Beer Can Museum Happenings

Button top cans

2011-08-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

The beer can museum has quite a few of these odd looking button top cans, many of which are from Canada. They didn't last too long in the marketplace, probably due to injured fingers getting stuck in holes that just weren't big enough. Ouch!

Hope your summer is treating you well! Cheers from the Beer Can Museum. Oh, and follow us now on Facebook. You might even like us!

Another Museumfest in the History Books

2011-07-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

Another year, another Museumfest! This year marked our 11th annual, and we gave five fantastic tours of the Beer Can Museum. The culinary delights are always highlights of the day, and I have to say, Guinness infused 'black & tan' brownies were especially welcome this year. Yum. Beer and brownies! A great combination.

Three Pipers Piping

2011-02-24T06:12:00.001-08:00

Love these bagpipers doing their thing in the Beer Can Museum! Hope you enjoy the image. If you can't get to Scotland then this might be the next best thing.

Spring is coming!

Duff Beer, Homer's Fave

2011-01-21T20:43:00.000-08:00

It may have never held actual beer, but this can is a pop culture classic. Duff beer is quaffed weekly on The Simpsons, so it's certainly a popular can in the beer can museum; even though this one came with playing cards and not actual suds. Enjoy!

Big Swell IPA in a swell can!

2011-01-03T05:50:00.000-08:00

I'm loving all these new cans coming out of the microbreweries around the U.S. right now. This tropical example from Maui was donated just a few days ago by a returning traveler - and we greatly appreciate it! I'd rather be in Maui right now than recovering from a New England blizzard but at least I can gaze upon this can and dream of hula dancing and swaying palm trees. We hope your new year is a happy one! Cheers from the Beer Can Museum!

The classic workshop beer can

2010-12-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

I always like to scrounge around yard sales in hope of finding a beer can or two. This is a classic example of a can converted into a useful workshop tool to hold paint brushes, screwdrivers, or other odds and ends. This Hamms can is in great shape, and makes a fine addition to the museum with or without its contents!

Jackpot!

2010-11-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

I love my old British beer cans from the 70's. Takes me back to my early collecting days when my parents would get home from a holiday in jolly old England. This particular can takes the cake - and hits the jackpot! Enjoy. And Happy Turkey Day to those of you that celebrate Thanksgiving.

Microbrews canning again

2010-06-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

Watermelon isn't a flavor usually associated with beer, but some crazy brewers out in California (21st Century Brewery) are now canning 'Come Hell or High Watermelon.' It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it's not too shabby - and a perfect brew for the lazy days of summer.

We at the Beer Can Museum hope your summer is a good one!

Happy 75th Birthday to the beer can

2010-01-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

On this, the (almost) 75 birthday of the beer can, I keep my post simple.

Looking forward to 75 more years of canned beers! (Why shouldn't I live to be 120?)

The Who featured on this Schlitz breweriana

2010-01-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

We have a longtime friend of the museum (Pete Loucks in Austin, Texas) to thank for this great piece of breweriana from the early 80's! Fans of 'The Who' and fans of 'Breweriana' should both appreciate this classic. Thanks for the donation, Pete! In the beer can museum's hallowed halls, it causes quite a big s-s-s-sensation! (get it?)

That must've been a great show!

Black Label Beer Banner ad

2010-01-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

This new piece of breweriana gracing the museum rafters gives new meaning to the term 'banner ad'! Many thanks to the curator's brother Scott for this fine Christmas gift that will be appreciated by fans of Black Label beer.

VIP tour plus a glimpse at our official sweatshirt

2009-12-28T08:19:00.001-08:00

Had the pleasure of giving a VIP tour to my brother, Chris, Saturday afternoon. You can see his smiling face in the picture above - and you can see a glimpse of my official curator's sweatshirt - thanks to my loving family for this great Christmas gift!

Season's Greetings from the Beer Can Museum!

2009-12-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the curator's son Andrew Logan for his help with the card (as is tradition!).
I hope your holiday season is filled with peace. Have a healthy and happy 2010.
Merry Christmas from the Beer Can Museum...

When in Utica, NY...

2009-12-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

Whenever we drive across New York on the thruway, we make it a point to stop for a break (read: brewery tour) at the West End/Matt's Brewery in Utica, New York. From Utica Club, to Matt's, to Saranac Black & Tan, they have always known how to brew good beer in Utica! Today I highlight just a few Utica Club cans from the museum shelves for your viewing pleasure. I really could've focused more when I snapped this picture!

Doll House Beer Cans

2009-12-06T06:09:00.000-08:00

I always get a kick out the fact that the manufacturers of 'dollhouse miniatures' remember to create tiny beer cans for use in doll houses. We have a nice little group of these cans in the Beer Can Museum, so today I share them with you all for your viewing pleasure. Note the brands; Colt 45, Schlitz, Heineken, etc. Intricate details include the stay on tabs.

Go New England Patriots !

2009-11-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving week means football for many of us here in the United States. For most of us in New England, football means New England Patriots' football. So, today I give a beer can shout out to my favorite NFL team, the Patriots, and we thanks the fine folks at Coors for honoring the team on a commemorative beer can. Happy Thanksgiving, all! Go, Pats!

We have many Boston team commemorative cans at the Beer Can Museum, from the Bruins to the Red Sox to the Celtics to the Pats. Enjoy!

Simba Lager from Africa

2009-11-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

As Turkey Day approaches, I can't help but think of carnivores. Picking at the turkey carcass after the family meal is a family tradition in many homes. Speaking of carnivores, here's a happy lion sunning himself on the side of a Simba Lager can, from Africa.

