The mighty beer can is 75 years of age, and its story is certainly worthy of a History Channel special.

Research into canning beer began in the early 20th century, but tin cans could not withstand the internal pressure of pasteurization, and there was no way to prevent the beer from coming into contact with the metal, and becoming, well, pretty disgusting.

 

Then, in 1925, Charles Stolberg, an inventor for the American Can Company, or ACCO, patented a sturdy enough tin can. ACCO began testing the can in 1929, at the request of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst beer companies, but the tin in the cans kept contaminating the beer.

 

So they used brewer's pitch, the tar-like coating used in metal brewery equipment. Samples were sent to families with questionnaires, and approval ratings were 91%. The brewer's pitch was still a problem, however, either not sticking to the can, or not withstanding pasteurization. ACCO tested resins, flours, gums, and sprayed asphalt. Finally, in 1934, Union Carbide developed vinylite, which effectively did both.

 

Krueger Beer Company signed with ACCO, and its Finest Beer and Cream Ale were sold in these cans on January 24, 1935, the date many beer can enthusiasts and collectors consider the birth of the beer can.

 

Until this point, the cans were flat-topped, and Continental Can Company had been in a race with ACCO to patent a reliable beer can, which it obviously lost. But, not to be outdone, CCC got its patent after finding its own can lining, Cerese EE Wax. It had to start with small breweries, however, who could not afford expensive canning equipment. So CCC came up with the cone top can, which effectively made the beer can a metal bottle, and small breweries only had to make minor changes to accommodate them.

 

By Christmas 1935, ACCO had sold 75 million cans, and dozens of breweries were canning their beers. The same year, other canning companies produced canned beer in the UK. Can designs in this era were colorful with large, elaborate fonts, even including illustrations.

 

In 1936, ACCO and CCC were accused and found guilty by the Federal Trade Commission of monopolizing steel mills to stamp out competition.

 

Beer can production for the public stopped in WWII, but camouflage cans were made for the troops. These cans are highly coveted by collectors. In 1948, beer cans were finally sold in Canada. In 1958, the first aluminum cans were sold in Hawaii. It was around this time that cone-topped beer cans fell out of production.

 

In 1963, the tab top was introduced. Until then, tops were either caps, or required a church key opener or piercing opener. The original tabs popped off, however, until the now-standard tabs were produced in 1975.

 

Believe it or not, there are museums devoted entirely to beer cans, like the East Taunton Beer Can Museum in Massachusetts, as well as one in New Zealand.