Schlitz Beer Test Can

Schlitz Longview Aluminum Test Can

This 12-ounce aluminum tab top container represents an experimental test can produced under the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company name, associated with the company's Longview, Texas production operations. Characterized by its slender tall-can profile, the container features an eight-city mandatory brewery statement along the lower rim and incorporates Universal Product Code (UPC) barcoding. Visual elements include the heritage blue-and-white globe surrounded by decorative scroll flourishes, the prominent angled red banner with the scripted Schlitz logo, and the slogan "The Beer that made Milwaukee Famous." Sample and test cans of this type were manufactured to assess graphic layout, ink performance, barcode scan readiness, and container proportions before finalizing commercial packaging.

The Schlitz brand was established in the nineteenth century and grew into one of the defining commercial lagers in the United States. Widely distributed and heavily marketed across national media, Schlitz built a legendary reputation supported by memorable campaigns. Hallmarked by slogans such as "The Beer that made Milwaukee Famous," "Real Gusto," and "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer," the label held the title of America's best-selling beer brand for multiple stretches during the twentieth century.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company trace their roots to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where August Krug founded a small brewery in 1849. Following Krug's death, bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz took over management in 1858 and incorporated the firm. The brewery survived Prohibition through diversification and expanded aggressively in the post-World War II period. To meet nationwide demand, Schlitz built high-capacity regional breweries across the country, including the Longview, Texas facility in 1966. Following market share losses in the late 1970s, the company was acquired by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982, and the brand portfolio eventually passed to the Pabst Brewing Company.

Test and sample cans hold special appeal in breweriana collecting because they capture internal development trials that never saw standard retail distribution. These containers document the technical and aesthetic evolution of corporate packaging as major national brewers transitioned formats, graphics, and multi-plant mandatory labeling.