Tech Premium Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Tech Premium Beer Tab Top Can

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top container represents a classic mid-to-late twentieth-century packaging release from the Pittsburgh Brewing Company. The front of the can features a striking red-and-green Scottish tartan shield bordered by gold fringe, set against a clean white background. Within the tartan emblem sits a crowned oval crest showcasing the "PBC" brewery monogram encircled by the motto "Quality • Integrity • Tradition." Below the shield, the prominent red "Tech" brand name is rendered in bold serif lettering with dark drop shadows, underscored by elegant script identifying it as "Premium Beer."

The Brand

Pittsburgh Brewing Company first introduced Tech Beer in 1906, positioning it as a product of modern technical mastery and pure ingredients. The original launch—complete with a tartan pattern and the "Tech" moniker—sparked an immediate public feud with industrialist Andrew Carnegie and administrators at the recently founded Carnegie Technical Schools, who objected to having the school's identity linked with a commercial lager. Despite student protests and billboard vandalism, the brewery stood firm, and the brand grew into one of western Pennsylvania's most recognizable staples. Tech was also historically significant as the actual beer packaged beneath the novelty "Olde Frothingslosh" holiday label popularized by Pittsburgh radio personality Rege Cordic in the 1950s.

The Brewery

The origins of the Pittsburgh Brewing Company date back to 1861 with the founding of the Iron City Brewery in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood. In 1899, it merged with twenty other local breweries to form the Pittsburgh Brewing Company. The company weathered Prohibition by manufacturing soft drinks, ice cream, and non-alcoholic near-beer, emerging in 1933 as one of the country's surviving regional brewing powerhouses. Over the decades, the brewery became an industry pioneer in can innovation, notably collaborating with Alcoa to introduce the first pull-tab beverage cans in 1962.

Collecting Context

For breweriana enthusiasts, this Tech Premium Beer tab top is a sought-after piece of Pennsylvania brewing heritage. It serves as a direct link to Pittsburgh's fierce mid-century regional brewing landscape and preserves the long-standing, colorful tradition of the tartan-clad Tech label.