Schlitz, the beer that made Milwaukee famous, is no more.
Pabst Brewing Co. is ending production of Schlitz, which began as a Milwaukee tavern brewery and was once America’s largest brewer. The company, founded in 1849, was bought by Pabst in 1999.
To send the Milwaukee icon off, Kirby Nelson with Wisconsin Brewing Co. will brew a final batch of Schlitz on Saturday, May 23 at its Verona brewery. Members of the public are invited to the taproom as Nelson gives a talk about the brand at 1 p.m.
The beer “needs to go out with dignity and respect,” Nelson told Milwaukee Magazine on May 14. “Things change, but Schlitz deserves better than just to be swept under the rug.”
Pre-orders for the final Schlitz will open May 23 on Wisconsin Brewing Co.’s website. The beer will be available on June 27.
Now, Schlitz can be hard to find even in Milwaukee dive bars. But it was once the largest brewer in the United States, and one of the companies that put Milwaukee on the map.
Schlitz was in 1849 as a Milwaukee tavern brewery by August Krug. Joseph Schlitz, then a company bookkeeper, acquired and renamed the brewery Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. following Krug’s death in 1856.
In 1870, Schlitz built a giant brewery on what is now King Drive and Galena Street. Schlitz died at sea five years later, and the Uihleins took over the company just as Milwaukee’s brewing industry experience massive growth. By the end of Prohibition, it was America’s biggest beer company and one of Milwaukee’s largest employers.
Through the 1970s, Schlitz funded Milwaukee’s Fourth of July lakefront fireworks, Circus Parade and Old Milwaukee Days, which would later evolve into Summerfest.
But around that time, the brewer had fallen to fourth place and behind two of its Milwaukee competitors, Miller and Pabst. Company leaders attempted to cut costs by changing its ingredients, but the move only alienated loyal Schlitz drinkers.
Schlitz then targeted its Milwaukee brewery for cost cutting, reportedly looking to eliminate up to 200 jobs starting in 1981. More than 700 workers went on strike in response. But in July 1981, the company announced it would shut down the brewery for good.
Schlitz was sold in 1982 to Stroh Brewing Co., who shut down all remaining Milwaukee operations. After more than 130 years, Schlitz left the city it helped make famous.
Schlitz was acquired by Pabst and relaunched in 2008.
Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Schlitz beer production ends after 175 years
Reporting by Francesca Pica, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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