Schlitz Beer Test Can

Jos. Schlitz Prototype Test Can

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, utilized test cans during packaging development phases to evaluate new graphic concepts, layout revisions, and lithographic print finishes before committing to large-scale commercial manufacturing runs. As one of the major brewing operations in the United States, Schlitz regularly tested prospective can designs to analyze visual appeal, shelf presence, and metallic reflectivity under retail store lighting.

These experimental containers provided brewery design teams and container manufacturers an opportunity to test adjustments to the company's trademark belted rhomboid emblem, font sizing, border trims, and the arrangement of the slogan, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous". Technicians also used these runs to test protective lacquer coats, printer alignment marks, and ink pigment durability directly on the metal.

Surviving examples among breweriana collectors include mockups assembled for internal corporate evaluation and specimens formed from preserved production proof sheets. Several variations are known to exist, exhibiting subtle differences in brewery location mandatory text, color shading, and registration indicators. Because these prototype cans were intended strictly for internal review and quality testing rather than commercial retail sale, the vast majority were discarded once design decisions were finalized, making surviving specimens notable artifacts of Milwaukee's industrial brewing history.