Florida/Georgia

 

Georgia cans top two rows – the Black Label Draft and the Carling Lager are Book cans. President Jimmy Carter signed H.R. 1337 into law on October 14, 1978 and Home brewing Industry became federally legal. The Micro brewing Industry/craft has exploded and has changed the face of American Brewing Industry. 

 

Calgary/Carling Malt "Brewed for the Bold"

 

Florida cans bottom two rows. National Bohemian cans upper row of Florida cans.

 

The White Whales Ale with the rope is the book can. It was a short run transition can produced between the no rope white can and the black can. I know of two other on grade examples and two off grade examples.

 

National Bohemian (Baltimore) Timeline in Florida:

     1956 National Bo purchased Marlin Brewing Company, Orlando

     1958 Anheuser Busch purchased Regal Brewing, Miami

     1959 Anheuser Busch opens new state of the art facility in Tampa

     1961 Anheuser Busch sells Miami facility to National Bohemian who then closes Orlando plant

     1976 Carling/National merger , Miami closed

 

Fischer's Beer and Ale sold in Winn Dixie Supermarkets.

Spearman Brewing Company, Pensacola Florida began brewing in 1935 and within three years grew from 40,000 to 110,000 barrels per year. They pumped their water from deep wells on their property and used the slogan "The Pure Water Does It". Straight Eight (named for its 8% Alcohol By Volume content) was their leading brand. Their Spearman Beer, Ale, and Draft Cone Top cans and their Viking Draft and Beer Flat Top Cans are some of the most desirable cans in the hobby.  During World War 2, the military

 bases in the area ensured more rapid growth and the brewery tripled their workforce to keep up with the demand for their products. National Competition began encroaching in their sales are in the late Forties. By 1955 the Hertzberg Brewing Foundation purchased the company.Hertzberg already owned Best Brewing (Chicago) where their Embassy Club label was a leading brand.  Embassy Club was also produced at Hertzberg's Metropolis Brewery (Trenton, NJ) and at their Century Brewery (Norfolk, VA) so it was natural for  them to bring the Embassy Club label to their Spearman Plant in Florida.  This made

perfect sense as another large military base knew their personnel were

already familiar with these labels. The Spearman Beer shown here has

only been pictured in the USBC2 book. I believe the Embassy Club,

also from this brewery, to be unique and is being shown here for the

first time. Odd that today contaminates from other nearby industries

have the government claiming the water at this site to be among the

poorest in the Nation! This plant was closed in 1965.

 

Tampa Brewing Company actually located in Ybor City held the title of being Florida's first brewery. The local Seminole Indian tribes believed the water had magical healing powers. The brewery closed in 1961 but the International Brewing Incorporated (IBI) with other small troubled breweries gained control of this facility until closing it in 1963. IBI made Silver Bar Beer and Ale in Flat Top cans and the Tropical Ale Zip Top can shown here which has not been in any of the books. An identical Tropical Ale Zip was also made in IBI's Covington, Kentucky plants along with both Silver Bar Flats.

 

       

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