Utica Club Famous Xx Pilsener Beer Quart

Utica Club XX Pilsener Quart Cone Top

This 32-ounce quart cone top can represents a notable mid-twentieth-century release for Utica Club Famous XX Pilsener Beer, brewed by the West End Brewing Company of Utica, New York. Built with a soldered body seam and a crowned spout, this large-format package carries an Internal Revenue Tax Paid statement, placing it firmly in the post-Repeal, pre-1950 era. The label design centers on the signature red "Utica Club" script bordered in yellow, framed above by "FAMOUS" and below by "XX PILSENER BEER" in bold blue capital lettering, while the red footer proclaims "THE FAMOUS UTICA BEER." Among cataloged variations of the design, this specific version is recognized by its clean upper section featuring no slogan printed above the top border line.

The Utica Club moniker originated during Prohibition, when the company pivoted to producing soft drinks, ginger ale, and non-alcoholic malt tonics to survive the dry years. When the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition in December 1933, the brewery made national history by securing the country's first post-repeal brewing license and rolling out Utica Club beer just after midnight. The brand quickly grew into a regional favorite across New York and neighboring states, later becoming famous nationwide in the late 1950s and 1960s through television commercials starring the beloved talking stein duo, Schultz and Dooley.

The West End Brewing Company was established in 1888 by German immigrant and brewmaster Francis Xavier (F.X.) Matt, who reorganized an earlier Utica brewing site on Varick Street. Guided through Prohibition, the Great Depression, and postwar industry consolidation under multigenerational family management, the brewery remained fiercely independent. Later renamed the Matt Brewing Company, the operation introduced the craft-focused Saranac line and remains one of the oldest continuously family-owned brewing companies in the United States.

Quart cone tops occupy a revered niche in breweriana collecting due to their tall, commanding silhouette and substantial graphic canvas compared to standard 12-ounce containers. As a vintage artifact from an iconic New York brewery, this quart provides collectors with a tangible link to mid-century regional brewing and the post-Prohibition packaging era.