Hope you enjoy it! This king of the beasts happily resides at the Beer Can Museum.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Welded Seam Budweiser Can

2009-10-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since we've posted, so just for the heck of it...today we look at a welded beer can seam on a classic Budweiser can. Various types of seams can be found on older steel beer cans; soldered cans with notches, straight soldered seams with no notches, and soldered seams with 'crimps', like in today's example. This is probably one of the most recognizable beer cans on the planet!

Crushed in the suitcase

2009-09-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we receive donations at the Beer Can Museum that have been through the proverbial ringer (or is it wringer?); but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate them just the same! This can had a rough journey back to the U.S. from the Bahamas, but it still has a happy home on the shelves in our museum. Thanks go out to Nancy Silva from Plymouth, Ma. for this donation.

A beer ball? A globe? A beer sphere?

2009-09-12T10:23:00.003-07:00

Well, whatever you call this, it's an interesting addition to the Beer Can Museum.

Museumfest Image du jour

2009-07-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

Another museumfest is in the history books - a record turnout, sunny skies, good friends, lots of food, and some VIP museum tours made the day great. This year we headed out to the Barry Estate in Lakeville, Massachusetts to see the Hallamore Clydesdales. This guy seemed to need a root canal or two...

Additional pics will appear on the Beer Can Museum website soon!

Can Openers

2009-07-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Wandering through some antique shops in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts last week, I found a nice box full of old openers including some old church key models. In the beer can museum, it's always fun to place the appropriate branded opener next to an old flat top beer can that required said opener. Two of the openers shown here are domestic and one is from South America. Before pull tab cans showed up, a lot of effort went into opening our canned beers!

Happy Fourth of July from the Beer Can Museum of East Taunton

2009-07-04T04:37:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday America! Today we share two cans that depict the Declaration of Independence being either drafted or signed. Enjoy your cookouts, America, and appreciate all that we have in spiite of the hard times we're going through right now.

A tribute to Montauk through a beer can

2009-06-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

We gave a V.I.P. beer can museum tour last night to Ken Drucker, a Long Islander now living in Attleboro, Mass. We really had a great time, and as a tip of my hat to Ken and all those from Long Island, I present this great commemorative beer can with a depiction of Montauk Light. Ken also enjoyed seeing the piece of Yankee Stadium that resides in the beer can museum, but that's for another post!

Beer Can Hall of Fame Can - Stiegl from Austria

2009-06-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

The Beer Can Museum board of directors has chosen this gorgeous 'Stiegl' Austrian beer can as the Hall of Fame can for summer 2009. Congratulations to the Austrian brewers and designers behind this great can!

Princeton Budweiser Can

2009-06-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

This can lives in the 'Beer Can Zoo' in our museum. Always a fan favorite!

Novelty Schlitz can and end table display fun

2009-04-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

So, there's a couch in the museum, and next to the couch, a little end table. I set up a little exhibit on the table and I figured I'd share it with you all. Hope you enjoy it.

Postcards

2009-03-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

My Uncle Jimmy was kind enough to donate a couple of old beer related postcards last week. This Anheuser-Busch card, featuring the Clydesdales, makes a great addition to our collection. Jimmy has hundreds of old postcards, some with mica (pre 1907), and we had fun looking through them the other day. Hope you enjoy this one!

Beer Can Christmas Ornament

2008-12-20T17:45:00.001-08:00

Today's little gem came from the Green Mountain State of Vermont a couple of years ago. Thanks go out to Rux Martin for this great contribution, which is hanging on the museum Christmas tree as I type this. Beer cans can be used in so many creative ways!

I love a nice beer tray - I love two trays even more!

2008-12-10T18:20:00.000-08:00

We were given a great pair of trays the other day. The first one is from the Prohibition era here in the U.S., when the Reading Brewing Company was renamed "Health Beverage Company", sometime between 1920 and 1933. Thanks go out to Clay Harper, originally from Chicago, for this wonderful addition to the collection. The other tray is from the 70's, and is a reproduction of a very colorful Utica Club tray depicting the West End Brewery, a great place that I've toured multiple times. When in Utica, enjoy the tour and the hospitality room afterwards. Cheers.

Taunton, Massachusetts and the Liberty and Union Flag

2008-10-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

The Beer Can Museum is happily located in lovely Taunton, Massachusetts (well, East Taunton, technically) and one thing that this historic city is known for is the 'Liberty and Union' flag that we flew during the Revolutionary War. The flag still flies in quite a few places around town, and it also flies on the side of a commemorative beer can from Iron City. I have an extra can that I plan to send to our Mayor, Charlie Crowley (big Taunton history buff) one of these days, but for now, blog fans everywhere can see the flag right here in cyberspace!

Fox Deluxe

2008-10-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

This Fox Deluxe can from the Beer Can Museum is an example of a cone top beer can. Cone tops were not the first beer cans, but they arrived in the marketplace shortly after the first flat top cans were produced in 1935. Brewers that already had bottling equipment were able to modify the machinery slightly in order to put 'crowns' or bottle caps right on the cone topped cans. They are always favorites among collectors, and museum visitors always comment on how they look like brake fluid cans. Cone tops never really caught on with consumers (although they were around for several years) who found them a bit....awkward, especially when attempting to stack them in a fridge or cooler. This particular can, which we found on E-Bay, either faded to an olive drab green color over time, or was possibly provided to troops during the Second World War. If you know more about this can please let me know!

