Ruhstaller's Gilt Edge Beer Flat Top Can

Ruhstaller's Gilt Edge Lager Beer

This twelve-ounce flat top represents an early canned packaging of Ruhstaller's Gilt Edge Lager Beer, filled by the Buffalo Brewing Company of Sacramento, California. Documented in Kevin Lilek’s authoritative opening-instruction reference work under entry 336, the container stems from the pre-World War II canning era. The can carries an alternate tax statement designation rather than standard federal internal revenue phrasing. Visually, the front face features the red block directive "COOL BEFORE SERVING" along the lower rim and highlights the classic circular "TRADE MARK" monogram emblem positioned directly above the shadowed "GILT EDGE" script and banner.

The Gilt Edge name originated in the nineteenth century under Captain Frank Ruhstaller, a Swiss immigrant who served as brewmaster and owner of Sacramento's City Brewery. Ruhstaller established Gilt Edge as a premium flagship brew, and its reputation spread across Northern California. The brand achieved regional fame in sports lore during the late 1890s when local sports promoter Ed Kripp arranged for the brewery to sponsor Sacramento's professional baseball team. Known as the Sacramento "Gilt Edges" (or simply the Brewers), the team captured four consecutive California League championships from 1897 to 1900 and famously defeated the barnstorming National League Baltimore Orioles. Following the repeal of Prohibition, the historic brand was revived in both bottles and early cans.

Founded in 1890 by Herman Grau, the Buffalo Brewing Company quickly expanded to become one of the largest brewing complexes west of the Mississippi. Ruhstaller became a principal figure and majority shareholder in the company before the turn of the century, linking his flagship brands to Buffalo's expansive facility. The brewery weathered Prohibition by manufacturing commercial ice, near beer, and soft drinks. After Repeal, Buffalo resumed full beer production, becoming one of the earliest Western breweries to embrace canned packaging. In the 1940s, Grace Brothers Brewing gained control of the business, and brewing operations at the Sacramento plant permanently ceased by the end of that decade.

For breweriana enthusiasts, early flat tops from Northern California represent a celebrated chapter in West Coast industrial design. Ruhstaller's Gilt Edge cans from Buffalo Brewing are especially treasured for their deep ties to California's frontier brewing heritage and early athletic sponsorships.