Tempo Beer Flat Top Can

1955 Blatz Tempo Flat Top Can

Introduced in 1955, this twelve-ounce flat top can represents a distinctive mid-century offering from the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The can features a striking graphic layout centered around an intersecting, crossword-style grid that joins the brand name "TEMPO" horizontally across a vertical "BEER" block. Flanking this motif is the prominent marketing claim, "New Discovery FREES BEER FROM HARSHNESS," while the bottom band reinforces the brewing process with the slogan "Brewed with Fresh Hops NOT DRIED HOPS." The upper border displays the company's identity with "BREWED BY BLATZ MILWAUKEE."

Blatz launched Tempo in September 1955 to appeal to changing consumer tastes that favored lighter, smoother lagers. The company positioned the brand around the concept of using fresh rather than dried hops, advertising it as an innovative breakthrough that eliminated bitterness. Despite substantial regional marketing and advertising campaigns touting its clean profile, Tempo had a relatively brief production run as a canned brand, making it one of the company's few departures from its flagship Blatz label during the post-war era.

The Valentin Blatz Brewing Company traced its origins to the 1840s in Milwaukee, when Johann Braun established the City Brewery. Valentin Blatz opened an adjacent facility in 1850 and consolidated both operations following Braun's death shortly thereafter. Blatz expanded rapidly through the nineteenth century, pioneering industrial refrigeration and rail distribution to become one of Milwaukee's iconic "Big Four" breweries alongside Pabst, Miller, and Schlitz. The brewery navigated Prohibition by manufacturing malt syrups and non-alcoholic beverages before successfully resuming brewing operations in 1933. Schenley Industries acquired Blatz in the 1940s, and in 1958 the brewery was sold to Pabst, which eventually led to antitrust action and a subsequent transfer to the G. Heileman Brewing Company.

For collectors, this can stands out as a memorable piece of post-war Wisconsin brewing history. Because the Tempo label was produced in canned form for only a short period during the mid-1950s, it remains a highly prized shelf item among enthusiasts of classic Milwaukee breweriana and mid-century graphic packaging.