Schlitz Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Schlitz Winston-Salem 12 Oz Can

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company 12-ounce tab top can bearing the Winston-Salem, North Carolina mandatory statement represents a defining era of post-war brewing expansion. While Schlitz built its reputation on the slogan "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous," surging nationwide demand prompted the company to construct regional packaging operations. In 1969, Schlitz opened an expansive, modern brewing and packaging complex on Barnes Road in Winston-Salem to serve as a major hub for the Southeastern United States.

For breweriana collectors, cans bearing the Winston-Salem brewery line serve as historical markers of North Carolina industrial brewing. The exterior design displays the standard Schlitz aesthetic, anchored by the belted rhombus emblem, italicized script typography, and metallic background elements. The side panel features the mandatory city listing reflecting Schlitz's multi-plant network, with Winston-Salem highlighted among the designated packaging hubs.

Known variations exist across manufacturing runs from the Winston-Salem plant. Collectors actively catalog differences in the placement of factory identification dots above the Winston-Salem text, mandatory city sequencing, can lid stampings, and side-seam construction styles.

The Winston-Salem facility produced cans under the Jos. Schlitz name until the brewery was acquired by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982. As a result, cans carrying this specific North Carolina mandatory designation document a distinct period in corporate brewing history prior to industry-wide consolidation.