Kentucky cans ranked by me! Your help needed

#1

Our recent toughest 64 tournament got me thinking about my own cans and how they rank on a state level. I have attempted to rank my own cans which I'm pretty sure cover all Kentucky cans known.

I would love your imput, and any comments or information that may change the order as I see it at this time. I've taken a guess at the order and at the numbers known and would love to know if I'm close or way off. I have based my order on what I have leaned and how difficult is has been to add the can to my collection!

The Runer-ups

: Runner-ups:All nice cans but obtainable

The top 25 Kentucky Cans.

: 25-21

25. Fehr’s cone IRTP. Rare as an original cone. Most are mug conversions.

24. Falls City IRTP. 1st “Here’s good luck” can. Still has language from early “There’s a difference” cans
on the side stating “ Brewed only at the plant of Kentucky’s finest brewery”.

23. Tropical Ale. Brewed by International Breweries Covington KY. Comes in flats and pulls. A clean example of either is a very tough can.

22. Oertel’s Real Draft. Enamel version of this label must be very tough for I have looked for years and have not been able to upgrade mine.

21. Wiedemann “special brew” crowntainer IRTP.

: 20 -16

20. Royal Amber “Pilsner” at bottom of label.

19. Thorobred Malt Liquor . “Hat version” Next to impossible clean and without humidity. Difficult to find even as a dumper.

18. Stolz by International Breweries Covington KY. Same dificulties as #19 , but I have seen even fewer of the Stolz.

17. Kentucky Malt Liquor “STOUT”. Either version form Fehr’s or Oertel’s rarely seen. Was only used in states that had ABC law’s that required the stout statement.

16. Falls City “ There’s a difference you’ll like” . First can after the extra pale version and before WW2. Is easy to overlook .

: 15 -11

15. Oertel’s 92 Bock. Classic can. Maybe less than 20 clean examples? Every collection needs one which makes this can hard to obtain.

14. Oertel’s 92 beer. “Non pinstripe” Pull top. This can does not have a pinstripe around the label like the common version. Rarely, if ever seen.

13. Royal Amber 3.2% IRTP. A can produced to skirt state laws requiring 3.2% beer. This can had a small distribution area and is seldom seen.

12. Falls City “extra Pale”. Rare clean, and with the extra pale difficult to read even on a clean example, dumpers will be faded out.

11. Wiedemann IRTP 3.2% no special brew! Very difficult version. I have only seen my off grade example and another.

: 10-6

10. Royal Amber non IRTP. Before the 3 cans found by Beer Cans Plus I had serious doubt the can really existed. The USBC book example is rough and having never seen this can anywhere led me to believe the book example was mislabeled. Even with these three new cans being found I bet there are still less than 6 known.

9. Falls City withdrawn free. How many?

8. Royal Amber brown. A can rarely seen. How many? My guess less than 10 maybe 5?

7. Wiedemann “Bohemian”. 3.2% IRTP. No special brew on can. Very tough, rarely if ever seen can. My guess would be less than 5 exist.

6. Frankenmuth “Air Free” Beer. Looks just like the more common Frankenmuth Michigan version but this one is brewed by the Frankenmuth-Kentucky Brewing Co Louisville KY. I have found a photo of the building and address dated 1939. Most likely closed during the war and never reopened. How many on grade or off grade? 5-10?

: 5-1

5. Bavarian’s “Old Style” Beer IRTP. Extremely rare. I know of 3. Looks just like the common non IRTP version but has the IRTP statement under the 12 fluid ozs. Does anyone have others?

4. Wiedemann Bohemian Special Brew IRTP. My Favorite can. This one is a 1+ David Stark can. I have never seen another example, they have to be out there! How many? 1-5?

3. Falls City OD. I have been told there maybe 2 or 3 known! The coolest ugly can you will ever see.

2. Von Premium Beer. Packed by Von Brewery, Louisville Kentucky. This was an unknown can when “the Beer Can Man” Steve Gordon showed it to us on The Rusty Bunch. We have since learned it is a label from the Frank Fehr’s Brewing Company in Louisville KY. We have found a picture of a 6 pack of bottles and this one can. Nothing more is known of this unique can.

1. Oertel’s 92 enamel star “Victory” IRTP. This one example is all that is known to exist. Reportedly was found in the breweries safe when the brewery closed.

#2

Whoa...I had no idea Kentucky had such tough cans and they seem to reside in your collection. Very impressive. I can lay claim to 2 of your top 25.....the Thorobred and the Oertel's 92 tab without the outline. I'm in awe of your top 5 cans.....sweet!

#3

Jim those are some fine cans there, I also had no idea about the scarcity of some of them.

