Payday Came And With It Beer – Rudyard Kipling
The first beer can had it’s 75th birthday recently and though I am a bottle man 95% of the time, I don’t think I have ever turned down a “can” of beer. My father was a can man, not just in drinking them but in collecting them. Most of his beer can collection was found in garbage dumps while hunting and fishing in TN and MN. He still has his best finds on a narrow shelf that surrounds the ceiling of his downstairs man-cave. Along with the cans, he has a decent collection of antique Church Keys (can or bottle opener), his 1974 Beer Can Collectors of America membership certificate #2292 which is still proudly framed on the wall, his BCCA membership directory and membership patch. A few cans from his collection and his BCCA items are shown below.
The first beer can debuted on January 24th, 1935. Though the technology existed to produce cans strong enough to withstand the high pressures that occur during pasteurization, prohibition stymied the progress. In 1933, just before the alcohol ban was repealed, the American Can Co. (ACCO) unveiled their “Keglined” cans which they had been experimenting with for over 20 years. Not only where they able to stay pressurized but they were internally sealed with a non-toxic, moldable plastic called Vinylite so you wouldn’t get any metallic flavor co-mingling with your favorite brew. The other huge advantage was that cans were much lighter than bottles and therefore cheaper to move across the country + the metal being cheap, would not have to be returned. Moreover, cans offered the advertising agencies a much larger surface area to play with.
These first cans were made out of a heavy gauge steel and therefore required a Church Key or awl type devise to open them. The Church Key was actually invented for the ACCO in 1935 by D.F. Sampson in order to punch a hole in the flat top (hence the name, “flat tops”.) Printed on the side of each Keglined Can was an illustration of a Church Key and operating instructions on how to open the can. These single pieces of pressed metal with a pointed end were typically given away free with these newfangled cans.
The bigger brewers like Pabst and Anheuser-Busch got the initial can tests underway with the ACCO in the late 20’s but wouldn’t commit until the can had been tested in the real market. Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company (1858 – 1961) out of Newark, NJ was the first to take the plunge and signed the first agreement with the ACCO to create the first beer cans to go into production. In June of 1934 four cans of Krueger’s Special Beer were delivered to 500 homes in the Richmond, Virginia area and delivered with a brochure on how to open the cans and a questionnaire. The results were amazing, with over 90% of the participants giving their approval. By January 1935 Krueger’s canned beer was being sold throughout the city and very soon after Krueger unveiled their cans the rest of the breweries fell into line. That first year of canned beer ended with over 200 million cans being sold.
The December 28, 1933 issue of Brewer’s News featured a photograph of 2 Krueger’s Special Beer cans. The one above is one of two that are the best known examples to exist.
Krueger’s first beer can set, 1935.
Krueger’s Ale can from an American Can Company advertisement, 1935.
While cans were cheaper than bottles they brought with them a big challenge, paticularly for smaller breweries, in that they required a significant packaging line overhaul. The problem, however, was solved with a “cone top” can in the shape of a bottle. Now the cans could be sealed with crown bottle caps just like bottles. Thus, the smaller breweries could run the can through their old bottling lines. This assembly line solution, however, was short lived because cone tops were bulkier than flat tops so they cost more to ship and retailers preferred the “pyramid stacking” qualities of flat top cans. By the early 60’s the cone top can’s 20+ year run had ended.
As far as metal kegs are concerned you may be interested know that in 1934 Flowers’ India Pale Ale was, for a short time, exported from Britain to India in experimental steel casks. However, it took around 30 years for the beer brewers to start to do away with oak beers barrels in favor of metal kegs. In the late 50’s, stainless steel kegs were replacing the oak ones because they were lighter and just as strong. Finally, in the early 1960s, aluminum alloys were introduced because they offered the advantage of being stronger and even lighter than stainless steel. My wife’s Grandfather, Sydney, who just turned 99, used to deliver kegs of John Smith’s all over Yorkshire, England after WWII. He and I have shared many a pint and to this day Syd still drinks John Smith’s. Old Syd exemplifies this quote by Thomas Jefferson, “Beer, if drank with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes good health.” Though, I do believe, the mention of “moderation” in Jefferson’s quote is a mute point in Syd’s case because after a bit of calculation I figure he has consumed a conservative 30K pints of beer over his lifetime.
My fathers 1974 BCCA #2292 Membership certificate, patch and membership directory.
A few cans from his collection including a 40’s Krueger’s Cream Ale.
Oskar Blues Brewery (First US craft brewer to brew and can its own beer)
Click HERE for a 75th beer can birthday video from the Beer Can Collectors of America web-site
