Schlitz Beer Pint Can

1957 Schlitz Half Quart Can

This 1957 sixteen-ounce flat top can represents a classic mid-century release from the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company, bottled for distribution from its Los Angeles, California plant. Featuring a clean white center band framed by deep maroon and gold borders, the design prominently highlights both the "HALF QUART" measure across the top collar and the large "16 OZS." designation above the main trademark. The face centers on the iconic slanted Schlitz script logo inside a maroon rhomboid panel, accented by the circular Schlitz globe emblem on the left and anchored below by the brewery's legendary slogan, "The BEER That Made Milwaukee Famous."

Schlitz originated in the mid-nineteenth century and grew into one of the most dominant beer brands in American history. Marketed as a premium national lager, its famous slogan gained traction following the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, when the company sent hundreds of barrels of beer to aid the stricken city. By the 1950s, Schlitz held the title of the best-selling beer in the United States, backed by aggressive nationwide marketing and high-profile sponsorships across radio, print, and early television.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company was founded in Milwaukee in 1849 by August Krug and taken over by Joseph Schlitz following Krug's death in 1856. After surviving Prohibition through the sale of non-alcoholic malt extracts and soft drinks, Schlitz resumed brewing in 1933 and embarked on a massive postwar expansion. To meet surging demand in western states without the cost of long-distance rail shipping, Schlitz opened a sprawling, state-of-the-art packaging brewery in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1954. Although industry competition and formulation controversies led to the company's eventual acquisition by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982, the Schlitz name remains an enduring symbol of American brewing heritage.

For collectors of vintage breweriana, sixteen-ounce flat tops from the 1950s hold special appeal. These larger "tallboy" pint cans capture the era when major national brewers expanded beyond standard twelve-ounce packaging to cater to changing consumer habits, making branch-plant variations like this Los Angeles issue sought-after additions to mid-century can collections.