Colonial Pale Light Premium Ale Test Can

Schlitz 1976 Colonial Ale Test Can

Produced in 1976, this straight steel tab top test can is a 12-ounce packaging prototype created for the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company. Dating to the American Bicentennial era, the light gold foil label features the heritage date of 1849 within an ornate crest displaying a colonial soldier, positioned beneath the classic Schlitz globe logo. The mandatory legal text along the bottom rim lists six brewery cities, reflecting the national footprint of the Milwaukee-based brewer during the mid-1970s.

Schlitz developed the Colonial Pale Light Premium Ale concept to capitalize on the heightened cultural interest in early American history during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations. Positioned as a lighter, premium interpretation of traditional ales, the brand was crafted to blend historic brewing heritage with contemporary consumer preferences for mellow malt beverages. The front label text promotes an all-malt brew aged in traditional European styles, though the concept remained an experimental trial and never saw full commercial retail distribution.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company traced its origins to 1849, when August Krug established a small brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Following Krug's death, bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz assumed control and renamed the company. Schlitz rose to national prominence after sending emergency shipments of fresh water and beer to Chicago following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, establishing its enduring slogan, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous." The brewery survived Prohibition by manufacturing malt extract, bakers' yeast, and non-alcoholic beverages, rebounding to become one of the top brewing powerhouses in America during the mid-20th century. However, manufacturing controversies and recipe adjustments in the late 1970s caused severe sales losses, eventually culminating in the company's sale to the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982.

Test cans and packaging prototypes from Jos. Schlitz provide valuable historical insight for breweriana enthusiasts. They document the creative brainstorming, focus group trials, and regional market testing executed by major national brewers during pivotal eras of industry competition. Because these test issues were produced in limited quantities for internal review and evaluation, they remain standout artifacts of experimental mid-century brand design.