Schlitz Beer Cone Top Can

Jos. Schlitz Brewing Cone Top Cans

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, played a central role in early canned beer history when it partnered with the Continental Can Company to roll out "Cap Sealed" cone top cans in September 1935. Following the initial debut of canned beer earlier that year, Schlitz became the first national brewing giant to adopt the cone top format, allowing the brewery to adapt its existing bottling machinery directly to can packaging.

The earliest Schlitz cans utilized Continental Can's low-profile design. The earliest production runs featured a flat bottom and inverted ribs pressed into the upper cone. Manufacturing refinements soon followed, leading Continental Can to switch to concave bottom lids and raised ribs to improve filling line efficiency and prevent condensation buildup. Over the course of the cone top era, Schlitz also sourced high-profile cone top formats produced by the American Can Company.

Schlitz cone tops are documented in multiple variations that showcase the brewery's shifting marketing campaigns and packaging standards. Graphic differences include alterations to the iconic Schlitz script, adjustments to the trademark globe emblem, and alternate placements of the famous slogan, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous". Notably, certain releases featured the "Sunshine Vitamin D" promotional text, reflecting Schlitz's high-profile marketing push in the late 1930s. Collectors also distinguish between different bottom lids, seam constructions, and can company patent markings stamped into the metal.

As artifacts of the packaging rivalry between early container manufacturers, Schlitz cone top cans mark an important milestone in Milwaukee's industrial brewing history.