#4

Awesome Post - +1 (too bad it's not installed yet)

Maybe post that Frankenmuth-Kentucky Brewing photo. I would love to see it!

#5

Incredible can's! Thanks for sharing

Scott

#6

Awesome information--Thanks much great pictures...

#7

If you wish to see a picture of the Frankenmuth-Kentucky Brewing Co., go to Bing maps and type in this address: 1431 S. 15th St. Louisville, KY. Then click on birds eye view. You can see the brewery from all 4 sides. Make sure you zoom in.

#8

Here is a picture of the Frankenmuth-Kentucky Brewery. The picture is dated 1939 and has an address for the brewery as

770 Eastern Parkway
Louisville Ky

The picture is from the University of Louisville archive. You can barely make out the Dog gone Dog billboard on the side of the building.

: The Frankenmuth-Kentucky Brewery

#9

Kentucky Malt Lager (all original)? I think every one I've seen has been relidded. Was it even ever sold?

#10

770 Eastern Parkway won't get you there. The brewery is still standing.

#11

Does 1431 south 15th street location look like the picture that the University claims to be the brewery? Could it be the road changed names over the years and South 15th street was once called eastern parkway? I'm just guessing I know knowing other than what the picture was tag with. What do you know about the building and address? How did you come up with the location?

#12

Are the Bohemian Wiedemann cones in the runner's-up picture the non-irtp and 3.2% versions? Also, I think the Oertel's 92 gold can without the rectangle is somewhat tough to get as I've only seen two in 20 years. I would think the metallic grey Oertel's crowntainer is a one of a kind, and the Von can will never be seen either. How did you find out the Von is a Fehr's can? There are two variations of the Falls City "Extra Pale" O/I can (canning code) . Do you find one to be tougher than the other? I do have both versions, the withdrawn free, all of the O/I cans save the olive drab. Lastly, I find the regular Oertel's star crowntainer in your runner up list to be hard to locate in decent condition. I will weigh in on this topic later once I do some more digging around. Great pictures, great topic!

#13

From far away I found these items that might be helpful,

http://kybeercans.com/8.html

From the Encyclopedia of Louisville

#14

Hey Sweep,

I think the cataloger of the photos might have put that address in after lunch one day. If you look in the same photo archive you will find this as well:

School building for School of Our Mother of Sorrows. Three-story brick building with steps leading to the front entrance. Address: 770 Eastern Parkway, Louisville, Kentucky. Title supplied by cataloger.

#15

Google Street view of the brewery building today taken from roughly the same angle (not a good copy) The name on the old brewery building says Kelly Technical Coatings.

#16

Keith, Thats the building for sure. So you found that building at South 15th Street like Doghaus1 said. How do you guys do it? How did Doghaus know the address. What else do you know about this brewery. I think its safe to say it was only open from 1939-1942.

I don't want to hear any jokes about the 2nd largest state university in Kentucky not being able to do research and get the facts straight.

#17

Sweeperman wrote: I don't want to hear any jokes about the 2nd largest state university in Kentucky not being able to do research and get the facts straight.

That's OK Jim, not sure that large "State" university in Michigan can even spell research...

Very impressive collection of Kentucky cans and nice way to present the pictures/information from lower to rarest. How do you keep adding cans to this type of collection which seems complete?

#18

Sweeperman, I used my book The Post Prohibition Guide. It has all the addresses of the breweries. I have actually been inside that brewery. No equipment or tanks are left. A lot of open spaces. About your Fehrs white cone, I think you have that confused with the j spout. The j spout you find as mugs. I once a six pack of the white cone that came out of a wall at Ft. Knox. Much harder than #25.

#19

doghaus1 wrote:Sweeperman, I used my book The Post Prohibition Guide. It has all the addresses of the breweries. I have actually been inside that brewery. No equipment or tanks are left. A lot of open spaces. About your Fehrs white cone, I think you have that confused with the j spout. The j spout you find as mugs. I once a six pack of the white cone that came out of a wall at Ft. Knox. Much harder than #25.

When you say j-spout are you talking about the j-spout with the horses? If you are I agree that can is much more likely to be a mug conversion. I have found several of the white non IRTP cone cans to be mug conversions also. The white non IRTP cone also seems to be more common than the IRTP cone to me. So of the two white conetops the IRTP in much harder than the non IRTP.

#20

Jim - great thread. I know eastern parkway well and knew that couldn't be right, but the rest of the detective work is just amazing.
Greg

#21

Hi Jim,

I have these two pictures of Falls City that were taken in the 70's. If you'd like them they are yours, just PM me your address.
I think I also have similar photos of Bavarian's and Wiedemann's.

Ron

#22

Jim,

Thanks for taking the time to assemble this fantastic group of cans!

