January 5: Canned beer is 75 years old this month. In January 1935, Krueger beer was first test marketed in cans in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
The cans were a three-piece soldered design made by American Can Company (CanCo) with flat tops that had to be opened with a church key.
They were half the weight of a 12oz bottle and used just a third of the shelf space. Krueger’s canned beer was a phenomenal success and by the end of 1935, no less than 37 other brewers had started using cans.