Schlitz Malt Liquor 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Schlitz Malt Liquor 12 Oz Can

Dating to 1975, this 12-ounce straight steel tab top container represents a notable era in American beverage packaging. Bearing a 1975 copyright date alongside a Universal Product Code (UPC), the design reflects the mid-1970s retail shift toward automated supermarket checkout scanning. The mandatory text running along the bottom rim references distribution across six company facilities, with this particular run associated with the large brewery in Memphis, Tennessee. The face of the container showcases the brand's signature motif: a powerful blue bull poised against an intricate gold-and-bronze circular seal above crisp lettering denoting the beverage style.

Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company introduced Schlitz Malt Liquor in the 1960s to capture a growing share of the expanding malt beverage market. Early marketing positioned the product as an upscale cocktail alternative, but the brewery soon pivoted toward bold, high-energy advertising built around its mascot. Throughout the 1970s, popular television advertisements featured a live bull dramatically crashing through walls alongside the memorable tagline, "Don't say beer, say Bull!" This aggressive branding helped make Schlitz Malt Liquor a dominant force on store shelves for decades.

The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, developing from a tavern brewery started by August Krug in 1849. After Krug's death, bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz took over operations and propelled the business to national prominence—a status solidified when Schlitz sent free beer to Chicago following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Famed for its slogan "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous," the brewery survived Prohibition through diversification into malt extract and soft drinks, eventually rebounding to become one of the top-producing brewers in the world. Schlitz expanded with massive automated plants across the country, including the Memphis facility. However, disastrous recipe alterations and packaging controversies in the late 1970s caused sales to plummet, leading to its acquisition by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982.

For breweriana collectors, this can serves as an iconic example of 1970s malt liquor iconography. The dynamic bull graphic stands out among mid-century commercial designs, while the six-city mandatory text and transitional packaging features make it an essential piece documenting the final decade of independent Schlitz brewing history.