Schmidt Beer Flat Top Can

Schmidt Scenic Pronghorn Flat Top

This Schmidt Beer flat top can was produced by the Pfeiffer Brewing Company operating as the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. The can represents an early entry in the brewery's long-running series of outdoor and wildlife-themed cans celebrating the sporting heritage and landscapes of the Great Northwest.

Design and Scenic Illustration

The upper portion of the label features the classic red Schmidt cartouche bordered with gold and centered with bold white typography. Beneath the brand insignia, the lower half presents an expansive wildlife illustration depicting pronghorn antelopes in a Western plains setting. Two pronghorns are shown drinking from a prairie watering hole while another stands watch on the left against a backdrop of sagebrush, distant buttes, and a windmill. Wrapping along the bottom border of the scene is the brewery's famous marketing slogan, "The Brew that Grew with the Great Northwest".

The Schmidt Scenic Series

Schmidt's pictorial cans debuted in the late 1950s and expanded into one of the longest-running thematic set designs in beer can collecting history. Rather than utilizing conventional, static packaging, the brewery regularly released diverse outdoor scenes spotlighting North American big game, waterfowl, sport fishing, and working ranch life. During the Pfeiffer era, several new vignettes—including this pronghorn antelope illustration—were introduced to flat top cans. Variations exist across production runs with differences in can manufacturer marks and text alignments, keeping these St. Paul scenic cans popular among collectors of regional breweriana.