Spring Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Spring Lager "6 for 89¢" Tab Top

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top can was produced by the Maier Brewing Company of Los Angeles, California. The can stands out for its light blue graphic presentation, wide seam construction, and the bold promotional price marking "6 for 89¢" lithographed directly across the upper face above the central "SPRING LAGER BEER" banner. Along the lower rim, the design incorporates the traditional brewery assurance, "We use only the choicest brewing ingredients".

Maier introduced Spring Lager Beer during the late 1950s to cater to the growing demand for budget-conscious regional beers. Instead of relying exclusively on temporary store signage or adhesive price tags, the brand emphasized its aggressive value proposition by printing multi-pack pricing straight onto the steel container. Spring Lager was widely distributed through California grocery channels and convenience retailers as an affordable, everyday beverage until the brand ran its course in the 1970s.

The Maier Brewing Company traced its roots to 1882, when Bavarian immigrant Joseph Maier partnered with George Zobelein to acquire the Philadelphia Brewery in Los Angeles. Reorganized as the Maier Brewing Company following Maier's death in 1905, the firm established itself as a fixture of Southern California industry. After surviving Prohibition with legal non-alcoholic substitutes and near beer, the brewery resumed operations upon Repeal. In the late 1950s, the plant came under the leadership of industrialist Paul Kalmanovitz, who pivoted Maier into a major regional producer of discount lines and private-label contract beers before the business was absorbed by General Brewing Corporation in the early 1970s.

Among breweriana collectors, cans featuring factory-printed retail pricing occupy a popular niche. This Spring Lager example serves as a memorable artifact of mid-century supermarket price wars, illustrating how regional breweries leveraged the can surface itself as a prominent billboard to attract thrift-minded shoppers.