Schlitz beer goes out of business after 177 years as Pabst puts brand ‘on hiatus’
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One of America’s most iconic beer brands is being discontinued after more than 175 years.
Schlitz Premium, a beer brand that traces its roots to Milwaukee in the 1840s and was once among the nation’s largest breweries, is being discontinued,” parent company Pabst Brewing Co. confirmed Friday after Wisconsin Brewing Company announced it would produce the final batch of the product later this month.
“Unfortunately, we have seen continued increases in our storage and shipping costs for certain products and have had to make the difficult decision to put Schlitz Premium on hiatus,” said Zac Nadile, Pabst’s head of brand strategy, in a statement to Milwaukee Magazine.
“Whatever brand or package configuration is set aside is still an important part of our history and hopefully our future. We’re always looking for opportunities to bring back products we love, and customer feedback is critical to shaping those conversations.”
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This brand was founded in 1849 as the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)
The Schlitz brand became famous for its longtime slogan, “the beer that made Milwaukee famous,” and was once the largest brewery in the country before Anheuser-Busch took it over in the late 1950s.
The company was founded in 1849 after August Krug opened a brewery in Milwaukee. Joseph Schlitz later took over the business after marrying Krug’s widow and helped turn it into one of the largest beer brands in the world.
Schlitz came to prominence after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, when the brewery shipped beer to Chicago as residents struggled to find clean drinking water.
“It’s an aspirational thing,” Joseph Conforti, general manager of the Milwaukee Brat House, told ABC7 Chicago. “People outside the city are surprised that they’re still successful.”
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Cars on Woodhaven Boulevard drive past the Schlitz beer booth in Queens, New York, on Oct. 1, 1960. (Walter Leporati/Getty Images)
Schlitz began to lose popularity in the 1970s after cost-cutting recipe changes changed the taste of the beer. The brand was later sold to Stroh Brewing in 1982 before Pabst acquired it in 1999.
Kirby Nelson, head brewer at Wisconsin Brewing Company, said the company wanted to give the historic beer brand a proper farewell after production ended.
“We decided that, Schlitz as Schlitz was, he deserved to be sent in the right way. With dignity and respect,” said Nelson.
A can of Schlitz beer, produced by Pabst Brewing Company. (Getty Images)
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Wisconsin Brewing Company said it plans to brew the “last Schlitz” at its Verona, Wisconsin, brewery on May 23, with a limited release scheduled for June 27. Milwaukee-area bars and brewpubs are also planning farewell events tied to the final batches.
Representatives of Schlitz and Pabst Brewing Co. did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
