Advancements in bottling technology allowed beverage companies to market innovative containers. In 1962, American Can Company and Liebmann Breweries introduced the Chug-A-Mug, a can-shaped bottle with one of the earliest pull-top tabs.
The new aluminum closure design, which pulled completely off the bottle, also encouraged new consumer behavior. It suggested beer drinkers should drink straight from the bottle (rather than pouring the beer in a separate glass) and allowed them to get rid of “church key” openers. It also forced consumers to treat the bottle as completely disposable, since the wide mouth could not be corked or re-capped.
Additional content in the Hagley Digital Archive:
- Rheingold beer
- Brewing industry
- "Brewers Vary the Shape of Things," in Beer Marketing, 1962
- "How to penetrate the prejudice and restore the true image of bottled beer," 1958 Motivational Research report
- Guide to the Archives of Raymond Loewy, industrial designer and creator of the Chug-a-Mug's label
