A supervisor gestures in a Schlitz brewery as bottles move along a conveyor belt, Milwaukee.
Schlitz Premium, one of America’s oldest and once most dominant beer brands, is being discontinued after 177 years. The Milwaukee-born lager, which traced its roots back to the 1840s, is being placed “on hiatus” by its parent company, Pabst Brewing Co., following Wisconsin Brewing Company’s announcement that it would brew the final batch this month.
Zac Nadile, Pabst’s head of brand strategy, cited “continued increases in our costs to store and ship certain products” as the reason for the tough decision. He noted that brands placed on hiatus remain a part of the company’s history, with potential for future revivals based on customer feedback.
The Schlitz brand achieved significant fame with its slogan, “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.” It once held the title of the nation’s largest brewery before being surpassed by Anheuser-Busch in the late 1950s. Founded in 1849 by August Krug, the business was later transformed into a global beer powerhouse under Joseph Schlitz. The brewery saw a surge in popularity following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, when it supplied beer to Chicago residents facing a lack of clean drinking water.
However, Schlitz began to decline in the 1970s due to cost-cutting measures that altered its flavor profile. The brand was subsequently sold to Stroh Brewing in 1982, and then acquired by Pabst in 1999.
Wisconsin Brewing Company brewmaster Kirby Nelson stated that the company wanted to provide a dignified farewell to the historic brand. The final Schlitz batch is scheduled to be brewed on May 23, with a limited release planned for June 27. Farewell events are also being organized by Milwaukee-area bars and breweries.
About the Author
