Primo Paper Label Cans

[Scott]

The latest issue of the BCCA magazine arrived yesterday and had an article about the Primo paper label cans. I was surprised to learn there are two versions of this can. One says "Brewed and Bottled by.." while the other says "Brewed and Packaged". Does anybody know if one is significantly tougher than the other? Mine says bottled. If nobody knows maybe people can at least post which one(s) they have. If everybody seems to only have one of them that will probably answer my question.

[Jim Romine]

Mine is "Brewed and Bottled". Got it at the B/G show in the late 80's/early 90's. A guy came in with several of them. Forget who he was, but I sure wish I had a better memory of his story of how he found them.
Jim

[Sea Monkey]

Haven't received my issue yet but assume you are talking about 116-38? If so, mine is "Brewed and Bottled"

[Pokey]

"Brewed & Bottled" on mine. There seems to be a pattern developing here...

[Mark (expired)]

Thanks for posting... I "wrote" the article with a LOT of help from Terry Scullin. I had the "packaged" one on my shelves for a long time. Picked up two "bottled" ones over the last few months - one was in pretty poor condition and that was traded once I found a better one at CANvention - so I have the pair now that were pictured in the article. I am curious to see if one is rarer than the other - all I can say is that the last couple i have seen offered were "bottled" and so far haven't come across another "packaged".

[keithker]

Mark.... @Mark (expired) I saw the newspaper parts from the article and thought to share the entire four page article with fellow RB members....

You'll have to blow up the documents to read and enjoy some of the fine print.....In the word document you can take the raw images (.jpg) and blow them up if needed.....

Primo History paper.docx

(5.01 MiB) Downloaded 34 times

Primo History paper.pdf

(1.67 MiB) Downloaded 44 times

[keithker]

BTW how did the new Primo brewed on the mainland stack up again the old Primo.....? This newspaper article says it all....."it taste like beer"....

[oldmoneytexan]

Keith, those ads are awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[keithker]

And the agony....to think that 10,000 cans were destroyed or is it 23,000 cases (looks like somebody's math is bad...23,000 cases times 24 cans per case = 552,000 cans).........what I'd give just to have one of those cases of cans.....

Honolulu Star Bulletin Sun Sep 10 1961

[keithker]

The other reason it seems likely that you would never get a sweet Primo can is that locals could get 18 cents for each case of 24 cans that were turned in to be recycled or such......bet there were plenty rounded up and turned in to be destroyed......

[kamsquared]

Both of mine are the "Brewed and Bottled by" version.......

[Mark (expired)]

If I read the history right - 23,000 destroyed due to the lacquer failing during pasteurization and 10,000 more destroyed because of the over filling. The overfill was a problem, but the lacquer affecting the taste was at least in some ways a bigger problem.

Testing the canning in July of 1958

[Mark (expired)]

One small editing note on the article - Beatrice, which owned the brewery years before the Shiney-Steinie - made the decision to sell the brewery to Schlitz in 1963. As far as I can figure out, Beatrice owned what eventually became he national brand of Meadow Gold - and one of their divisions was he Hawaiian Dairyman's Assocaition - a consortium in Hawaii - that in turn owned the brewery.

The adds are are intriguing as even this one from June 30th of 1961 still mentions Primo being available in cans:

[Mark (expired)]

As a Navy brat - this pre-WWII ad grabs my attention with the background of a graphic "rising sun"!

[MarkB]

damnit, a variation!! I've had a few extras pass through my totes and I never looked for that variation!!!! argh. Now I need another. MarkB

OTOH, I LOVE all this new information. time to update my site's Primo page!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MarkB]

Back in the mid/late-70s I spent summers working on the line at Frigidaire in Moraine, Ohio. One of my coworkers was former Navy. I told him about collecting beer cans. He said that when he was stationed at Pearl they called Primo "seagull piss." Ouch. That would have been after it was bought by Schlitz, if that makes a difference...

[Joe Older]

Mine is the Brewed and Packaged version. Bought it on ebay many years ago. Did not know there was a variation until reading this thread and the article in the magazine.

[Chris E.]

Mine is the Packaged version also. Like MarkB, I got another variation to find!

Chris E.

[kamsquared]

I purchased this label about 10 years ago from a dude in Hawaii. It was perfect until he folded it and stuffed it in an envelope,,,,ugh.

[Mark (expired)]

The date on the back is helpful! "Bottled" at least on March 24 1960.

[kruegerbock]

Mine is "bottled", and it's still full. Any Ironguts people (and I am one) up for it?

[MarkB]

The date on the back is helpful! "Bottled" at least on March 24 1960.

the day after my 1st b-day... cool.

[Mark (expired)]

There is a poll on the BCCA Facebook page - would like to get a feel for which version is rarer.

[Sea Monkey]

Mine is "bottled", and it's still full. Any Ironguts people (and I am one) up for it?

Count me in!......

[Longhorn Mike]

Mine says "Brewed and Bottled."

- Mike