Longhorn Beer Test Can

Schlitz Longhorn Beer Test Can

The Longhorn Beer test can represents an experimental prototype produced during the tab-top era by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fabricated from aluminum in a distinctive tall, slender profile, this twelve-ounce container features an applied foil label rather than standard direct-body lithography. The lower perimeter displays a mandatory manufacturing line naming six brewery cities—including Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Tampa, Florida; Longview, Texas; and Los Angeles, California—reflecting the multi-plant footprint Schlitz operated across the country during the late 1960s and 1970s. Foil mock-ups such as this allowed packaging engineers and marketing executives to evaluate visual shelf presence and finish before committing to commercial can runs.

Schlitz envisioned Longhorn Beer as a premium lager designed to capture regional Southwestern appeal and rugged Western imagery. Prominently scripted across the top of the can is the marketing statement: "Longhorn premium lager / A distinctively smooth refreshing premium beer." The centerpiece artwork highlights a bold steer head framed within a circular medallion, flanked by ornate scrollwork and topped with Western-styled typography. Despite the fully realized design concept, the brand never progressed into widespread retail distribution, remaining an unreleased test project during a volatile period of brand development.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company traces its roots to 1849, when August Krug launched a small cellar brewing operation in Milwaukee. Following Krug's death, bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz assumed control in 1858 and incorporated the firm. The brewery surged into national prominence after shipping generous supplies of fresh beer to Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, establishing its famous moniker as "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous." Schlitz survived Prohibition by manufacturing chocolate and malt products, subsequently fighting Anheuser-Busch for the crown of America's largest brewer through the mid-20th century. However, costly reformulation shortcuts in the 1970s sparked widespread customer fallout, leading to steep sales declines and the brewery's eventual buyout by Stroh in 1982.

In breweriana circles, packaging prototypes provide a fascinating window into corporate research and development. Test cans with applied foil labels were manufactured in very limited quantities for internal review and market testing, making them prized showpieces for Schlitz specialists and collectors of Western-themed breweriana alike.