The Most Iconic Beer Cans & Innovations of All Time | VinePair

Please consider the beer can. The aluminum cylinder is one of beer drinking’s greatest inventions, equally a standard accessory at bars, concerts, and backyard BBQs, and a status symbol for drinkers seeking out the latest aromatic double IPA. Behold what I’m holding! Might I crack a can for you, too?

“The idea of packaging being your first handshake with a customer is true,” says Isaac Arthur, co-founder of CODO Design, an Indianapolis-based food and beverage branding firm.

Since the early 20th century, breweries and can manufacturers have grappled with finding the right format to package beer in a portable can. Bottles are great, but their heavier weight and possibility for breakage means that “aluminum [cans have] become the gold standard,” says Oceania Eagan, founder and creative director of Blindtiger Design, which specializes in craft beer.

The first beer can was sold in 1935, and from that point forward breweries and manufacturers have tinkered with form, function, and gimmicks to deliver the most memorable beer-drinking experience possible. From Guinness nitro widgets to Coors’ color-changing mountains, and the rise of the 16-ounce can, I explored 10 of the most iconic beer cans and innovations over the last 90 years for VinePair.