Beer Can Folk Art

2008-10-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

This classic piece of folk art came from an E-Bay seller in Georgia. I couldn't resist, for obvious reasons. If you're ever visiting the beer can museum, be sure to ask for a private viewing. You see, this sculpture has a bizarre secret. That's all I'm going to say about it.
Enjoy your long Columbus Day weekend!

Alumabottles

2008-10-06T19:38:00.001-07:00

The alumabottle is an odd sort of container. Is it a bottle or is it a can? Well, it's made of aluminum and that's good enough for me, so we have a nice selection of them in the Beer Can Museum. We sent this picture to the Polish TV station TVN's program "Dzien Dobry TVN" ("Good Morning TVN"), for a piece they are doing on the history of the beverage can. We also sent along a selection of images of cone top cans which they plan to show during the segment. We're always happy to help out our friends around the globe when it comes to education the planet about the wonders of the beer can!

Desserts on Amtrak

2008-08-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

Adjusting to life after vacation is hard, especially when the company you work for is going through a complicated merger. Work has been tough, but I wanted to take time to think back on a certain piece of cake that made my day on our trip back from Kissimmee on the Silver Meteor. Yum. The cheesecake wasn't bad, either!

Steak on a Train

2008-07-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Before we left on our trip, I had done quite a bit of research on Amtrak overnight train travel. One thing that became a recurring theme was that the folks at Amtrak knew how to make a delicious steak. On the Silver Star heading south, steak didn't appear on the dinner menu, although the pork loin was quite yummy. Heading north on the Silver Meteor, steak suddenly appeared on the dinner menu (!) and three out of four of us ordered it. We were not disappointed. Mine was prepared medium, and went well with a nice glass of shiraz.

Orlando

2008-07-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

Rail service from NYC to Florida has been around for many years. A Google search will bring up some cool old pics of the Silver Meteor chugging through the Sunshine State in the 1950's. Obviously, many of the passengers on our train were heading to see that much-loved mouse in Orlando. While we were heading to Kissimmee, and avoiding the Disney theme parks, I was interested to watch the mass exodus at the Orlando station as eager vacationers streamed out of the train with visions of Cinderella's castle and character breakfasts dancing in their sleep deprived heads. As you can see, our destination station in Kissimmee was a little more quaint.

Silver Meteor from Kissimmee to NYC

2008-07-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back home in New England after the vacation of a lifetime! The Silver Meteor brought us back to New York City with only 15 minutes worth of delays - not bad for a 22 hour trip! I'll post pictures and details soon but since I'm back at work I'll just leave a couple of Sanibel memory shots for today. The lighthouse was gorgeous and the alligator warnings on the island were real. We didn't see a gator on the resort property but those signs had us wondering!

Sea World, Orlando

2008-07-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a seven mile canoe trip up the Weeki Wachee river and saw some unspoiled Florida wilderness. Manatees, including a mother and calf, cruised under us at times, giant spiders were spinning webs between palm trees, turtles sunned themselves on logs, and it was nice to see a part of Florida that wasn't overrun with tourists wanting a stuffed Mickey or a giant oversized pair of tighty whiteys that says "A Fart a day keeps the Wife away, Florida" - yes, we actually saw this today at a frightening flea market here in Orlando. Due to the very wet nature of yesterday's trip, we left the digital camera in the car and brought a disposable in a Ziploc baggie; so those pictures won't be ready for a few days. So, today I'm posting a few shots taken at Sea World last week. I really try to take time to savor the different flora and fauna of Florida; stuff we just don't see back in Boston. Some of these pictures are from exhibits at Sea World but some are just gorgeous wildlife and flowers we saw in the area. I hope you enjoy them.

No longer an American company

2008-07-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm exhausted after canoing the Weeki Waachi river today and seeing manatees in the wild - very cool! Just a quick post to say that they need to change the sign at the Hospitality Suite at Busch Gardens in Tampa....I'm afraid it doesn't apply any more :-(
My brother-in-law and I still enjoyed the 2 free beers they gave us!
The bird gardens were spectacular, and I could've watched the flamingos all day. I also made a new primate friend, while my nephew made a new feathered friend!

Birds of Sanibel

2008-07-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Sanibel Island really is a little slice of paradise, and if you're a birder (or bird watcher) it's even more so. We took the auto road through the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge and saw some great birds. The highlight for me, personally, was seeing 27 roseate spoonbills up the trees looking at us across the water. It was like something from a dream. Here are a few shots of birds that we saw on the island. The red shouldered hawk came swooping down right next to our car to grab a tasty crab for lunch! We appreciated the view.

More glimpses....

2008-07-16T19:50:00.001-07:00

I'm hoping these pics give you a sense of just how close you pass to some interesting sights while riding the rails. The fishermen seemed to be looking right at me (the windows are actually tinted so I could've mooned them and they never would've known - supposedly).

Glimpses (Continued)

2008-07-16T19:48:00.001-07:00

Glimpses from a train

2008-07-16T19:37:00.001-07:00

I wondered before our trip how much of the country we'd actually see from a moving train. We could actually see more than I expected! Rolling through NYC, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Richmond, Winter Park, and Orlando, we were able to see some great sights from our roomettes. We obviously saw a variety of trains passing by on the CSX owned tracks, but we saw some beloved American landmarks as well. Here is a sampling of some our glimpses from the train.

The space between....

2008-07-15T06:30:00.001-07:00

The space between cabins (or 'roomettes') in the sleeper cars was a bit tight! Luckily, we knew what to expect heading into our rail adventure, thanks to our great friend Jim (also known as Ted Cox 4 President in the SoSH world).

