Old Milwaukee Genuine Draft Test Can

1968 Old Milwaukee Draft Test Can

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top container dates to 1968 and represents an experimental test design developed by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company. During the late 1960s, American brewing giants actively explored consumer enthusiasm for packaged draft-style lagers. To evaluate potential marketing directions and branding concepts, Schlitz produced trial packaging runs before committing to wider production. The can stands out for its detailed black line-art illustration of historic Old World architectural façades, gabled rooflines, and stylized trees wrapping beneath the bold typography, accompanied by a circular "OM" crest emblem.

Old Milwaukee was originally introduced by Schlitz in 1890 as a premium brew before being discontinued. Schlitz revived the label in 1955, repositioning it as a value-priced offering to compete directly in the rapidly expanding economy beer market. Supported by long-running advertising campaigns celebrating blue-collar camaraderie and memorable slogans like "Taste as great as its name" and later "It doesn't get any better than this," Old Milwaukee grew into one of the top-selling value beers across the country.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company originated in 1849 when August Krug established a small brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Following Krug's death, bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz took over operations in 1856. The brewery gained national prominence after donating hundreds of barrels of beer and clean water to Chicago following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, establishing the famous trademark slogan, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous." Schlitz navigated Prohibition by manufacturing non-alcoholic beverages and malt syrups, emerging to become the second-largest brewing company in the United States by the mid-20th century. After brewing formula alterations and labor strikes triggered market share declines in the late 1970s, Schlitz was sold to the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982, with brand ownership later moving to the Pabst Brewing Company portfolio.

Test and prototype containers hold a revered place among breweriana collectors. Because these trial runs were produced strictly for focus testing, executive evaluation, or short regional market experiments, examples like this 1968 Old Milwaukee Genuine Draft offer valuable insight into mid-century brand development and packaging history.