On this day, January 24th, 1935, the first can of beer was sold in VA.
By the end of the year, 37 breweries were selling canned beer.
Take a moment and think for a second about how this occurred with no internet. No mass connection or tweets bragging about the new revolution. No instant information connection. Yet this innovation spread like wildfire in a time of slower information transfer.
Absolutely fascinating.
The craft behind the science basically made miniature single use kegs to constrain the beer’s pressure that previous attempts at canning failed to do so successfully.
The medium was also excellent for brand recognition as the surface area offered more opportunity for expanded art and logo design.
The last point of note, and the strongest in the favor of the success of the beer can was its stackability. More could be shipped due to being able to be stacked, where bottles could not be stacked due to their shape.
So revel today in the miracle that was the commercially available beer can, its blank canvas for all sorts of branding and art, and it’s ability to be shipped in bulk, satisfying thirsty beer fans everywhere.
Cheers!