Schlitz Lager Beer Cone Top Can

Schlitz Lager Cone Top Beer Can

This twelve-ounce Schlitz Lager cone top can dates from the late 1930s to the early 1940s Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) era. Manufactured with an inverted-rib spout and a flat bottom, the steel container reflects early Cap-Sealed packaging design favored by brewers who adapted standard bottling machinery to package canned beer. The lithography features the iconic Schlitz script set diagonally across the body above bold block lettering for "LAGER," prominently displaying the legendary tagline alongside the regulatory caption noting that the alcohol content exceeds 3.2 percent.

Schlitz built its brand identity around its signature lager, which surged into national prominence following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 when the brewery shipped hundreds of barrels of beer and fresh water to the stricken city. That gesture and the subsequent surge in popularity inspired the marketing slogan featured prominently on the container face: "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous". Widely promoted through print, radio, and illuminated tavern signage across the nation, Schlitz Lager stood as one of the quintessential American lagers throughout the twentieth century.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company traced its beginnings to 1849, when August Krug established a small brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joseph Schlitz, the company's bookkeeper, assumed management following Krug's death and incorporated the firm under his own name in 1856. Guided for generations by Krug's nephews, the Uihlein family, Schlitz weathered Prohibition by producing baker's yeast, malt syrup, and soft drinks. Following repeal, the brewery rapidly expanded to become the top-selling beer producer in the United States during the 1950s before consolidation and market challenges led to its acquisition by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982.

Early inverted-rib cone top cans from major national brewing pioneers hold substantial interest for breweriana enthusiasts. With its distinct pre-war construction, mandatory tax statement, and classic mid-century Milwaukee typography, this can serves as an essential artifact from the formative years of canned beer marketing.