Raise a toast to a beverage that has been satisfying beer drinkers for close to two centuries, as Milwaukee's iconic Schlitz beer has officially ended production after 177 years.
Production Halted Due to Rising Costs
Pabst Brewing Co. confirmed that production on Schlitz beer has halted, citing increased storage and shipping costs, according to NBC News. Zac Nadile, head of brand strategy at Pabst, told Milwaukee Magazine, "Unfortunately, we have seen continued increases in our costs to store and ship certain products and have had to make the tough choice to place Schlitz Premium on hiatus."
The lager that made Milwaukee famous, along with other institutional beers such as Old Milwaukee, may become hard to come by in the future if they remain shelved. Nadile added, "Any brand or packaging configuration that is put on hiatus is still a cherished part of our history and hopefully our future. We continually look for opportunities to bring back beloved brands and customer feedback is important in shaping those discussions."
A Blue-Collar Brew with a Rich History
Schlitz beer dates back to 1849 when August Krug opened a tavern in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. German immigrant Joseph Schlitz later took over the business after marrying Krug's widow and rebranded it after himself. The beer brand gained prominence after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, when the brewery shipped beer to Chicago as residents struggled to have access to clean drinking water, as reported by Fox News.
Schlitz was famous for its slogan "The Beer that made Milwaukee famous," and by the 1950s it had become the largest brewery in the United States, a distinction later claimed by Anheuser-Busch later in the decade.
The Schlitz Mistake and Decline
The company lost steam with customers in 1976 after it changed its recipe as a cost-cutting measure, an event that became known as the "Schlitz Mistake." In 1977, Schlitz further drove customers away with the "Drink Schlitz or I'll kill you" campaign, which showcased tough guys responding to threats when asked if they'd consider switching to another beer, according to NBC News.
Milwaukee's beer got a pop culture boost thanks to the sitcom Laverne & Shirley, in which the main characters worked as bottle-cappers at the fictional Shotz Brewery, inspired by Schlitz.
Changes in Ownership and Production
In 1982, Schlitz was sold to Stroh Brewery Co., with beer production moving out of Milwaukee. The brand was later sold to Schlitz in 1999, and had been brewed at the Anheuser-Busch facility in Texas.
The Last Batch Brewed
The last batch of Schlitz was brewed on Saturday by the Wisconsin Brewing Co., just outside of Madison, using a recipe from 1948. Brewmaster Kirby Nelson told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Schlitz deserved to go out with "dignity and respect."
"This is back to Schlitz's glory days," said Nelson, noting the last brew was "Wisconsin Brewing Company's love letter to our state." Nelson told the Journal Sentinel he cherished the opportunity to brew Schlitz one last time, where it all began: "For a brewer such as myself, this is as flattering as it comes."
