Pour one out, we've lost another national treasure.
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Schlitz Premium, formerly one of America's highest-selling beer companies, will soon be a relic of yesteryear.
After nearly 200 years of operation, Pabst Brewing Co. announced that the famous lager would be discontinued.
"Unfortunately, we have seen continued increases in our costs to store and ship certain products and have had to make the tough choice to place Schlitz Premium on hiatus," Zac Nadile, Pabst head of brand strategy, said in a statement to Milwaukee Magazine.
While noting that the shutdown was a tough decision, Nadile kept the door open for a potential return of the beloved beer brand.
"Any brand or packaging configuration that is put on hiatus is still a cherished part of our history and hopefully our future. We continually look for opportunities to bring back beloved brands, and customer feedback is important in shaping those discussions."
Originating in Milwaukee, Schlitz became one of the most recognizable beer brands in the Midwest before catering to a national market.
Schlitz Formerly Produced One Million Beer Barrels Yearly
Since opening its first tavern in 1849, Schlitz was sold at bars, sporting events and corner stores around the nation.
At the dawn of the 20th Century, Schlitz surpassed Pabst Brewing Co. as the largest brewer in the nation, producing about a million beer barrels a year.
Schlitz also helped revolutionize how beers were packaged.
Schlitz was one of the first breweries to use brown glass beer bottles. Several sources claim the Milwaukee company developed the brown bottle, which helped prevent light from ruining beer quality and shelf stability.
Kirby Nelson, brewmaster at Wisconsin Brewing Company, said the company wanted to do something special in honor of the Schlitz legacy.
"We decided that, Schlitz being what Schlitz was, it deserved a proper sendoff. One with dignity and respect," Nelson said.
To give the brand a proper farewell, Wisconsin Brewing Company will brew one final 80-barrel batch on Saturday, May 23, at its Verona facility using a 1948 recipe.
