Tiger Beer Flat Top Can

Holy Grail of Chicago Cans

Produced by the Manhattan Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois, the Tiger Beer flat top stands as one of the most celebrated and storied items in American breweriana collecting. Manhattan Brewing Company carried a colorful history, having operated through Prohibition with ties to infamous organized crime figures—including Frank Nitti and associates of the Chicago Outfit—before expanding its canning operations.

The Tiger Beer can achieved legendary status among collectors during the early rise of breweriana collecting. In the 1970s, it generated national collector headlines when an example changed hands for several thousand dollars, setting a benchmark transaction for its era and proving the historical value of scarce early beer cans. Renowned discoveries, such as the famous Joe's Bar basement cache on Chicago's South Side where American Can Company plant workers traded production cans for draft beer, further elevated the mystique of Manhattan's rarest offerings.

Collectors revere the can for its striking graphic appeal, highlighted by a prominent tiger mascot and bold period typography. Label variations exist among known examples, including subtle differences in mandatory text and plant production markings. Because Manhattan Brewing produced several short-lived brands and contract labels, the Tiger Beer flat top remains a premier centerpiece of Midwestern brewing history.