Schlitz Beer Flat Top Can

Brooklyn Schlitz Flat Top Cans

To expand its East Coast footprint and meet skyrocketing post-war demand, the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company acquired the historic Bushwick brewing facility in Brooklyn, New York, which had previously belonged to the George Ehret Brewery. Cans filled at this location are distinguished by the mandatory brewery text identifying Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. in Brooklyn, New York.

The can features Schlitz's classic belted globe trademark framed by metallic gold, rich red, and white lithography, maintaining the company's famous slogan, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous," even while being canned in the heart of New York City. Operating out of Brooklyn allowed Schlitz to compete head-to-head on regional shelves with established New York brewing powers such as Schaefer, Rheingold, and Ballantine.

Schlitz collaborated with leading container manufacturers of the era, including the American Can Company and Continental Can Company, to supply cans for its high-speed Brooklyn packaging lines. Multiple variations of this can exist among production runs, distinguished by differing can company manufacturing marks, minor layout shifts in the side-panel mandatory text, and subtle modifications in the metallic lacquer finishes.