There are few American beers as legendary as
Schlitz! I first had Schlitz back during the summer of 2010 when I found
it for $4.99 a 6-pack at 7th on 70 liquors! That was a
doozy of a summer and when I have a Schlitz it reminds me how lucky I am not be
married to a maniac! While I was in Denver this past weekend I got all
nostalgic and had a Schlitz Tall Boy with Steveo at the Pub on Pearl!
The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was an American brewery based
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was once the largest producer of beer in the
world. Its namesake beer, Schlitz, was known as "The beer that made
Milwaukee famous" and was famously advertised with the slogan "When
you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer". Schlitz first became the
world's top beer producer in 1902 and enjoyed that status at several points
during the first half of the twentieth century, exchanging the claim
with Anheuser-Busch multiple times during the 1950s.
The company flourished through much of the 1900s,
starting in 1902 when the production of one million barrels of beer surpassed
Pabst's claim as the largest brewery in the world. While Prohibition in the
United States forced the suspension of alcoholic brewing, the company changed
its name from Brewing Company to Beverage Company and adapted its slogan to
"The drink that made Milwaukee Famous." After prohibition ended,
Schlitz again became the world's top-selling brewery in 1934.
Faced with a desire to meet large volume demands
while also cutting the cost of production, the brewing process for Schlitz's
flagship Schlitz beer was changed in the early 1970s. The reformulated
product resulted in a beer that not only lost much of the flavor and
consistency of the traditional formula but spoiled more quickly, rapidly losing
public appeal. The ultimate blow to the company was another crippling
strike at the Milwaukee plant in 1981. About 700 production workers went on
strike on June 1, 1981. Eventually, the company was acquired by Stroh Brewery
Company of Detroit, Michigan. The once strong Schlitz brand was relegated
to cheap beer or "bargain brand" status and became increasingly
difficult to find in bars and restaurants.
In 1999 Pabst Brewing Company gained control of the
Schlitz brand with its acquisition of the Stroh Brewery Company. During
the reformulating period of the early 1970s, the original Schlitz beer formula
was lost and never included in any of the subsequent sales of the
company. Through research of documents and interviews with former Schlitz
brewmasters and taste-testers, Pabst was able to reconstruct the 1960s classic
formula. The new Schlitz beer, along with a new television advertising
campaign, was officially introduced in 2008. Pabst Brewing Company, now
of Los Angeles, continues to produce Schlitz beer to this day!
Style: American Adjunct Lager
% ABV: 4.60
Brewer: Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.
Price: Dirt Cheap!
If I had to compare the taste of Schlitz to any one
beer I’d say Leinenkugel’s Lager. To me they taste similar. Schlitz
known for its slogan “A kiss of the Hops” indeed has a hoppy bite which is
probably why I enjoy this beer! It has a yeasty taste profile common with
lagers and at 4.6% ABV you can drink more than a few! It was hurt by the
light beer craze of the late 70s and 80s but I think it’s making a comeback
because nobody gives a fuck about light beers anymore with the onslaught of
craft beer! It only seems right that Schlitz makes a modest
comeback! I love this beer and if I could find it more often I’d drink it
on a day where I just wanted a change up from the normal IPA’s I drink!
Give Schlitz a try!
Cheers!
