Say it ain’t so: Can it be true that Pabst Brewing Company has decided to discontinue Schlitz beer? Sadly, that is indeed the case as Schlitz, one of the last “dive bar” beers standing, has become a victim of the industry’s cutting room floor.
After 177 years, and a stint as the most popular beer in America, the last batch of Schlitz was brewed in Wisconsin on May 23, 2026.
Schlitz's Time as the Most Popular Beer in the U.S.
Does it surprise you at all that Schlitz was once on top of the beer world? It shouldn’t, because Schlitz was always considered a very reliable, great-tasting working man's beer, and that alone was enough at the time to carry a beer to the top spot in consumers' minds.
But, as we all know, when you are at the top of the heap, others are looking for a way to bring you down. In Philip Van Munching’s book The Beer Blast, the tale is told of how Anheuser Busch set out to topple Schlitz from their perch with a variety of marketing strategies designed to create doubt about Schiltz’s quality and brewing practices. The campaign did irreparable harm to Schlitz’s reputation that the brand honestly never fully recovered from. Having read the book myself, I highly recommend it for anyone interested in some of the behind-the-scenes ruthlessness in the beer industry over the years.
Having worked in the beer business myself from 1979 to 2003, returning in 2010 before retiring in 2025, I have seen a lot of changes in the industry. When I started by getting day work out of the union hall, Strohs, Pabst, and Schlitz were still very strong sellers throughout the Greater Cleveland market. This was also at a time when Miller Lite debuted. You couldn’t give it away; no one wanted a low-calorie beer, it was unthinkable. But the iconic “Great Taste, Less Filling” campaign ultimately catapulted the brand to the top.
The point is this: The industry has changed a lot. Craft beers, boutique beers, regional beers, and local beers dominate the landscape because there is always a new shiny one coming along to catch a consumer's eye.
Tried and true beers like Schlitz, who put out a consistently good product, just aren't sexy enough to consumers to merit the ongoing investment in shipping and storage costs with sales dropping so rapidly.
It's true that other brands from the Schlitz era, such as Pabst and Strohs, have reinvented themselves as “underground” beers, by becoming favorites of young adults in music venues. This is largely because of the nostalgia associated with the brands as well as the more popular pricing and the typical 16 oz. serving size. This could have been a great lane for Schlitz, but for whatever reason the brand never made the effort to go that route.
Declining demand and the production challenges that go along with that were the final nails in Schlitz’s coffin. What we are left with now is its legacy.
Honoring Schlitz's Role and Influence in the Beer Industry
For years, Schlitz was known as “the beer that made Milwaukee famous” and by 1902, it had become the largest US brewer, which led to establishing Milwaukee’s status as the brewing hub of the United States. Sadly, the war that Schlitz had with Anheuser Busch took a lot out of the company and the brand spiraled through many different issues such as questionable, even desperate, marketing strategies as well as inconsistency with the quality of the product.
Whatever the reasons, it is a very sad day for the brewing business as one of the giants has fallen. Schlitz is going out in style, though, with The Last Schlitz on Earth party, which will be a two-day event at the Milwaukee Brat Haus May 29-30. The final batch release will be available for preorder online June 27.
We highly recommend getting that final six-pack if for no other reason than to properly say goodbye.
Cheers!
(Photo credit: “Brady Street Festival 2010” by erik aldrich, CC BY-ND 2.0