THANKS AGAIN, JIM!

A nice touch in the dining car

2008-07-15T06:27:00.001-07:00

Even though we didn't have an official dining car (we had 'diner light', whatever that means), the flowers at the tables were a nice touch!

Additional Silver Star Pics

2008-07-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

Just a few more Silver Star pics before I sleep and dream of tiny tree frogs (they're everywhere) and brown pelicans (also everywhere along Sanibel beach). Regarding the chess game...Andrew won handily, as he usually does.
And the white ibises are everywhere around here and pretty used to humans being nearby. Makes for great photo ops!

More on the Silver Star - NYC to Kissimmee, Fla.

2008-07-14T19:40:00.001-07:00

Greetings from lovely Sanibel Island, Florida, where the exotic birds are plentiful and there's a sign outside our room warning us NOT to feed the alligators! I love this place. But let's flash back a few days to the Silver Star. Our sleeper cars were very comfortable in spite of the tight quarters. We were allowed to bring on one carry-on bag plus a laptop (my son and I each had ours), and we added an additional DVD player and nobody seemed to mind. During the day we had two recliner seats that faced one another, a fold out table which doubled as a chess or checkerboard, a fold down sink with 'potable water', and a toilet. Curtains with velcro strips gave us added privacy after we shut the cabin door and locked it at night. Antoinette helped Maryellen and Laura set up their bunks after dinner service, while Andrew and I handled our own an hour later. Sitting in the cabin can get a bit monotonous, so we tended to go for walks up to to see the baggage car, and then back to the rear of the train where many of the coach class passengers were sprawled out sleeping, tending to their kids, or playing cards. One guy had a full bottle of gin on his tray table and was clearly livening up that particular car. Yikes.

Our train was missing the regular dining car so we had a limited menu for our meals. Normally, we wouldn't have minded, but they handed us menus that tempted us with things like quesadilla appetizers and chocolatey desserts, only to tell us that only a couple of things were actually available. For lunch it was 'cheeseburger' or 'chicken sandwich', with something that was called a 'key lime tort' one minute, and then a 'lemon tort' the next. No chocolate cake. We saw lots of unhappy passengers complaining, but we were just thrilled to be eating on a train! The food was actually quite yummy. Dinner options were more varied. I enjoyed a nice merlot with my dinner (bbq pork rib) and my kids each ordered salmon which they gave a thumbs up, and Maryellen enjoyed a nice ravioli. Haagen Dasz ice cream made for a nice dessert. The next morning, the kids were just waking up when we realized it was 'last call' for breakfast. First class passengers are supposed to get all meals included, but when we arrived in the dining car to order up some eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and croissants, we were told that the car was 'all full.' They had stopped serving the first class passengers and opened up the dining car to coach class and an unruly mob of sleep deprived passengers had filled the tables. Luckily, Antoinette came to our rescue, placing our orders and delivering them to our cabins. She even spread out white tablecloths in each of our cabins, handed us silverware, and made what could have been a frustrating situation into an Amtrak moment! Nicely done, Antoinette; and the food was delicious! Now I must sleep...I'm going shell hunting on the beach in morning before heading to the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge for a bird-filled (I hope) tram tour!

Penn Station NYC

2008-07-13T18:50:00.002-07:00

After taking an Amtrak regional train from Bridgeport, Ct. to Penn Station in New York City, we had an hour and a half to kill before the Silver Star left for Miami. Because we held first class (sleeper cabin - or roomette) tickets, we were told we could wait in the Acela Lounge, where we'd have complimentary coffee, juice, and pastries at our disposal, as well as newspapers, magazines, and comfy furniture. I was able to check e-mail, scan the latest headlines on Boston.Com, and upload pictures, all while sipping my free java and wolfing down a yummy and especially fattening cinnamon bun. Hey, it's vacation, I'll work it off when I get home, right? We settled in and thoroughly enjoyed the lounge. In the pictures you can see Andrew and Laura learning about the Penn Station of yesteryear in a vintage black & white photo...right before we headed into the lounge. And the Silver Star is listed on the big board as being on time. The receptionist in the lounge told us she would make an announcement when it was time to board - and she kept her word. The train would ultimately leave a half an hour late due to the train being on a track without a freight elevator and unfortunate Amtrak employees having to make extra long trips lugging luggage to the baggage car. But at 10:55 we were on board and settling into our cabins (rooms 5 and 6, directly across from each other) in car 9111, the first car behind the baggage car, which was directly behind the two engines.

Silver Star - Penn Station NYC - Kissimmee, FL Pt 1

2008-07-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well, there's much to tell and I will tell it soon...but right now I'm ready to drop into bed after carousing at Downtown Disney and the saucily named 'Pleasure Island' here in lovely Lake Buena Vista, Florida see pic which I just snapped minutes ago!). Suffice to say the train trip was fantastic and we actually arrived on time at our destination. Not too shabby, Amtrak! And many thanks to Antoinette, our wonderful attendant, who took very good care of us from NYC all the way to Florida. When does this poor woman sleep?

To the Sunshine State...by overnight train!

