Blue text on white background, illustration of a red bag of beer cans.

The Canadian Ace Brewery, originally the Manhattan Brewing Company, was run by Charles Schaffner until he sold it in 1919 to Johnny Torrio and Al Capone. Manhattan changed their name to Canadian Ace in 1947, and discontinued producing any brands bearing Manhattan in the name. The likely rational was an attempt to "clean-up" the post-war image of the brewery by retiring the Manhattan flagship brand and relying upon the well established Canadian Ace brand for the future. The link to organized crime remained as Lou Greenberg was a principal owner of the Canadian Ace Brewing Company. The Canadian Ace Brewery closed in 1968.

See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

Illustration of a Budweiser can with black text on a white background.

During the Prohibition Era, Budweiser encountered its first major obstacle to profit and growth. As alcohol became illegal to sell and produce, all alcohol companies, including Budweiser, struggled to remain profitable. Budweiser began producing non-alcoholic beverages during Prohibition to counter its ill effects. Prohibition began in 1920, and lasted into the middle of the Great Depression in 1933. These are two major setbacks that this company experienced. Just as laws regarding prohibition were repealed, Budweiser was faced with more serious economic struggles, which made their success very unlikely. In attempt to re-stimulate interest in their beer, Budweiser executed a hugely successful marketing strategy of introducing beer cans for the first time in 1936. This new packaging led to an increase in sales which lasted until the start of World War II in 1939. Over the years, Budweiser has undergone various design changes to its can. Many of these changes are in response to market conditions and consumer tastes. Since 1936, 12 major can design changes have occurred.

White text on a red background.

Budweiser is a pale lager produced by Anheuser–Busch InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch from Saint Louis, MO it has grown to become one of the highest selling beers in the United States, and is available in over 80 markets worldwide. Adolphus Busch traveled extensively in Europe to observe and study the latest brewing techniques. In the 1870s, Anheuser-Busch became the first American brewery to implement pasteurization, which greatly improved the shelf-life and transportability of its beers. In the mid-1800s, most Americans preferred robust, dark ales. Busch had encountered lighter lager beers during his travels and began brewing a light Bohemian lager. Anheuser-Busch introduced this lager in 1876 under the brand name Budweiser.

Blue text inside an orange rectangular shape overlaying a textured orange oblong shape with orange text all on a textured orange background.

Billy Beer was mass produced in 1977 by the Falls City Brewing Company and promoted by President Jimmy Carter's younger brother Billy Carter.  Billy Carter, known for his colorful character and drinking habits, was described by the Associated Press in 1979 as "a professional redneck." Each can was embossed with the slogan “I had this beer brewed just for me. It’s the best beer I’ve ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot." The beer, ironically, was of such poor quality that Billy was quoted telling reports that he still drank Pabst Blue Ribbon at home.  Falls City closed its doors in 1978 along with the production of Billy Beer. There was a resurgence of interest in selling unopened cans or sixers of Billy Beer in the 1980's for big money after a man ran several ads in a Chicago newspaper selling  them for $1,000 dollars. Subsequently he ran more ads selling the beer at the bargain price of $200. In actuality, they were worth somewhere between 50 cents and a dollar. Today, although a six pack of Billy's doesn't have much collectors value, it is considered an interesting novelty item.

White and yellow text on  red background.

The Valentin Blatz Brewing Company was an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It produced Blatz Beer from 1851 until 1959, when the label was sold to Pabst Brewing Company. Two famous Blatz/Milwaukee beer marketing slogans were "Blatz—Milwaukee’s Finest Beer" and "Blatz—Milwaukee’s Favorite Premium Beer." In later years, the brewery described its product as “Draft Brewed Blatz.” The most famous jingle from the 1950s to early 1970s was, "Kegs, Cans, or Bottles, all taste the same. The three best is one beer - Blatz is the name," playing on the fact that many other beers had a different taste when bottled and canned from how they tasted fresh from the keg.

Red and black text on a white background

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Blue text on a red background with a bull terrier dog pouring a Bud Light beer from the bar.

Bud Light used Spuds Mackenzie, a Bull Terrier, as a marketing device in the late 1980s. The dog’s first appearance was at the 1987 Super Bowl XXI. The advertising executive Mitch Meyers created the Spuds Mackenzie character. The terrier was controversial because it was a female dog portraying a male dog and also because of the dog’s appeal to children. The Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization was just one organization to pose the allegations that Anheuser-Busch was marketing their product to minors through Spuds Mackenzie. The dog was so popular that the decision to remove her from commercials after two years was made. The dog had started to overshadow the product.

White text on a red background with blue on a white background with a blue leaf in the middle with white text on it.

Pabst Breweries joined in the trend of selling war bonds during WWll with its own public relations and advertising campaigns. One such Pabst sponsored contest awarded a total of $50,000 in bonds. The winning entries were to ‘develop and assemble practical and workable plans and ideas’ for the eminent post-war employment of returning American servicemen and women. A popular tack for businesses during WWll, kiosks popped up to sell bonds wherever people would gather. Celebrity and media support for war bond drives became a competition of sorts to see who could sell the most.

Large red "W" on a white and black background with white text.

In 1862, Steven Weber purchased an established brewery renaming it West Hill Brewery. Over time, the Weber company possessed a variety of names: West Hill Brewery, Bethesda Brewery, Weber Brewing Co. and Weber Waukesha Brewing Co. During prohibition, the company survived by operating as a dairy bottling plant. After prohibition, the brewery was modernized becoming one of the first in the area to use stainless steel equipment. The company remained in the Weber family until 1958 when it merged with Fox Head Brewing Company.

Red, black and white text on a blue background, with an end of a barrel and an owl.

In 1821, John Cooper and Thomas Gould established a brewery in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. When William Van Nostrand acquired interest in 1860, he gradually expanded production and distribution.  In the 1890’s, his son, Alonzo G. Van Nostrand Alonzo became the sole proprietor of the brewery which was now known as the Bunker Hill Brewery.  It operated until Prohibition.  The brewery manufactured; Boston Club Lager, Bunker Hill Lager, Old Musty Ale, Owl Musty, Van Nostrand's Porter and P.B. Ale.

See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.