Old Milwaukee Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Old Milwaukee 1975 LA Tall Can

Manufactured in 1975, this 12-ounce aluminum tab top container represents the West Coast packaging output of the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company for its major value brand, Old Milwaukee. Filled at the company's Los Angeles, California facility, the can documents Schlitz's multi-plant production network during the mid-1970s.

Label Characteristics and Markings

A key identifying feature of this container is its mandatory brewery listing, which displays six Schlitz brewing cities with a small dot positioned directly over Los Angeles to indicate the plant of origin. This dot-coding system allowed Schlitz to maintain a standardized label format across its nationwide distribution network while designating individual manufacturing facilities.

The label also incorporates a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, reflecting the grocery and beverage industry's adoption of automated point-of-sale scanning in the mid-1970s. Configured in a tall aluminum can body, the exterior features the established Old Milwaukee livery, including classic gothic brand lettering, bold red and white color blocking, and heraldic crest accents.

Production Context and Variations

Schlitz utilized an extensive network of regional facilities during this era, leading to variations across production runs. Differences between issues include alternate dot indicators for other brewery locations, metric volume declarations, seam constructions, and minor revisions to mandatory legal text. For breweriana historians and West Coast collectors, this can stands as a representative example of 1970s Southern California macro-brewing history.