A Legendary Midwest Beer Is Being Discontinued After 177 Years

For most of the time that the United States has been a country, 177 of its now 250 years, the Milwaukee-based brewery Schlitz has been producing beer. That's a solid 70% of the tenure of this country, and through all of it, at least in the right areas, a cold glass of Schlitz could be relied upon to bring friends together or wash away the troubles of a long day. It was recently announced, however, that production of this famed legacy beer will come to an end just days from now.

In recent years, Schlitz has not been a major name in the beer aisle, but this brewery, founded all the way back in 1849, has a long and storied history. It originally began as both a brewery and a restaurant in the mid 19th century, but within a few decades had expanded into a massive brewing operation. By the start of the 20th century, Schlitz was not just the largest brewery in the U.S., but in the entire world. While it maintained a dominant position for a number of decades, the fall did eventually come.

What happened to Schlitz as a brand can be attributed to both a series of production errors and a disastrous ad campaign in which the brand seemed to threaten physical violence toward those who chose other beers, but it also fell victim to the growing behemoth of Budweiser. In 1957, Budweiser took the top spot and never looked back. For Schlitz, it was a long, slow decline.

In 1992, the Milwaukee plant was closed, and the brand was sold to Stroh Brewing Company. In 1999, it was again sold, this time to Pabst, who relaunched the brand. Citing rising costs as the main culprit, however, Pabst will now add this brand to the list of discontinued vintage beers — though not without a proper goodbye.

On May 23, one final 80-barrel batch of Schlitz will be brewed at the Wisconsin Brewing Company's facility in Verona, Wisconsin. It won't be just any batch of Schlitz, either; this is one that reaches back into the beer's heyday. Wisconsin Brewing Company Brewmaster Kirby Nelson has delved into 80-year-old brewing records to develop a recipe that will replicate Schlitz in its prime, giving fans one last chance to enjoy this iconic beer as it was in the height of its glory. This last batch is expected to arrive on June 27, as part of a special commemorative event at the brewery. For those who wish to get their hands on some of these last Schlitz, pre-orders open on the Wisconsin Brewing Company website the same day as the brew itself, May 23.

It may be hard to imagine that any beer that spent decades as the top-selling brand in the world could fade into obscurity as Schlitz has, but much has changed in the world of beer over the past 177 years. So long as light beer stays so popular, though, there is always a chance that "the beer that made Milwaukee famous" will find its way into our glasses once again.