Schlitz Beer Test Can

1977 Schlitz Foil Label Test Can

Dating to 1977, this 12-ounce aluminum test can represents an experimental packaging mockup developed for the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company. Constructed as a tall aluminum can sealed with a tab top, the container features an applied foil label rather than standard production lithography. The design highlights the historic Schlitz globe emblem framed by barley sheaves positioned directly above a slanted rectangular panel with the brand's script lettering. Directly beneath the central emblem is the company's famous slogan, "The Beer that made Milwaukee Famous," while the bottom perimeter lists several satellite brewing facilities, including Winston-Salem, Memphis, Syracuse, and Honolulu.

Joseph Schlitz's flagship brew stood as one of the most prominent beer brands in the United States throughout the twentieth century. Marketed as a traditional, premium American lager, Schlitz cemented its presence in popular culture with celebrated advertising slogans like "Real Gusto" and "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer." During the mid-to-late 1970s, facing stiff competition from expanding national rivals and shifts in consumer taste, the company explored various cosmetic updates and alternative packaging layouts to rejuvenate its market position.

The brewery traces its roots to 1849, when August Krug founded a small brewing operation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joseph Schlitz took over the business in 1856, later incorporating the firm under his own name. Following Schlitz's death in 1875, Krug's nephews, the Uihlein family, assumed leadership and guided the company through decades of dramatic growth. Schlitz survived Prohibition by manufacturing malt syrup and near-beer products, quickly rebounding after repeal to become one of the top-selling breweries in the country. Production difficulties and corporate missteps in the 1970s triggered an eventual decline, leading to the company's purchase by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982.

Foil label mockups and test cans hold special significance among breweriana enthusiasts. Because marketing departments and can manufacturers produced these trial containers strictly for internal evaluation, executive review, and retail display tests, surviving examples offer valuable insight into the graphic design evolution and experimental packaging phases of a legendary brewing enterprise.