Image via Complex Original
Don't take the beer can for granted—we didn't always have the luxury. And what we had to endure before we got to today's easily carried aluminum number? Just know that plenty have suffered.
Take a look at the evolution of beer storage, starting with the earliest can: the flat top. But before we can tackle that, a word on bottles...
The Bottle Cap
On February 2, 1892, the bottling of liquids changed forever with the invention of the crown cap. William Painter, an inventor from Ireland who emigrated to the U.S. in the mid-19th century, designed the crown cap (or crown cork), a piece of metal with 24 teeth that clamped around the round mouth of a glass bottle of soda or, more importantly, beer. Rather than pop a cork from a pressurized bottle, you would now need a bottle opener to get at your drink.
Flat Top Beer Cans
The beer can has a birthday: January 24, 1935. On this Thursday, Americans could buy beer in flat top steel cans for the first time, but only in Richmond, Virginia. This was the first market selected by Gottfried Krueger Brewery to try what was at the time a serious gamble. Would consumers want canned beer after years of glass bottles? After more than 25 years of research and testing, brewers (and can companies) would finally have an answer. Turns out, yes, they did. They wanted it badly. Come summer, Krueger needed American Can, the company that perfected the technology, to produce 180,000 cans a day to meet the demand.
The heavy cans could only be opened one way: with a church key, a long piece of metal, pointed at one end, that drinkers used to create two holes in the can's top. One was for drinking, the other to allow air to flow. Until the '60s, the flat top can dominated the market.
First Pull Tab
Iron City, the Pittsburgh-based brewery, became the first producer of beer to use new pull-tab technology. In 1962, they introduced the can you see above. Created by an engineer who, legend has it, found himself at a picnic with beer but no church key, the pull tab was a flat piece of metal riveted to the top of the can that you pulled off to reveal the graduated flask-shaped hole from which you drank. Schlitz soon followed suit, incorporating the pull tab into cans before the year was out. By June, 1963, 40 breweries were using pull-tabs.
Problems with the Pull Tab
The pull tab was not without problems. Iron City printed no instructions on top of their can, creating confusion for some drinkers. When pulled, the tab sometimes left sharp edges that could cut lips and tongues. Worse, sometimes the tab would break off before removing the entire metal strip, creating thirsty and angry non-drunks. There was also the new problem of litter; thin pieces of metal appeared in the wake of any drinking session. It was clear that the technology was far from perfect.
Evolution of the Pull Tab
1965 saw the introduction of a ring, which made it easier to pull the tab. Ten years after that, environmentalists scored thanks to the stay tab, designed by Daniel F. Cudzik for Reynolds Metals Co. With this innovation, litter ceased to be a problem, as the tab stayed with the can. Though the design has been tweaked some, Cudzik's creation is what we encounter with cans of beer and soda today.
Press Button Can
This freak can emerged in the early '70s before being snuffed out by the stay tab. Cans with press buttons came with two pre-cut buttons, mimicking the holes one would make with a church key. A plastic covering protected the holes, which the drinker was to depress with two fingers. Perhaps you can already see the problem: cut and bloody digits.
The Aluminum Bottle
Introduced to the beverage market in 2001, the aluminum bottle sought to combine the traditional, beloved feel of a bottle, with the durability and recyclability of aluminum. They also have the benefit of blocking out sunlight, which can skunk a beer with the quickness. Anheuser-Busch became the first major brewer to package beer in the bottlecan (as it is sometimes called). You're most likely to see them at sporting events these days.
Swing-Top Caps
Popular with homebrewers, swing-top caps are a way to differentiate a brand from the competition. Grolsch, the Dutch brewery, uses this style of cap, but, again, its a decision based on tradition and aesthetics rather than utilitarianism. However, for homebrewers, it allows for bottles to be reused, meaning it is an economic decision.
Churchkey Can Co.
Adrian Grenier and Justin Hawkins re-introduced the flat top steel can to the market in 2012, 78 years after it debuted. Their company, Churchkey Can Co., makes a Pilsner-style craft brew in the classic cans, allowing today's consumers to drink like their great grandparents. For more on the project, check out our interview with Grenier.
