Old Milwaukee Light Beer Test Can

Old Milwaukee Light Test Can

This aluminum tab top container represents a pre-production test design prepared for the introduction of Old Milwaukee Light around 1980. Formatted as a tall 12-ounce can, the sample features applied foil labeling complete with an early Universal Product Code barcode along the lower margin and a mandatory brewery roster listing six Schlitz facilities, including the packaging plant in Longview, Texas. Test cans of this nature were created by the brewer and packaging vendors to evaluate shelf presence, label typography, and optical scanner readability prior to committing to commercial high-speed lithography.

Old Milwaukee was originally introduced by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in 1934 following the repeal of Prohibition, positioned as an economical, value-priced lager. After a temporary hiatus during World War II, the brand returned in the late 1950s and expanded nationwide. In 1980, seeking to capture market share in the rapidly expanding low-calorie beer segment, Schlitz introduced Old Milwaukee Light. Marketed heavily to price-conscious consumers seeking full flavor, the brand thrived on value-driven advertising before transitioning to the Stroh Brewery Company portfolio in 1982 and subsequently to the Pabst Brewing Company network.

The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, tracing its lineage back to 1849 under August Krug before bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz took leadership. Becoming an industrial powerhouse under the famous slogan "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous," Schlitz rose to become one of the top brewers worldwide. To supply its rapidly growing Southern distribution territory, the company opened a cutting-edge brewery in Longview, Texas, in 1966, later adding an on-site aluminum can manufacturing plant in 1974. However, recipe reformulations and industrial disputes during the 1970s damaged the brand's reputation, leading to declining output and the company's eventual sale to Stroh in 1982.

Test cans and mockups hold a distinct place in breweriana history. Because these trial runs and foil-labeled prototypes were manufactured exclusively for corporate evaluation, distributor previews, and line testing rather than public distribution, they offer collectors tangible evidence of the marketing, graphic design, and packaging innovations of the era.