The Beer Can Gets Drafted

On August 15^th, the world commemorated the 68^th anniversary of the end of World War II. As time goes on, more is left to memory about all that happened and what was lost in those tumultuous years from 1939 to 1945 when the U.S. got involved. However, do you know how those war years effected beer production, packaging, and the breweries in general.

For one, many breweries closed for good during this time as grain and supply rationing forced them out of brewing production. Getting metal for cans and bottle caps also became an issue as it became necessary to manufacture tanks, guns, bullets and anything else needed for the war effort. Many breweries pushed quart bottles as a way to save on bottle caps (one cap for a quart vs three caps for almost the same amount in 12 ounce bottles.) They advertised the quart bottles as a way to help save for the war effort when in reality they couldn't get enough caps anyway.

And then there was the can. On May 31, 1942, War Production Board Order M-81 halted the canning of beer for the general public. Uncle Sam needed all of the tin plated steel to help save the world. However, beer cans could be produced by contracted breweries to be shipped overseas to the troops or to military bases in the U.S. About 35 breweries are known to have packaged beer in cans during this period. The difference was the cans were painted olive drab color for camouflage purposes and marked "withdrawn free of internal revenue tax." It was thought that sending beer to the troops would improve morale and bring a little bit of home to the soldiers by getting them some local products. I'm not sure I would have wanted to have six or eight beers in me and then run across a hostile enemy soldier packing rifle and bayonet! Anyway, the war solidified the acceptance of canned beer (it was only ten years old at the time) as returning veterans were used to drinking from the package.

In 1947 Order M-81 went by the wayside and can production returned to full mode. With the camo cans gone, cans with new label designs and better graphics hit the shelves. Canned beer was here to stay. Today, the camouflage cans bring high dollars in good condition as most went overboard into the ocean or were left in the jungles of Asia and the fields of Europe. Many of the survivors today never went overseas and have been found in or underneath old Army barracks on U.S. bases. A number turned up some years ago in a basement in Italy where a family hid fleeing soldiers. The soldiers drank some of the camo cans while waiting to move and left them behind on rafters. There they still sat some 50 or 60 years later.

One final interesting note was that most of the breweries that shipped overseas found the experiment to have more negative impact than good. The hope was that GIs would drink the beer while overseas and return home and pick up the brand at the tavern or liquor store. Instead, the beer had often taken many months to get to its destination and sometimes then spent many more months stored in depots with less than stellar weather conditions (hot or cold.) By the time it reached the GI, the beer flavor was less than optimal, sometimes horrible, and they vowed never to drink it again at home. If you ever come across a camo can, make sure you get it. You won't be disappointed in the monetary reward.

Cheers!