Schlitz Beer Pint Can

1958 Schlitz Tampa 16 Oz Flat Top

This 16-ounce flat top beer can represents a notable era of post-war expansion for the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company. Bearing a 1958 copyright notice, this half-quart container features brewery statements referencing two production cities, reflecting the company's regional expansion to Tampa, Florida alongside its traditional Milwaukee home. The label displays the prominent "HALF QUART" designation across the upper band and incorporates the company's globe emblem positioned beside the slanted script logo. Below the primary insignia sits the celebrated slogan, "The BEER That Made Milwaukee Famous".

The Schlitz brand traces its history to the mid-nineteenth century, gaining national prominence following the 1871 Great Chicago Fire when the brewery shipped hundreds of barrels of beer southward to assist the stricken city. By the late 1890s, the company introduced "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous," establishing one of the most recognized marketing slogans in commercial history. Through the mid-twentieth century, Schlitz was positioned as a premier national lager supported by ubiquitous advertising campaigns. Although formulation changes and corporate turbulence in the 1970s caused the brand to lose its leading market share, it persists today as an enduring American legacy brand.

The brewery began in 1849 when August Krug opened a tavern brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joseph Schlitz took over operations following Krug's death and incorporated the business in 1856. The company successfully weathered Prohibition through the manufacture of malt syrup and other non-alcoholic goods, emerging in the post-repeal decades as an industry titan competing for the title of the nation's largest brewer. To supply growing markets across the southern United States, Schlitz constructed its Tampa plant in the late 1950s. Following corporate shifts in the early 1980s, the company was absorbed by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982.

Among breweriana hobbyists, 16-ounce flat tops from the late 1950s represent an important transitional period in container design and distribution. These pint-sized cans illustrate the evolution of national packaging formats and the historical growth of multi-plant brewing operations across the United States.