Robin Hood Cream Ale Test Can

Robin Hood Cream Ale 16-Ounce Can

Dating from the 1970s, this 16-ounce straight steel tab top represents an intriguing pre-production test can for Robin Hood Cream Ale. While standard production cans for the brand featured vivid forest-green coloring, this test version displays an alternate palette defined by a clean white field and warm yellow tones, omitting the outer ink run. The front of the can showcases Robin Hood in traditional woodland garb, complete with a feathered cap and a shoulder quiver of arrows, raising a frothy metal stein. Hanging above him is an ornate tavern sign graphic framing the stylized brand lettering, with the "16 Fl. Oz." volume statement balanced along the bottom edge alongside advertising copy welcoming "Men of Adventure" to join the fold.

Pittsburgh Brewing Company launched Robin Hood Cream Ale during the 1970s to tap into the regional popularity of easy-drinking cream ales. Positioned as an approachable, flavorful alternative to conventional adjunct lagers, the brand leaned heavily into merry Sherwood Forest folklore with tavern-style promotional slogans. The brand developed a devoted regional following across western Pennsylvania and parts of the Ohio River Valley before being phased out during the 1980s as consumer tastes shifted.

The brew was created by Pittsburgh Brewing Company, which traces its lineage to 1861 in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Best known as the maker of Iron City Beer, the firm grew into one of the largest regional breweries in the United States. It successfully weathered Prohibition by producing cereal beverages and soft drinks, and later cemented its reputation for packaging leadership by helping pioneer the pull-tab opening in the early 1960s. Despite severe headwinds caused by national industry consolidation in the latter half of the twentieth century, Pittsburgh Brewing persevered as an enduring industrial icon of its city.

For breweriana enthusiasts, test cans and printing proofs occupy a fascinating collecting niche. Factory samples, printer trial sheets, and unreleased color variants offer a rare glimpse into the commercial design and manufacturing processes of the tab top era. The tall 16-ounce format makes this experimental Pennsylvania regional can an eye-catching centerpiece for display.