Want one last bottle of Schlitz before it’s gone? You might already be too late.
Less than a week after Wisconsin Brewing Co. announced that Pabst is discontinuing Schlitz, “the beer that made Milwaukee famous,” liquor stores across the metro area have sold out their remaining stock.
Customers bought up all of the Schlitz at Discount Liquor in Milwaukee on Friday, May 15, shortly after the announcement. The store fielded more than 100 calls from customers that weekend before a final 70-case delivery arrived Tuesday morning, co-owner Marie Greguska said. It sold out in three hours.
“There’s no more coming,” Greguska said.
The five-to-10 cases of Schlitz carried by Ray’s Wine & Spirits was also gone a day after the announcement, according to beer director Grae Duerkop. Their Wauwatosa location was inundated with phone calls from panic-buyers. One person cleaned out all the Schlitz at the Mequon store.
The beer hadn’t sold very well until then, and Ray’s didn’t keep much in stock to begin with. If people had shown as much enthusiasm for Schlitz before as they do now, Duerkop joked, it might’ve stuck around.
“As soon as people found out (it was discontinued), I think they went wherever they could find it,” Duerkop said.
But Schlitz was a decent seller for Otto’s Wine & Spirits, which runs seven stores in the Milwaukee area. Each location had around 20 cases. They sold out in a matter of days.
“It’s kind of a shock actually, because we sold it plenty,” Timothy Berger, president of Otto’s parent company, said of the discontinuation. “There’s other beer out there that we don’t sell as much.”
Founded in 1849, Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. was once America’s largest brewer and one of Milwaukee’s biggest employers. It operated a massive brewery at what is now King Drive and Galena Street until 1982. It’s been owned by Pabst since 1999.
The brand maintained a small following of longtime loyal customers, Discount Liquor assistant manager Tiarks said. But compared to new craft beers and big names like Miller Lite, Schlitz never exactly flew off the shelves. It also struggled to attract younger people.
“It’s a staple to the city, so it’s a bummer,” Duerkop added. “What might be special to us here might not be special elsewhere.”
Wisconsin Brewing Co. will make one last batch of Schlitz at their Verona brewery on Saturday, May 23. Pre-orders open that same day on the brewery’s website, and the beer will go on sale June 27.
Wisconsin Brewing Co. will also bring the beer to Old World Wisconsin’s 50th anniversary celebration in Eagle on July 4.
Berger has worked in beer for more than 40 years, and has seen brands come and go. He was a Schlitz drinker after Pabst brought it back under its original formula in 2008.
Past revivals – and the up-and-down nature of the brewing industry – gives Berger hope that Schlitz might not be gone for good.
“Maybe it’ll be back,” he said. “Who knows.”
Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Schlitz beer is gone. Milwaukee area liquor stores sell out quickly
Reporting by Francesca Pica, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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