Tempo Beer Flat Top Can

Mid-1950s Blatz Tempo Flat Top Can

Dating to 1955, this 12-ounce flat top can represents an innovative mid-century offering from the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The can features a striking modernist layout where the vertical letters spelling "BEER" intersect a bold black bar bearing the "TEMPO" brand name. Notable advertising copy integrated directly into the design highlights the brand's distinctive marketing angle, proclaiming the brew as the "Lightest Beer ever" alongside the claim of a "New Discovery that frees beer from bitterness." The lower metallic band prominently declares that it was "Brewed with Fresh Hops not dried hops," reflecting an unconventional wet-hop marketing message for mass-market canning in that era.

Blatz rolled out Tempo in September 1955 in response to shifting post-war consumer preferences toward lighter, milder, and less bitter adjunct lagers. Promoted with aggressive regional advertising, Tempo was pitched as a fresh alternative to standard industrial lagers. While the brand gained a dedicated following, its corporate umbrella shifted when Pabst acquired Blatz in 1958. Pabst maintained the Tempo label, which subsequently passed to the G. Heileman Brewing Company following antitrust proceedings before being phased out in the early 1970s.

The Valentin Blatz Brewing Company had deep roots in Wisconsin brewing history, tracing its start back to 1850 when Bavarian immigrant Valentin Blatz established his brewery in Milwaukee. Blatz grew to become one of Milwaukee's famed "Big Four" breweries alongside Pabst, Miller, and Schlitz. It cemented its legacy as the first Milwaukee brewer to bottle beer for national distribution. The company survived Prohibition by producing soda and near-beer, bouncing back to million-barrel production levels in the post-World War II era.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this Tempo can is a sought-after piece of mid-century packaging history. It stands out as an emblem of 1950s brewing experimentation and bold graphic typography, capturing a pivotal period in Milwaukee's competitive brewing industry.