2008-07-10T14:00:00.001-07:00

Greetings from the lovely Holiday Inn in Bridgeport, CT (home of the Bridgeport Bluefish) where it's a balmy 85 degrees and the herring gulls are soaring (over the hotel dumpster!). Our train adventure begins in the morning, but I wanted to check in and say that the first leg of our trip was a success: only one canoe in the middle of I-95 (dropped from a vehicle with an Alaskan license plate), a dozen turkey vultures - six of which were roosting on a high tension wire tower along the Connecticut River near Mystic, the famous blue bug in Providence, and my mother-in-law (we stopped to bid her adieu at Del's hair salon in Taunton - and she gave us money (!). This Bridgeport hotel brings back memories of my first job - at Harper's Furs in Bridgeport- back in the late 70's/early 80's - and all of the references to P.T. Barnum (including the PT Pub in the lobby, complete with carousel horses on either end of the bar) remind me of going to the Barnum Festival Air Show back in 1976, and the Barnum museum when visitors were in town. Onward to Penn Station in the morning...
Phineas T. says hello!

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

Just a quick hello and Happy New Year to all museum fans around the globe. And thanks to my son, Andrew, for another great holiday card design! Hope your 2008 is happy and healthy!

Museumfest

2007-08-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

Another summer, another Museumfest! We welcomed 30 guests this year and everyone seemed to have a blast. We gave three VIP museum tours, played some competitive bolo golf (a/k/a Polish Horseshoes, as politically incorrect as that may be), and paddled Lake Rico once again. Thanks to everyone who attended - the food, friendship, and fun was appreciated by all!

Hope you're enjoying summer wherever you are, and if you find any mysterious beer cans, drop me a line!

The power of Wiki!

2007-04-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

I've been receiving lots of e-mails lately from folks wondering how much this beer or that beer can is worth. I love researching this stuff; sometimes a can is worth fifty cents, sometimes over a thousand dollars, and those thousand dollar e-mails are fun to write! I suspect that the Wikipedia entry for the beer can museum is bringing me lots of traffic. The power of the giant human encyclopedia, eh?!

Merry Christmas from the ETBCM

2006-12-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

The Beer Can Museum wishes you and yours a very happy holiday and a healthy 2007!

Beer Can Biplane

2006-11-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

The Beer Can Museum welcomes the Beer Can Biplane to our rafters!

Aloha! Surf's up!

2006-09-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

While the emphasis at the Beer Can Museum is obviously on cans, we do get our share of bottles included in our plentiful donations. Not that there's anything wrong with that! We pride ourselves on displaying not only beer cans, but some great beer bottles (with some AMAZINGLY COLORFUL and fascinating labels) as well. This week we received a box with a bottle of Waimea Bay Pale Ale from Kauai's Waimea Brewing Company. While my friend Dr. Geoffrey Weinstein had to dump the contents of the bottle at the airport security checkpoint, we still love the label itself. Surf's up...Now if I can only get my lovely wife to fly to Kauai with me to sample the beer for myself.

Weird 'Beer' Cans

2006-07-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

There's something weird about a 'beer' that you're supposed to drink 'like Champagne', especially when it comes in a can. Thanks to Cincinnati's own Don Griffiths, we now have both of the cans you see above in the Beer Can Museum! Thanks for the donation, Don!

Next New Year's Eve, why not celebrate with a nice cold can of Champale?

Tunisian Beer Anyone?

2006-06-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is a grand and glorious day for our Beer Can Museum blog, breweriana fans! For today, I share with you a fine photo (Thank you Joel Veak of Joel Veak Photography!) of our first and only Tunisian beer can.

In other news, Fox25 News in Boston contacted us about visiting the museum yesterday. I had to tell them "no, some other time" since, first off, I had to work, and secondly, I tend to like lower key publicity, like the Cambodia Daily.

I'm sure you all understand. The last thing I need is a busload full of nutjobs pulling up to the house.

Hope you're enjoying Spring wherever you are!

Signed,
K.Lo, The Beer Can Museum curator

The Guinness Wing Grows

2006-03-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference in your day. My wife and I stop at Muckey's Liquor Store to turn in some cans and bottles at the redemption center and suddenly I'm at a Guinness Beer Tasting! The woman running the event was given a beer can museum business card and I was given a great little Guinness bottle/can opener for my keyring. I like the little things!

American Can Company

2006-02-06T07:02:00.000-08:00

Some of the first beer cans which came off the Krueger assembly line back in the 30's were produced by the American Can Company. Recently, I met with Mike Pankratz in the hills outside of Worcester, Mass., and he shared stories about his grandfather and step-father, both of whom worked for American Can in Milwaukee back in the day. Mike gave the museum a generous donation of test cans and other oddities that the company produced throught the years. Needless to say, the 300 plus cans that Mike gave us have made the Beer Can Museum a better place! Thanks for the donation, Mike - you are now have lifetime free access to the East Taunton Beer Can Museum! Spring is coming, as is the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of our blog. Control your excitement, please...

Merry Christmas to Beer Can Museum fans everywhere

2005-12-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

Will the dam hold?

2005-10-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

Geez, Taunton has never had so much attention. You may've heard that one of our dams here in town is 'deteriorating' and could give way at any time. Schools are closed and we're on full alert here at the beer can museum. Luckily, cans float, so other than making sure the museum's library books are placed on high shelves, we're good to go. Plus, we're a good 7 or 8 miles from the evacuation zone so we're not too concerned. But here's hoping the dam holds and that everyone in town stays dry!

Speaking of the Beer Can Museum library...here is the book I use the most when responding to e-mails over the museum website's 'ask the curator' link. Great resource for collectors with values and fantastic images of many flat top and cone top beer cans. Good stuff!

Now that's a chicken dinner!

