Vintage Olympia Beer Can Era 1950's

 Brand: Olympia Beer

• Brewery: Olympia Brewing Company

• Location: Tumwater, Washington

• Slogan: "It's the Water"

Can Features (from the image):

• Style: "Pale Export Type" — likely a lighter lager-style beer.

• Capacity: 12 fluid ounces.

• Top: Steel flat-top with no pull tab (indicative of pre-pop-top cans, requiring a church key to open).

• Graphics:

  • Features the classic horseshoe with waterfall (a symbol of good luck and purity).

  • Emphasizes Tumwater’s artesian water, which was central to Olympia’s branding.

  • The phrase “It’s the Water” was a famous marketing hook referring to the pure artesian water used in brewing.

Likely Date Range:

This can likely dates to the 1950s–early 1960s, before pull tabs became widespread. The flat-top and lithographed steel construction are typical of that era. Olympia used this iconic label design for many years, so exact dating can be tricky without inspecting the seam, bottom, or any date codes.

 About Olympia Brewing Co.:

• Founded in 1896 by Leopold Schmidt.

• Gained popularity for using natural artesian water in their brewing.

• The company was eventually sold to larger brewing conglomerates (like Pabst) over the years.

• Brewing operations in Tumwater ceased in 2003.

Collectibility:

This can is collectible, especially in good condition (like yours seems to be). Value depends on rarity, condition (rust/dents/fading), and whether it's opened or sealed. This one is in mint condition.