Wilshire Club Beer Flat Top Can

Wilshire Club Flat Top History

The Wilshire Club Beer flat top can is a prominent piece of mid-century West Coast brewing history, packaged by the San Francisco Brewing Corporation in San Francisco, California. The brewery itself had deep historic roots in the city, having operated for decades under the name Milwaukee Brewery of San Francisco before rebranding as the San Francisco Brewing Corporation.

Interestingly, the "Wilshire Club" brand name originated during Prohibition, when the brewery stayed in business by producing non-alcoholic beverages such as ginger ale, sparkling water, and cereal malt drinks under that moniker. Following the repeal of Prohibition, the brewery repurposed the established Wilshire Club name for its flagship line of canned and bottled malt beverages.

The can features a bold, classic aesthetic characterized by a rich, dark blue background accented with crisp white and metallic lettering. Graphic elements include the traditional Wilshire Club crest and prominent brand badging. Along the side panels, the can displays the iconic American Can Company "Keglined" insignia alongside opening instruction diagrams. Side-panel text also incorporates the federally mandated "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" (IRTP) statement, along with the notable brewery heritage line reading, "San Francisco Brewing Corp., Formerly Milwaukee Brewery of San Francisco".

Among breweriana collectors, variations of this can exist. These design variations display differences in the opening instruction panel arrangements, brewery text formatting, and slight shifts in typography and mandatory statement layouts across different manufacturing runs. Because of its striking color scheme, historical transition from a Prohibition soft drink to post-repeal beer, and iconic Northern California origins, the Wilshire Club flat top remains a celebrated centerpiece for opening instruction and regional California can collectors.