Pabst puts Schlitz Beer on hiatus after 177 years
Pabst Brewing Co. is putting schlitz beer on hiatus after Wisconsin Brewing Company said it will brew the brand’s final batch later this month. Zac Nadile, Pabst’s head of brand strategy, said the company made the choice because of continued increases in costs to store and ship certain products.
The brand has been tied to Milwaukee since 1849, when the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was founded there. Pabst said the hiatus affects Schlitz Premium now, ending current production of a label that dates to the 1840s and has been part of the city’s beer history for 177 years.
Zac Nadile on costs
Nadile said Pabst had to make a difficult call as those storage and shipping costs kept rising. He also said, “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.”
Pabst confirmed the hiatus on Friday, and Wisconsin Brewing Company said it will handle the final batch later this month. That gives the brand a last run in production for now, but not an ending for its place in Pabst’s portfolio.
Wisconsin Brewing Company sendoff
Kirby Nelson, the brewmaster at Wisconsin Brewing Company, said the company wanted the brand to have “a proper sendoff. One with dignity and respect.” Nelson’s comment comes as the brewery prepares to close out the final batch rather than continue regular production.
Schlitz’s history stretches beyond the current decision. It rose after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, when the brewery shipped beer to Chicago, and later became known for the slogan “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.” The brand was once the nation’s largest brewery before Anheuser-Busch overtook it in the late 1950s.
Schlitz history in Milwaukee
The label’s decline started in the 1970s after cost-cutting recipe changes altered its flavor. The brand was sold to Stroh Brewing in 1982 and later acquired by Pabst in 1999. For people who still associate Schlitz with Milwaukee, the hiatus draws a line between the brand’s long history and its current production pause.
Joseph Conforti, speaking about the brand, said, “It's a nostalgia factor.” He added, “People from out of town are surprised that they still make it.” Those reactions now meet a different reality: the beer remains part of the region’s memory, but regular production is being set aside after the final batch later this month.