2005-07-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a family style chicken dinner and there's no better place to enjoy one than in Michigan's 'Little Bavaria.' Frankenmuth, Michigan is known for its German architecture, The Bavarian Inn (and Zehnders across the street), Bronner's Christmas store, quaint gift and sausage shops, and the sounds of accordians and horsedrawn carriage rides. But those that know beer are well aware that Frankenmuth has a rich brewing history as well. I was lucky enough to be in Frankenmuth this past weekend and stopped in at the Frankenmuth Brewery. After striking up a conversation with the valet parking dude, I learned that his grandfather was the original owner of the brewery way back when! A tornado demolished the original brewery in 1996, but they managed to rebuild. Frankenmuth Brewery now operates as a restaurant/brewpub on the Cass River. Some of the original brew kettles sit outside the current modern facility; one is acting as a canopy over a bar, another is on cinderblocks. If you're ever on I-75 near north of Detroit and south of Flint, be sure to stop in and check it out. They also offer brewery tours fairly regularly but, alas, I had to be moving on.

Ed McMahon says...

2005-07-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

I love the old beer advertisements. Especially those that feature cans that are displayed in the Beer Can Museum!

We're still cleaning up after museumfest '05 - not much to report! Still haven't repaired that shattered horseshoe! I did receive a new bottle from Denmark. Have a HUMLE, made with THY water.

Ya gotta love that hops art on the label!

Hope you're enjoying the summer so far.

Cheers from the curator.

Now that's a cake!

2005-06-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

This cake made an appearance (brief, since it was devoured by hungry Museumfest attendees!) at the museum bash this past weekend. It's the first time I've even been placed on top of a 3-Dimensional cake...and I have to say....it's quite an honor! Thanks go out to Bob Lemieux from Acushnet, Mass. for this great contribution to the 5th annual ETBCM festival! Hope you're staying cool during these humid summer days.

Cheers from the curator

In the Cambodia (?) News...

2005-06-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

The beer can museum opens up many interesting worlds to me, and for that I'm thankful. Sure, I enjoy the collectible cans themselves, but it's the connections that I make with other collectors, friends, reporters, brewery employees, and others around the globe that really make this endeavor worthwhile. Our humble little museum made an appearance on the front page of Monday's "Cambodia Daily" newspaper. After being interviewed by one of their reporters I was curious to learn more about both the publication and the country of Cambodia. Needless to say, there's lots to learn. I can tell you that the government has tried to shut down 'The Cambodia Daily' in the past, simply for being honest in reports concerning government activities. I guess that happens in most countries, but in Cambodia it seems especially admirable to publish a 'free press' in what's been known through the years for the horrors of the Pol Pot era and the brutality of the Khmer Rouge. The circulation of the Cambodia Daily is only 3,000, because many of the people can't afford the 35 cents (1200 riel) for the paper, but it's supposedly required reading for visiting dignitaries and those working in the government.

Anyway, if you have an extra copy (Monday, June 13th edition) send it along! And if you have any Cambodian beer cans (Angkor anyone?) send those, too!

Museum Security

2005-06-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

It can be tough being a museum curator. After all, with 2,000 beer cans in the basement, including some of the coveted 'Billy' cans (worth a whopping fifty cents each!) , M*A*S*H cans (also worth around 50 cents!) and more, it's important to keep the valuables hidden away in safe place. Get it? A 'safe' place? I'm cracking myself up here. Hopefully you'll never crack the combination to our museum's safe. If you do, you could walk away with a book of matches, some extra museum business cards, and even a dried up old Bic pen!

Hey, we made the Boston Phoenix!

2005-05-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it was an exciting week for all of us at The Beer Can Museum! The Boston Phoenix ran an excellent story on the illustrious brewing history of Boston (nice work, Mike!) and they were kind enough to include some nice words about our collection of breweriana. They even included the curator's ugly mug in one of the pics (aaaaaaaah!) and used cool terms like "arrayed in kaleidescopic precision" and "a wonder to behold." Check it out online for some interesting stories about beer in Boston (and, of course, the Beer Can Museum)!

Springtime and the fishing is good!

2005-05-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Well, in spite of the weatherman's gloom and doom prediction for the weekend, it was actually dry and pleasant! At long last, I dragged the fishing poles and tackle box out of the shed and headed out to the lake. For those of you that spend hours and hours on the Beer Can Museum website (way too many to name here!) you know that I like to post fishing pictures whenever possible. I also have many fishing related beer cans on the museum shelves. Yesterday, for the first time since my Lake Huron fishing days back in the late 70's, I reeled in a fat yellow perch. I released it, but memories of the perch fish fries of my youth have convinced me that any more perch that find their way onto my fishhooks will become that evening's dinner.

If you find your way to the museum some day, remind me to show you my beer can fishing lure!

Springtime means fresh air

2005-05-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well, May has finally arrived, and with it comes the fresh air (and hopefully fresh breath) of spring. I'll let the image below speak for itself. Keeping my kids from sampling these twenty year old breath mints has been a challenge over time - but so far they remain in pristine condition in the 'Chicago breweriana' wing of the Beer Can Museum. With any luck at all, my cats are busy tearing the package to shreds as I type this.

Cheers from the curator.

Ubiquitous Bud

2005-04-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

We added a nice new tin sign to the museum yesterday. After touring the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Merrimack, N.H. on Monday, we picked up this great piece of breweriana in the gift shop... it now hangs in the museum for visitor enjoyment.

We thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of the A-B folks and sampled their new Irish stout. It's no Guinness - but it wasn't horrible! The wife and kids loved the Clydesdales, I loved the beer (and the horses, too!) and everyone had fun! Thanks to the Vincents of Amherst, NH for a great gift of a Schell's Beer six-pack, still intact from 1978! We also appreciate the tape of the F.X. Matt brewery commercials featuring Schultz & Dooley - a great addition to our video collection!

Cheers.

Baseball/Beer

2005-04-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reading an article in the new BCCA magazine (Beer Cans and Brewery Collectibles, April/May issue) about 'Beer and Baseball.' For some reason baseball is on my mind today. Now why is baseball dominating my thoughts this morning....? Hmm. Let me think about this for a while...

Congrats again to the Boston Red Sox, World Champions! Even my bus driver, a Brooklyn born Yankee fan, said "GO RED SOX" this morning. "Today is their day." Indeed it is!

Blue aparagus?

2005-04-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

At last...daffodils, crocus, and more, blooming behind the Beer Can Museum!
So, I was out in the back yard yesterday with my ten year old daughter. She looked at the purple hyacinths that are getting ready to go Kabloom and she asked me "Daddy, are those asparagus?"

That's all I've got today! Purple asparagus would be pretty cool.

Lifetime Museum Member's Showcase Part 1!

2005-03-25T05:15:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to acknowlege one of the museum contributors who, through the years, has gone above and beyond in his efforts to improve The Beer Can Museum. You might recognize him from the museum website's main page, where he can be seen receiving his framed certificate from the curator at a VIP ceremony a couple of years ago. Staff Sgt. Clint Scott is also seen in the picture above (he's second from the left) during his participation last week in The Bataan Memorial Death March , a 26.2-mile desert march through the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The event honors the heroic service members who defended the Phillipines in WWII. I researched the Battaan Death marches while looking into the history of my father-in-law's ship, the U.S.S. Braine, which was hit by two kamikazes (he survived, half the crew did not) in the Pacific, and I was horrified at the stories shared by those who were there. Anyway, Clint began contributing to the museum long before I had ever met him (thanks to sister Laura Scott who told him about the ETBCM!) and while serving in the U.S. Army around the globe he always found time to seek out interesting cans for our shelves! Thanks for all you've done for our country and, of course, for the museum, Clint!

Oh, and Happy Easter from all of us at the Beer Can Museum!

St. Patty's Day in the Beer Can Museum

2005-03-17T06:35:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's St. Patty's Day, and that means green beer all around at the Beer Can Museum Bar. It may be just a little food coloring in a bottle of Bud, but you get the idea. The can of the month for March is a FULL can of 'Green Beer' which I've had in the museum for several years. The problem, of course, is that I really have no idea whether the beer inside is really green or not. I'm guessing after all these years it's a scary color now - but back in the seventies I'm sure the beer was emerald green, like my ancestor's homeland. (Ok, so I'm only about a quarter Irish but with a name like Logan most folks think I'm 100%.)

Enjoy your green beer today. I will be in Worcester, Mass. tonight cheering on my MSU Spartans as they practice for their big game against Old Dominion tomorrow night! How appropriate that I'll be yelling "Go Green", the Spartans battle cry.

Celeb Stalking 101(or, Kevin Bacon visits the blog)

2005-03-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

When I'm not out searching for new beer cans I can sometimes be found pretending I'm on the staff at the National Enquirer. My friends & co-workers give me grief for my celeb stalking tendencies when the rich & famous are in Boston - and I deserve the grief, believe me. From the Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts (I met him when he was stepping off of a swan boat and I had him sign an autograph for my drummer brother) to Sly Stallone (he's really short) to the guy below, who actually gave me smile when he was in town for the DNC last year, I've seen quite a few glitterati. Is that a word? Glitterati. If it is real it's kind of annoying. Anyway, the joy of having a blog is that I can post my picture of Kevin Bacon just for the heck of it. (That's his wife, the blonde, pretending she doesn't see me.) It never graced the pages of Entertainment Weekly or People but it now graces my silly blog!

You just never know...

2005-03-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

You never know where interesting breweriana will turn up. The key is to never pass up an opportunity to check out little, out-of-the-way antique shops when you're on the road. We were on a family vacation a couple years ago, heading to Pennsylvania's Knoebel's Grove Amusement Park, when we decided to pay a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's 'Fallingwater' in Mill Run. While passing a small but promising looking antique shop along the way, I gave my wife the 'can we please stop?' look. Being the wonderful wife that she is, she obliged, and I ran in while the kids played Electronic Yahtzee and 'Invisible Ink' games in the back seat.

My wonderful find is below! It sits with two other beer can lighters (Blatz & Coors) in the West Wing of the Museum!

photo by museum photographer Jim Cannizzaro

Unique brewery collectibles...

2005-03-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today...I know you're all disappointed. All 7 or 8 of you! Today I received a very tiny package from the Netherlands. Sometimes the best new museum acquisitions come in tiny packages. I had no clue what this treat was - so that made it even more fun to open. My journalist pal over there is famous for sending the bizarre/unique stuff, and, as a museum curator , I appreciate his generosity in this area! Today's treat was a Brass Dart from Bavaria Brewers! Since we already have a dartboard in the museum, this will be a welcome addition to the collection! It is often the strange breweriana that fascinates visitors the most during museum tours and I'm sure this Brass Dart is no exception!

Perhaps some day I'll find one of these in the mailbox....

My first beer...

