Old Milwaukee Draft Test Can

1971 Old Milwaukee Draft Test Can

Manufactured in 1971, this all-aluminum tab top container represents a test release for Old Milwaukee Genuine Draft Beer. A dedicated upper banner displays the phrase "GENUINE DRAFT BEER" above the contents measurement, distinguishing the test package from standard releases of the period. Below the bold red field carrying the Old Milwaukee name, the face displays the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company signature and the company crest featuring an "Old M" monogram inside a central shield. Along the lower rim, the mandatory manufacturer text enumerates eight plant locations—including Longview, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Brooklyn, New York; Kansas City, Missouri; and Memphis, Tennessee—charting the nationwide production network Schlitz operated during the early 1970s.

Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company first introduced Old Milwaukee in 1890 and revived the label in 1955 as a value-priced alternative to its premium flagship lager. Aimed directly at competing regional economy brands, Old Milwaukee grew into one of the firm's most resilient product lines. Over subsequent decades, the label gained substantial traction with consumers through approachable pricing and widespread advertising, later adopting memorable slogans such as "Taste as great as its name" and "It doesn't get any better than this!" As the brewing industry consolidated, the brand outlived its original parent company, eventually passing to Stroh and later the Pabst brewing portfolio.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company traces its origins to 1849, when August Krug established a small brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joseph Schlitz assumed control following Krug's death in 1856, establishing a brewing empire that expanded rapidly after sending free supplies of beer to Chicago in the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Schlitz endured Prohibition by manufacturing yeast, confections, and near-beer, and by the mid-20th century it ranked as one of America's largest brewing operations, expanding with state-of-the-art facilities like the plant in Longview. Quality issues and corporate missteps in the 1970s triggered steep sales drops, culminating in an acquisition by Stroh in 1982.

Test packages hold lasting significance among breweriana enthusiasts because they represent short-lived trials evaluating new concepts, packaging adjustments, or experimental formulas. Cans produced for market evaluation illustrate how national brewers refined their branding strategies before committing to broad commercial distribution.