Schlitz Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

1975 Schlitz Milwaukee Tab Top

This 12-ounce aluminum tab top container represents the mid-1970s packaging era for the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company. Bearing a 1975 copyright date, this tall can features the brand's classic maroon rhomboid panel, script lettering, and upper globe emblem. Along the lower rim, the mandatory text lists the seven major metropolitan brewing locations operating under Schlitz at the time, with a small printed dot positioned directly above "Milwaukee" to identify its specific plant of origin. The inclusion of a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode on the side panel reflects the grocery industry's rapid adoption of automated point-of-sale scanning during this transitional decade.

Schlitz traced its legendary slogan, "The Beer that made Milwaukee Famous," back to the aftermath of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, when the brewery shipped hundreds of barrels of drinking water and fresh beer south to aid the devastated city. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, aggressive marketing and memorable taglines—most notably "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer"—kept the flagship lager locked in a fierce, decades-long battle with Anheuser-Busch for the title of America's best-selling beer.

The brewery originated in 1849 when August Krug established a small brewing operation in Milwaukee. Following Krug's death, bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz took control of the enterprise, and leadership subsequently passed to the Uihlein family. Schlitz survived Prohibition by manufacturing malt syrup, soft drinks, and bakers' yeast before roaring back into national brewing prominence. However, altered brewing processes and accelerated fermentation in the 1970s compromised product stability and eroded customer loyalty, culminating in a labor strike and the eventual sale of the company to the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982. The brand was later absorbed into the Pabst Brewing Company portfolio.

For breweriana enthusiasts, mid-1970s aluminum tab tops offer an engaging collecting focus. Plant-designator marks—such as the indicator dot over the city name—enable collectors to assemble regional variations tracing the nationwide footprint of major mid-century brewing empires during the height of the pull tab era.