2005-03-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

It's summertime, 1978, and I've flown out to Port Austin, Michigan (it's in the thumb) to spend some quality time with my Michigan relatives at 'the cottage.' There are perch to be caught (Lake Huron was loaded with yellow perch back then), s'mores to be eaten by the campfire, Putt-Putt golf to be played, and, thanks to my Uncle Chuck, an 8 oz. can of Pabst Blue Ribbon with my name on it to be imbibed. "Sure, go ahead, and keep the can for your new hobby" he'd said to me. Heck, I was almost 14, why not? I'm not sure how much I enjoyed the taste, but I happily bottom-opened the can and tucked the collectible into my suitcase a few days later for the return flight to Connecticut. That can sits in the museum to this day and I proudly point it out when giving tours.

In honor of the curator's first beer, which was appropriately enjoyed from a small can on the shores of Lake Huron, here's a small piece of breweriana from the museum bar. This PBR glass was a gift from my lovely wife Maryellen a few years ago. Some guys get ties, shirts, and new boxer briefs for Christmas. I get breweriana and I couldn't be happier.

Photo by museum photographer Jim Cannizzaro

Endless Winter

2005-03-02T06:47:00.000-08:00

Another day, another foot of snow. Seriously. Another FOOT of snow. It was a good day to stay home and rest my back after shovelling out after the storm. I felt pretty macho after clearing ten feet of my driveway, but then I looked over and saw Ralph, my 84 year old neighbor, after he cleared about thirty feet of his driveway. He had it cleared down to the black pavement, while I still had an icy, uneven inch of snow covering mine. I need a break so I head across the slush street to chat with him. "I've been shovelling since I was five," Ralph tells me proudly. "My parents used to have to hide the shovel on me!" That's great Ralph. You octogenarian freak. Visions of white sandy beaches, hot summer days, and cold cans of beer fill my head as Ralph continues to brag about his shovelling prowess while a snow plow roars by us and sends a shower of muck our way. The joys of winter in New England.

Spring is coming. Oh, yes it is. And soon.

Monday in Blogland

2005-02-28T06:29:00.000-08:00

It's hard to think about beer related things on a Monday morning. I tend to think about coffee related things on Mondays. Heavily caffeinated coffee things. Especially with a snowstorm heading in later today. I can't take much more. When will it ever end? If I ever meet Punxatawney Phil I might have to smack him upside the head. Great - now I'll have PETA protesters e-mailing me. Anyway, enjoy your week! I hope you like the blast from the billboard past above - Schlitz cans could usually be found in our fridge growing up. My oldest brother, Scott, helped me to acquire the classic steel 24 oz. "Tall Boy" that stands proudly in the museum to this day. We also have a Schlitz conetop in the cone wing. Cone tops are coveted by most can collectors. There's just something about them....

Cheers from the curator!

Breweriana in film! Happy Oscar Weekend.

2005-02-25T07:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I know that one blog reader is particularly excited about this Sunday's Academy Awards. I guess if I include myself I know TWO readers who are excited, since I joined the office Oscar pool. The official museum photographer, Jim Cannizzaro, can tell you every Oscar winner in every category since time began. It's kind of scary, really. Think Dustin Hoffman in 'Rainman.' "Yeah, Best Actor, 1934, definitely Clark Gable for 'It Happened One Night.' DEFINITELY." OK, he's not that bad but his mind has a special place in it reserved for movie facts and figures from throughout history. He should be in pictures. Until he finds himself on the red carpet chatting with Joan Rivers, you can admire some of his photography on the museum website!

In honor of our friend Oscar, I present to you a bit of breweriana from the museum's media library. I actually have this album in the museum due to the appearance of a Lone Star longneck bottle on the jacket. Back in 1978 the Lone Star longneck was a centerpiece in my small but growing collection of beer stuff! Enjoy.

Day 2 in Blogland!

2005-02-24T05:55:00.000-08:00

So, I was reading Carl Hiaasen's 'Skinny Dip' this morning and thought I'd found a new 'Beer Cans in Literature' entry! I was getting pretty fired up about it until the character 'twisted off the top' of his Budweiser. That's right, it turned out to be a bottle and not a can. But life goes on. Then I began to imagine what it would be like to have a DVD of my life up until now. How cool would that be? OK, maybe not for some folks, but I'd get a kick out of it. I'd pop in 'A Curator's Life' and click on 'Main Menu'. Then I could choose a year, even a month or a day, and laugh and laugh at the awkward moments of my life. The first thing I'd watch would be a family vacation we took to Miami back in 1979. I remember we were all excited to see the Everglades. We stepped out of our sky-blue rental car and headed into a swampy nature trail. My father was wearing a white golf shirt, and, within seconds, it had turned black. It was COATED with bloodthirsty mosquitoes. I'd watch that scene a couple of times.

Hey, more snow headed our way! Should give me a chance to dust the cans this weekend after I shovel out yet again.

Cheers from the curator!

Beer Can Museum Blog is Here!

2005-02-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know you're all overjoyed. You've waited days (minutes?) for this moment. The ETBCM blog is up and running! So much magic, so much joy, so much....breweriana to discuss! The new old coasters from the 50's, the Fred Pope jumbo Japanese donation, the freshly vacuumed carpet in our hallowed halls! Yes museum fans, so much to talk about.

Welcome to the ETBCM blog. To visit the actual museum site just visit http://kevslog.tripod.com/beercanmuseum/ but for up to date news on acquisitions and museum curator's musings just stop by the blog. You will get some of the nitty gritty here...which cans were just dipped in oxalic acid (!), who toured the museum during the past week (Mike and Betty), how much can you possibly say about a beer can museum? Well, lots actually.

More to come!

The curator