Tudor Bock Flat Top Can

Tudor Bock from Hornell Brewing

The Tudor Bock flat top represents a notable chapter in mid-century private-label brewing and regional contract packaging. Tudor was marketed extensively as the dedicated house brand for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P), which stood as one of the largest supermarket chains in the United States. Rather than operating its own production facilities, A&P contracted regional breweries across the country to can the Tudor lineup.

This specific can was filled and distributed by the Hornell Brewing Company in Hornell, New York. Located on Franklin Street in Steuben County, the facility produced Tudor products following its acquisition by the Metropolis Brewery of New Jersey. Metropolis utilized the upstate New York plant to handle contract packaging for major supermarket accounts, canning lines such as Tudor, Olbrau, and Pilser's alongside Hornell's traditional brands.

Visually, the can features the brand's signature medieval motif, centered around an armored knight's helmet graphic and classic typography. Because bock was a seasonal release brewed primarily for early spring distribution, production runs for Tudor Bock were significantly smaller than those for the standard year-round Tudor lager or ale. Consequently, examples bearing the Hornell mandatory text are prized finds among collectors focusing on upstate New York brewing history and private-label market lines.

Surviving examples exhibit minor variations in can manufacturer marks and fine-print mandatory text arrangements across different production runs.