Old Milwaukee Genuine Draft Test Can

Old Milwaukee Genuine Draft Test

Manufactured in 1971, this twelve-ounce straight steel tab top container is an official test market can for Old Milwaukee Genuine Draft. The front face features a red patterned field displaying the script logo, anchored below by a circular emblem bearing the "Old M" shield and the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company name. Along the lower rim, the can displays a 1971 copyright and a mandatory brewery statement designating eight operating cities, headed by Schlitz's facility in Longview, Texas. In this era, major brewing operations generated multi-plant test cans to evaluate consumer response to packaged draft formulations prior to wide distribution.

Old Milwaukee was originally introduced by Schlitz in 1890 as a regional offering, later revived in the mid-1950s as a value-oriented brand to rival other economy lagers. Positioned as an honest, tavern-quality brew for working-class consumers, it gained widespread popularity through memorable advertising, notably with slogans like "Taste as Great as Its Name" and the long-running campaign claiming, "It doesn't get any better than this!" The Genuine Draft line was developed to deliver the crisp, clean flavor profile of a tavern tap directly in a convenient can. Following industry consolidations, Old Milwaukee transitioned to the Stroh Brewery Company and ultimately to Pabst.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company was founded in Milwaukee in 1849 by August Krug, with Joseph Schlitz assuming management after Krug's death. Following the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, Schlitz supplied hundreds of barrels of drinking water and beer to the devastated city, helping forge its enduring slogan, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous." Schlitz survived Prohibition by manufacturing malt extract and soda, afterward expanding rapidly into a multi-facility brewing giant, which included launching the Longview, Texas facility in 1966. Cost-cutting recipe alterations during the 1970s led to a severe loss in market share, culminating in the sale of Schlitz to Stroh in 1982.

For breweriana collectors, test cans offer an intriguing glimpse into marketing trials and experimental packaging. Variations bearing extensive multi-city plant listings from the early 1970s straight steel era hold significant appeal for collectors tracing the operational footprint of historic American brewing titans.