Old Milwaukee Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Old Milwaukee 12 Oz Memphis Can

This 12-ounce aluminum tab top container highlights a significant era in late-twentieth-century beer packaging. Produced by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company, the can features the brand's classic red patterned background framed by white borders, accompanied by a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode on the side panel. The lower mandatory text lists the company's brewing locations across the country, with a distinct dot positioned over Memphis, Tennessee, identifying it as the production facility for this particular run.

The Old Milwaukee moniker was originally used around the turn of the twentieth century before Jos. Schlitz formally reintroduced it in the 1950s as a popular-priced offering. Positioned to compete against budget-friendly regional brews while maintaining high-volume national appeal, Old Milwaukee achieved immense commercial success. Supported by recognizable marketing campaigns and enduring slogans such as "Taste as great as its name" and "It doesn't get any better than this," the brand became a staple American lager, continuing production through subsequent corporate ownership under Stroh and later Pabst.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company traced its origins to 1849 when August Krug established a small brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joseph Schlitz assumed control following Krug's death, and the enterprise expanded into an industrial giant, famously marketing its flagship as "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous." Throughout the mid-twentieth century, Schlitz expanded dramatically, building large-scale regional production plants including its major Memphis brewery opened in 1971. Despite standing as one of the largest brewing companies in the world for decades, fierce competition and manufacturing shifts during the late 1970s led to its eventual acquisition by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this can represents an engaging study in mandatory text variations and packaging transitions. Multi-city cans produced during the 1970s featuring plant-specific city markers allow collectors to document the sprawling distribution networks of major national breweries. The presence of an all-aluminum body, pull tab lid, and early barcode printing provides a clear snapshot of an evolving era in American beverage container history.