Wagner's Gambrinus Pale Beer Cone Top Can

Wagner's Gambrinus Pale Beer

The Wagner's Gambrinus Pale Beer cone top was produced by August Wagner Breweries, Inc., located in Columbus, Ohio. August Wagner, a German immigrant brewmaster, originally founded the Gambrinus Brewing and Bottling Company in 1906. Following Prohibition, the business continued operating under the August Wagner name, retaining King Gambrinus as the central persona for its flagship brands.

The can features vivid lithography with bold labeling and metallic detailing, centered around an illustration of King Gambrinus—the legendary patron and king of brewing—depicted wearing a royal crown and holding aloft a foaming glass of beer. The cans were manufactured as high-profile cone tops by the Continental Can Company.

Among breweriana collectors, variations of this design exist with subtle differences in mandatory brewery text placement, border accents, and framing elements surrounding the central portrait. Notably, during promotional campaigns in the mid-20th century, Ohio-born comedian and actor Jonathan Winters was featured in marketing materials and store displays endorsing Wagner's Gambrinus beer in cone top cans.

Today, the can stands as a celebrated piece of regional Ohio brewing heritage, sought after by collectors for its classic heraldic imagery and deep connection to Columbus's historic brewing district.