Wildcat Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Wellman Wildcat Centennial Can

Produced by the historic August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, Minnesota, the Wildcat Beer 12 oz tab top can was issued in 1979 as a commemorative release for the town of Wellman, Iowa. The can was commissioned to celebrate Wellman's centennial alongside the town's civic slogan, "The Town That Cares".

The Wildcat motif holds deep historical significance for the Wellman community. Prior to a 1960 school district consolidation that created the Mid-Prairie school district, the athletic mascot of Wellman High School was the Wildcat. To mark the town's 100th anniversary, organizers partnered with August Schell to package a dedicated tribute can featuring wildcat imagery and commemorative text honoring the town's heritage.

During the late 1970s, the breweriana hobby was experiencing a national surge in popularity. August Schell—recognized as the second-oldest family-owned brewery in the United States—frequently supported regional civic milestones, festivals, and local groups by packaging specialized short-run commemorative labels and cans. The Wildcat Beer can remains an emblematic artifact of this era of small-town commemorative brews.

Manufactured as a straight-steel can, the design incorporates bold typography and mascot artwork. Among collectors of August Schell cans and regional commemorative issues, known variations exist across production batches, including differences in side seam styles and top lid designs.