Schlitz Beer Test Can

1977 Schlitz Beer Foil Test Can

Produced in 1977, this 12-ounce aluminum tab top container is a developmental prototype created by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company. Rather than standard production lithography, the can features an experimental foil label applied to a tall can format. The artwork showcases the brewery's trademark belted globe emblem positioned above the slanted rhomboid logo. The body includes dark gold lower accents, ornate scrollwork, and an extensive passage outlining the use of pure water, barley malt, cereal grains, select hops, and pure culture yeast. This text sits directly below the long-standing slogan, "The Beer that made Milwaukee Famous," with the bottom rim displaying a mandatory brewery statement listing locations such as Milwaukee, Tampa, and Longview.

Schlitz originated as the flagship lager of its eponymous brewery, becoming a staple of twentieth-century American beverage culture. Heavily promoted through memorable taglines like "The Beer that made Milwaukee Famous" and "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer," the brand held a prominent position as a mainstream national lager. Throughout the post-World War II period, Schlitz engaged in fierce competition with rivals such as Anheuser-Busch and Pabst, remaining one of the highest-selling beers in the country for decades.

The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1849 by August Krug. Following Krug's death, bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz took control of the enterprise in 1858 and renamed it. The firm earned national goodwill and market expansion when it sent shipments of fresh beer to Chicago following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Schlitz survived Prohibition by manufacturing baker's yeast, malt syrups, and non-alcoholic beverages before returning to mass brewing upon repeal. However, aggressive cost-cutting measures and recipe adjustments during the 1970s damaged consumer perception. Following corporate upheaval and a prolonged labor strike, the company was acquired by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982, with brand ownership eventually transitioning to Pabst.

Test cans serve as significant historical artifacts within breweriana collecting. Because prototypes and foil mock-ups were produced in limited quantities strictly for internal corporate review, color evaluation, and marketing assessments, nearly all were discarded rather than distributed to retail markets. Several variations of these 1977 packaging trials are documented, offering collectors insight into the design experimentation behind major legacy brewing brands.