Schlitz Light Special Lager Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Memphis Schlitz Light Tab Top

The Schlitz Light Special Lager 12-ounce tab top can highlights a pivotal era in American brewing history, marking the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company's major push into the rapidly expanding low-calorie beer market. To compete during the height of the light beer boom, Schlitz introduced the Special Lager line, adapting its packaging across several regional facilities.

Among these manufacturing hubs was the high-capacity Jos. Schlitz plant in Memphis, Tennessee. The Memphis facility played a crucial role in supplying the southeastern and central United States, expanding the brewer's footprint beyond its historic Midwestern base.

The visual presentation reflects a shift toward clean, modern beverage design. The face pairs the classic Schlitz script logo with bold "Light" typography and the distinct "Special Lager" banner, set against a bright, metallic background with blue and red accents. Side panels feature mandatory brewery text explicitly designating Jos. Schlitz in Memphis, Tennessee.

For breweriana collectors focusing on mandatory text lines and regional issues, this Memphis can provides notable interest. Known variations exist across production runs, featuring differences in city text listings (such as indicator dots highlighting Memphis among multi-city plant rosters), the presence of early Universal Product Codes (UPCs), and subtle changes in graphic alignments. The can stands as an enduring artifact from Schlitz's nationwide multi-plant network.