Ziegler's Premium Lager Beer Cone Top Can

Ziegler's Premium Lager Cone Top

The Ziegler's Premium Lager Beer Cone Top Can is a 12-ounce high-profile steel container manufactured in the early 1950s by Continental Can Company. This version features a white background and lacks an alcohol content statement, distinguishing it from other graphic and textual variations issued during the period. The front of the can features notable character artwork: a moustachioed Bavarian server in green lederhosen and an Alpine cap balancing three initialed steins in each hand. Flanking the character is the establishment claim, "Since 1874," anchored below by "Premium-Lager Beer" rendered in red Gothic script.

Ziegler's Premium Lager was marketed as a traditional Midwestern beer deeply rooted in Old World craftsmanship. By emphasizing heritage dating back to the 1870s alongside festive German motifs, the brand resonated strongly with local tavern patrons and regional consumers across southern and central Wisconsin. The brand remained the flagship label for the company throughout the postwar era until the brewery ceased packaging operations.

The Louis Ziegler Brewing Company operated out of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Louis Ziegler, a brewer from a Mayville brewing family, acquired the long-standing Madison Street brewery property in 1905. The business survived Prohibition and resumed brewing in 1933 following repeal. In the post–World War II boom, Ziegler pursued an ambitious regional expansion, briefly acquiring facilities in Fort Atkinson and La Crosse to supply neighboring markets. The Beaver Dam operation was sold to California investors in 1949 before finally shutting down in 1953 under heavy competition from national shipping breweries.

Among breweriana collectors, postwar Wisconsin cone tops hold strong appeal due to the state's dense concentration of small regional breweries. Ziegler's cone top is especially celebrated for its animated mascot illustration, decorative typography, and high-profile profile silhouette, making it an enduring favorite among Midwestern can collectors.