S B Beer Cone Top Can

Tampa's Post-Repeal High Profile Cone Top

This 12-ounce high-profile cone top can showcases packaging from the Southern Brewing Company of Tampa, Florida. A key detail on the lower portion of the can face is the "INTERNAL REVENUE TAX PAID" statutory notice, which dates the container's production to the era prior to 1950, when federal regulations made the statement mandatory on all packaged beer in the United States. The graphics feature palm tree illustrations flanking the center frame, capturing the tropical identity of its Gulf Coast home.

Southern Brewing Company marketed the "SB" line as a staple brand across Florida and nearby Southeastern markets. The "SB" initials carried dual meaning, referencing the brewery's corporate name as well as its popular flagship label, Silver Bar. Tailored to the warm regional climate, SB Beer was promoted through regional print, radio, and point-of-sale advertising as a crisp, everyday lager designed to compete directly with rival regional offerings.

Southern Brewing Company opened in 1934 at East Zack and Pierce streets in downtown Tampa, soon after the repeal of Prohibition. The modern facility quickly became a landmark in the city, celebrated for inviting the public to observe its brewhouse operations through street-level windows and for offering brewery tours with complimentary refreshments in its hospitality room. Southern Brewing thrived through the 1930s and 1940s, producing tens of thousands of barrels annually to serve regional demand. However, increasing pressure from expanding national brewers and the opening of massive industrial brewing plants in Tampa led to the company being acquired by International Breweries, Inc. (IBI) in the mid-1950s, before brewing at the downtown plant permanently ceased in 1963.

Within breweriana collecting, Southern cone tops hold significant appeal due to the limited number of major packaging breweries operating in Florida during the mid-20th century. The can stands out as a classic artifact of Florida's mid-century brewing landscape and pre-1950 canned beer design.