Oertel Brewing Company   Louisville  Kentucky 

Oertel's 92 Lager, Oertel's 92 Beer, Oertel's Real Draft, Oertel's 92 Cream Lager, Oertel's 92 Bock, Thorobred Malt Liquor, Kentucky Malt Liquor. 

The Oertel Brewing Company was formed by JF Oertel in 1906 when he built a new modern brewery and incorporated as the Oertel Brewing Company. JF Oertel had been in the beer business with partners and in 1892 he purchased the Butchertown Brewery. It is this date that the flagship brand 92' refers. The Oertel Brewing Company lost its indepedence in July of 1964 when the Brown-Forman Distillers bought the company. This union only lasted 3 years and  came to an end when Brown-Forman closed the brewery in December of 1967.

The single cone top label.

The Oertels Brewery only used the cone top once with one brand and with only one label. The Oertels Brewery used both the Continental and the Crown Cork and Seal cone top can. There are color variations of the orange color and of course the can company logos. There is also a lettering size variation. 

         Crown (yellow)                 Continental (orange)

Oertels favored the crowntainer

   bock     enamel victory metalic victory  starburst   white enamel    IRTP       non-IRTP

This is the entire line-up of crowntainers released by the Oertels Brewing Company. 

The Bock Can

The Oertels Old Style Bock crowntainer is a classic in the beer can collecting hobby. The can fits into many types of collections. Bock cans, cans with animals, crowntainers or cans with numbers on them. The can is highly sought after by all collectors. The problem is there is believed to be less than a handful (20 or less) of quality examples to go around. Please email if you believe the number to be higher or lower.

The Victory can metalic

A very difficult can to find in any condition.

The victory can dull grey

There is only one can known to exist with this label. The can was reported to have been found in the brewery safe. This can would have been used as a replacement for the metalic version. Because of the war aluminum prices had skyrocketed. The metalic paint that crowntainers used was made with aluminum paint. To save money many breweries switched to enamel paint. I believe this can may have been released in very small numbers right before the goverment canning ban during WWII.

The sunburst can.

The white enamal can

The last crowntainers released - IRTP and non IRTP

                 IRTP                                                non IRTP

The Flat Top cans   below are all the labels released in the flat top 92 cans.

There are same label cans that are from different can companies .

     American Can Co (Keglined)                                 Continental Can

           no can label                            American Can Co (Keglined)

Kentucky Malt Liquor Flat top can and pull tab are exactly the same

The last line on the can says brewed to the exclusive formula owned by T.E. Mercer Co.!  Can anyone tell me who this company was and why it is on the can?

The Oertel's Real Draft Cans

      metalic                        metalic                         enamel                    enamel

The Oertel's 92 Cream Lager cans

          Newport Kentucky                                      Louisville Kentucky

I can not find any information on how the Oertel's 92 label came to be produced in Newport Ky. The can also say by the Oertel Brewing Co. instead of one of the traditional Newport brewers. I am guessing that when the Brown-Forman Company closed the Oertels Brewery, the G Heileman Brewery bought the brand names from Oertels and transfered the brewing of those brands to G Heileman's Newport, KY  Brewery (the old Wiedemann Brewery). I beIieve this to be correct because I have a Oertel's 92 can that say brewed by the Oertels Brewing Co, Newport KY a Division of G. Heilman Brewing Co.  If you know the answer please email the reason. When and how did Oertels come about brewing beer in Newport? Please email answer.

The Brown-Forman years : July 1964  to December 1967

Thorobred Malt Liquor

This label was released after the Brown-Forman Distillers bought Oertels in 1964. That same year, 1964, the Thorobred Malt Liquor can was released. There are two label variations of this can. The second label with the horse head is a tough can to find clean. The first can released with the hat is next to impossible to find. It would be an understatement to say that the hat can is very rare.

I am showing a life size picture of the "hat" Thorobred Malt Liquor can since most collectors will never see this can in person.