Reno Beer Test Can

Jos. Schlitz Reno Concept Can

The Reno Beer Test Can represents an experimental chapter in the packaging and brand exploration of the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During periods of intense market competition, major American breweries routinely prototyped conceptual labels and potential product spinoffs to test consumer appeal and brand extensions.

Schlitz evaluated several alternate brand identities alongside its flagship lager, exploring distinct naming concepts that included Reno. Instead of entering full commercial retail circulation, these mockups were created as internal prototypes and sample cans. Many of these developmental issues were crafted using specialized foil labels applied over can bodies, enabling marketing executives and graphic designers to review shelf presence, typography, and colorways prior to committing to large-scale factory lithography.

Surviving examples showcase various background color schemes and design treatments that illustrate the iterative design process within the brewery. Today, these test cans serve as artifacts of twentieth-century corporate brewing design and provide insight into the unreleased concepts of one of Milwaukee's historic brewing giants.