You can increase the Bavarian's IRTP total by one. I have never seen one offered on eBay; and I have seen only one other offered by a dealer. Would love to figure out the time period that they canned this variation. It has to be extremely short.
Mike

#23

Hello Sweeperman, tx for the welcome. Nice Topic, relish Louisville Breweriana. Used to live in the commonwealth,
now, it's just one branch that I continue to specialize in. I have almost all the Louisville trays, will post a few sometime . . .
& most of the post pro signs, that I know of to exist. Nice listing of Kentucky cans. I have been to Jim /
sweeperman's web site of Kentucky cans, his collection is much more complete, but here are my KY cans.

Only one I see not on your list is BCU 98-24. I would rank
that somewhere in the top few, or so. Mine came from Dale,
& Roy ten years or so ago, conspicuously all "WHITE" label, can
is unfortunatley rolled. Have never seen another. When the new books
were coming out, I was told there was another example, so I never sent in my pic.
Then when the book came out, it was NOT LISTED.

That VON can is awesome, I have seen the U of L archive photos of
the 6 pack of bottles and the Steinies are dated to c. 1963

I have 3 different "THERE'S A DIFFERENCE" Falls city OI's:

1) EXTRA PALE is in GOLD - Lilek 253
2) EXTRA PALE is in BLACK- "LIKE" Lilek 253 - maybe due to outdoor living, or in OI addendum? (mine not handy)
3) NO EXTRA PALE - Lilek 254

Have 1 of the 2 versions of the "STOUT" Oertel Malt Liquor
Have the Thorobred "derby hat" in Prisitine condition
My Frankenmuth - Louisville (First Louisville Kentucky can)
cone top is close to Pristine, doesn't appear to be quite
as clean as sweeperman's.

Don't have time to rank the KY cans, right now,
as I would like, but not many discrepancies,
here are a few pic's. Cheers! - MAKER'S MARK

#24

That can is awsome

. If I had that can it would have been on the list without a doubt. Why do you think it is rolled?

The oertel's real draft can that I have listed is just like the metalic can in your picture (3rd from left) except this one is enamel. I got it about 10 years ago on Ebay and it had a huge X on it written in black magic marker. I have been trying to upgrade ever since and have never seen another.

It looks like you have the white oertels beer without the pinstripe also. Really don't see those except about every blue moon.

#25

For the record, I've had 2 grade 3-ish Air Free's over the past 10 years but never saw any others available.

I dumped 2 of the blacked-out Kentucky mandatory cans, Nan Wick dumped a couple and Marc Tracy one.

#26

This is a great thread--the pictures are awesome, lots of great information! I don't know much at all about KY cans, but I did think of something after I saw the pic of the Oertels Real Draft cans ... do the flats in USBC rate a Top 25? They are pictured in the first USBC book as 104-7 and 104-8, both as flats. They were made well into the era of tabs, especially 104-8 ... are there really flats out there? Unrolled, original, non-relidded flats? I've had them both on my "cans under $50 from USBC I need" list since the book came out and I don't think I've ever seen either one.

#27

Great thread. I would nominate this thread to be put in the archive forum, mostly for the first post, but also for a few responses.
Moderators??

#28

Your #3 can is on ebay right now, so there's at least 2! -Mike
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-FALLS-CITY ... 500wt_1202

#29

Mike Wilbur wrote:Your #3 can is on ebay right now, so there's at least 2! -Mike

That one make's 4 that I have now heard of.

#30

Beercanpete wrote:This is a great thread--the pictures are awesome, lots of great information! I don't know much at all about KY cans, but I did think of something after I saw the pic of the Oertels Real Draft cans ... do the flats in USBC rate a Top 25? They are pictured in the first USBC book as 104-7 and 104-8, both as flats. They were made well into the era of tabs, especially 104-8 ... are there really flats out there? Unrolled, original, non-relidded flats? I've had them both on my "cans under $50 from USBC I need" list since the book came out and I don't think I've ever seen either one.

These pics with attached dates are for BeercanPete, & Sweeperman, & any/all others with interest. These were acquired
from K. Harootunian off eBay 7 or 8 years ago. Apparently management / safe copies with dates first put into production, or at least that's the purported story . . . I was elated when they came in the mail.

Sweeperman, re: the BCU 98-24 Dale, & Roy thought at the time, it may have been a mock up / prototype trial run sheet for a can that never went into production, for whatever reason.

The dates on these should prove instrumenatal / enabling, if you are a Louisville, and or Kentucky Breweriana enthusiast as I am . . . although determining if these were to be rolled into flats, zips, or tabs, etc . . . especially during the last several months they were to remain open, will be of some debate [enjoy MAKER'S MARK] - lol