Schlitz Beer Flat Top Can

1958 Schlitz Tampa Flat Top Can

This 12-ounce flat top beer can represents the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company's production designated for its Tampa, Florida operations in 1958. Featuring the classic red and white Schlitz livery with its iconic script and belt-and-buckle trademark, this steel flat top can captures a pivotal transition era in postwar beverage packaging. The mandatory text lists Tampa, Florida as the location, marking the company’s southern expansion during the late 1950s.

Schlitz was originally established as a flagship American lager, positioned as a premium national product. After gaining widespread fame by providing relief beer during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the brand adopted the immortal advertising tagline "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous". Throughout the mid-twentieth century, aggressive marketing campaigns championed the brand with memorable slogans such as "Move Up to Schlitz" and "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer," cementing its role as a household staple across the United States. Although formula changes in the 1970s eroded market share, the brand persisted through acquisitions and remains a legendary name in American brewing.

The brewery traces its roots to 1849, when August Krug established a small brewing enterprise in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Following Krug's death, bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz took over management, eventually renaming the business after himself. After Schlitz died at sea in 1875, the brewery was steered to national dominance by the Uihlein family. By the mid-twentieth century, Schlitz vied for the title of the nation's largest brewer. To keep pace with nationwide demand and reduce shipping costs, Schlitz constructed a state-of-the-art facility in Tampa in 1958. Financial turmoil and labor strikes in the 1970s and 1980s led to Schlitz being acquired by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982, with rights later shifting to the Pabst Brewing Company.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this flat top can holds special appeal as a regional branch plant issue. While Milwaukee-labeled Schlitz cans were produced in huge numbers, cans bearing the Tampa city line represent a specific geographical distribution point during the peak of the flat top era. Its mid-century typography and connection to one of America's brewing titans make it a standout entry in any vintage can collection.