Tuxedo 51 Premium Beer Flat Top Can

Spokane's Tuxedo 51 Flat Top

The Tuxedo 51 Premium Beer flat top can represents a distinctive Pacific Northwest regional packaging format, issued in an 11 fluid ounce capacity rather than the standard 12-ounce size. Produced under the Atlantic Brewing Company name in Spokane, Washington, during the late 1950s, the container features mandatory text identifying its Spokane origin along the side. A notable production quirk associated with this release is the top lid, which bears the Silver Springs Brewing Company stamping, reflecting the shared packaging agreements and canning line crossover common among Washington State breweries of that era.

The Tuxedo brand was marketed across regional markets as an accessible, everyday lager. Emphasizing its bold numeric motif, the label featured the prominent numeral "51" framed inside a central oval to catch the eye of consumers on retail shelves and in local taverns. Positioned to compete against expanding mid-century macro-breweries, Tuxedo 51 offered an economical alternative for local drinkers throughout the Inland Empire. As national brewing conglomerates consolidated market share in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the brand was retired.

The Spokane facility responsible for canning this beer traced its roots back to 1890, when John G. F. Hieber founded the brewery. Later known as the Inland Brewing and Malting Company, the operation survived Prohibition by pivoting to near-beer, soda, and malt extracts under the Inland Products Company banner. After Repeal, the Spruce Street plant operated for decades as Bohemian Breweries, famed for its Bohemian Club line. In the late 1950s, the brewery adopted several trade identities, including Atlantic Brewing Company and Tuxedo Brewing Company, to package various value brands before permanently closing in 1962.

For collectors, this flat top can is a desirable acquisition. It attracts Pacific Northwest regional specialists tracing the rich brewing history of eastern Washington, collectors pursuing vintage 11-ounce West Coast formats, and thematic hobbyists who seek out numbered beer labels.