Schlitz Beer Test Can

Jos. Schlitz Packaging Test Can

The Schlitz Beer Test Can produced by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, represents an experimental phase in the company's extensive packaging history. As one of the dominant brewing operations in the United States, Schlitz frequently developed sample designs and prototype containers to evaluate graphic updates, metallic finishes, and typography prior to committing to full commercial production runs.

These test cans were produced in restricted quantities exclusively for internal brewery review, packaging focus groups, and trial market evaluations. Because they were not intended for standard retail release, surviving examples are seldom found outside private collections and historical archives. The graphic composition incorporates established Schlitz brand elements—such as the belted globe and rhomboid insignia—alongside trial color schemes and experimental slogan layouts.

Several variations of Schlitz test cans exist, displaying differences in mandatory text alignments, brewery location listings, and lithographic sheen. Some examples originated as flat proof sheets assembled for visual assessment rather than standard canning lines. For breweriana collectors, these trial cans serve as tangible documentation of corporate graphic experimentation and industrial packaging development from a historic Milwaukee brewing giant.