the enterprise operated as Maier & Zobelein until an acrimonious split in 1907 left the facility under the Maier family name. The brewery weathered the dry years of Prohibition—surviving even a high-profile federal raid in 1932—and resumed full operations after Repeal. In the postwar decades, Maier became famed across Southern California for high-volume production, creating iconic local staples like Brew 102 alongside numerous contract and regional brands. Industrialist Paul Kalmanovitz acquired the company in 1958, eventually integrating it into General Brewing before the historic downtown Los Angeles plant permanently ceased brewing in the 1970s.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this Rex tab top represents a key chapter in California's mid-century industrial packaging history. Cans from Maier Brewing hold enduring appeal among West Coast collectors, capturing the evolution of can manufacturing and graphic styling during an era when independent regional breweries still maintained a strong presence on local shelves.