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January 24, 2020: The first sale of canned beer took place 85 years ago today. On January 24, 1935, “2,000 cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream Ale” were delivered “to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond, Virginia.”[1]
The idea was driven by the American Can Company. It’s initial effort to create beer cans flopped in 1909.”The cans couldn’t withstand the pressure from carbonation—up to 80 pounds per square inch—and exploded.” But they came up with a better approach just as Prohibition was coming to an end.[2]
Still, executives at the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company were skeptical. They agreed to test out the concept only after being offered a risk-free trial. If it didn’t work, Krueger’s wouldn’t have to pay for the canning process.[2]
Despite skepticism about whether consumers would accept canned beer, the innovation became an immediate success. “Within three months, over 80 percent of distributors were handling Krueger’s canned beer, and Krueger’s was eating into the market share of the ‘big three’ national brewers–Anheuser-Busch, Pabst and Schlitz.”[1]
By the end of the year, 37 breweries offered the product and more than 200 million cans of beer had been sold.[1][2] Today, nearly half of the $20 billion industry’s sales come from canned beer.[1]
One reason for the early success of canned beer was that it offered several benefits to consumers. “The purchase of cans, unlike bottles, did not require the consumer to pay a deposit. Cans were also easier to stack, more durable and took less time to chill.” During World War II, “U.S. brewers shipped millions of cans of beer to soldiers overseas.”[1]
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