Schaefer America's Oldest Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Schaefer Lehigh Valley Tab Top

The Schaefer America's Oldest Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can represents a key era of expansion for the historic F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company. Founded in New York City in 1842 by German immigrant brothers Frederick and Maximilian Schaefer, the company earned its reputation as one of the pioneers of lager brewing in the United States.

The Lehigh Valley Facility

By the early 1970s, Schaefer sought to modernize its production footprint to maintain pace with consolidating national competitors. In 1972, the company opened a large, high-capacity brewery in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, designated on packaging as Lehigh Valley. This state-of-the-art facility quickly became the primary production hub for Schaefer's core brands, eventually leading to the consolidation of older metropolitan facilities. Cans bearing the Lehigh Valley mandatory mark document this transformative chapter in the company's history prior to its acquisition by the Stroh Brewery Company in the early 1980s.

Can Design and Features

The can features Schaefer’s classic red, white, and gold branding. Emblazoned prominently across the front is the brand's long-running trademark claim, "America's Oldest Lager Beer," celebrating the company's mid-19th-century lineage. The artwork frequently incorporates the traditional Schaefer script and the heritage slogan, "Our hand has never lost its skill".

The side and back panels include mandatory brewery identification text placing production in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, often listed alongside earlier administrative and manufacturing centers such as New York, New York, and Baltimore, Maryland.

Known Variations

For can collectors, containers from the Lehigh Valley operations present several minor manufacturing and textual differences. Variations exist regarding whether the mandatory text lists Lehigh Valley alone or in conjunction with other historical brewing plants. Additionally, differences can be observed in the manufacturer stamps from major can makers of the era, including Reynolds Aluminum and Continental Can Company.