Three Thirty Three Pilsener Brand Beer Flat Top Can

Chicago's Three Thirty Three Flat Top

This twelve-ounce flat top preserves mid-century Chicago packaging design with its eye-catching crimson and metallic gold aesthetic. Framed at the top and bottom by bands filled with elaborate ornamental scrollwork, the clean central field highlights a red emblem displaying the numerals "333" flanked by angled lettering spelling out "THREE THIRTY THREE." Running along the lower gold border is the specific mandatory text, "BREWED AND PACKED BY GOLD BRAU BREWING CO., CHICAGO, ILL.," identifying the precise packaging credit used for this release.

Three Thirty Three Pilsener Brand Beer was developed and marketed as an approachable, budget-friendly regional pilsener during the post-World War II packaging revolution. As supermarkets, discount liquor outlets, and regional grocery chains expanded rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, brewers frequently introduced catchy, numeric labels designed to capture value-conscious consumers seeking everyday pale lagers. Distributed throughout Midwestern taverns and regional retailers, Three Thirty Three fulfilled strong localized demand before fading as changing consumer tastes and heavy national advertising pushed independent value labels off the shelves.

Although bearing the imprint of the Gold Brau Brewing Company, the beer was produced at a storied brewing complex on South Emerald Avenue in Chicago. The facility had deep roots in the city, previously home to the Manhattan Brewing Company—a major South Side plant dating to the late nineteenth century that weathered Prohibition through near-beer production and notorious syndicate affiliations. Reorganized after World War II as the Canadian Ace Brewing Company, the brewery adapted to tightening market pressures by serving as a prolific contract producer. Canadian Ace established several corporate trade aliases, including Gold Brau, to market distinct lines and pack private labels without diluting its flagship identities, continuing production until the plant finally closed its doors in 1968.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this flat top is a classic representative of Chicago’s twilight years as a diverse brewing center. The combination of intricate Victorian-inspired filigree alongside mid-century typography gives the can enduring visual appeal, making it a sought-after piece for collectors specializing in Illinois brewing history and offbeat private-label steel cans.