Old Milwaukee Genuine Draft 16 Oz Tab Top Can

1969 Old Milwaukee 16 Oz Tab Top Can

The 1969 Old Milwaukee Genuine Draft 16-ounce can is a straight steel container fitted with a tab top lid. Produced during a major period of expansion for its parent company, this one-pint can features an enamel silver background patterned with delicate vertical pinstripes, a solid red brand field framing the script lettering, and the eagle-and-shield crest. Along the lower rim, the 1969 copyright line provides an extensive mandatory statement naming eight brewing and packaging cities—such as Milwaukee, Longview, and Tampa—reflecting the company's sweeping national reach during this era.

Schlitz introduced the Old Milwaukee label in the late nineteenth century and revived it in the mid-1950s as a high-quality, value-tier companion to its flagship premium lager. Positioned to compete directly against regional economy brands, Old Milwaukee was marketed during the late 1960s under the "Genuine Draft" banner to emphasize fresh tap flavor in a convenient packaged format. Over the subsequent decades, the label achieved immense commercial success through memorable advertising campaigns celebrating working-class pride and outdoor camaraderie before eventually becoming part of the Pabst Brewing Company portfolio.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company began in 1849 when August Krug founded a small tavern brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Following Krug's passing, Joseph Schlitz took over management, guiding the company through rapid industrialization and gaining national fame after shipping emergency water and beer to Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Championed as "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous," Schlitz endured Prohibition by manufacturing beverage syrups and non-alcoholic drinks, emerging to become the second-largest brewing operation in the United States by the late 1960s. Cost-cutting recipe alterations and labor strikes in the 1970s hurt consumer loyalty, culminating in the company's sale to the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982.

Within breweriana collecting, 16-ounce straight steel tab tops remain a popular focus. Collectors appreciate these pint-sized cans for their expansive graphic layouts, distinctive typography, and the historical documentation preserved within their multi-city mandatory manufacturer text.