Rheingold Extra Dry Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Mid-Century New York Classic

Produced by Liebmann in New York, New York, the Rheingold Extra Dry Lager Beer flat top represents a defining era in American metropolitan brewing. During the peak of Liebmann's brewing operations, Rheingold stood as a dominant regional power, capturing over a third of the vast New York beer market and serving as a staple in neighborhood taverns, bodegas, and homes throughout the region.

Liebmann Breweries supported Rheingold with groundbreaking advertising campaigns, most famously the annual Miss Rheingold election. Introduced in 1940, the promotion allowed patrons to cast ballots at local establishments, routinely drawing tens of millions of votes and rivaling major political elections in overall participation. The brand also gained cultural prominence through widely broadcast radio and television jingles, as well as high-profile local sports sponsorships. In later decades, Rheingold cans achieved additional historical note when discarded empties were discovered sealed inside structural steel columns during recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site, originally placed there by ironworkers during construction of the towers.

For breweriana collectors, the can is recognized for its prominent script typography, the Extra Dry banner, and traditional brewery heraldry. Collectors have documented variations across manufacturing runs, featuring subtle differences in lettering, mandatory brewery statements, and tax text. The can remains a celebrated centerpiece of New York brewing heritage.