I Tried Rare '50s Classic Formula Schlitz Beer — Here's What It Tastes Like

Schlitz was once a classic "working (wo)man's" beer. My first experience with it was on tap at a biker's bar called Strokers near the Southwest Airlines headquarters in Dallas. The beer wasn't particularly noteworthy, but it was cheap and served ice cold. I continued to order it at dive bars around Texas for the low price and nostalgia factor. When I heard that Pabst was discontinuing the legendary Midwest beer after 177 years, it felt like another uniquely American product being lost to history and private equity — though not before one more batch was brewed.

While there was a run on the last remaining Schlitz beers available, I was able to score the last few cans at a couple of dark, old-school bars. Fortunately, I didn't have to cry for too long, because in May 2026, the Wisconsin Brewing Company decided to give "The Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous" a proper send-off. The brand announced that, with permission from Pabst, it would brew an 80-barrel final batch of Schlitz using brewing records dating back to 1948.

Brewmaster Kirby Nelson worked from those mid-century records to craft a beer that the brewery considers Schlitz's "Golden Age." This isn't just another limited-edition beer with cute retro packaging, though. Wisconsin Brewing Company describes this batch as being made with "classic ingredients and Old-World techniques," and what I experienced was exactly that. This was a clean, crisp beer with a nutty, malty character and a refreshing finish.

Compared to the Schlitz of dive bars past, this beer has way more depth than the watery stuff I'd been drinking. Considering Nelson's friend, a Schlitz collector, had purchased the recipe brewing logs from 1912 to 1948, the brewmaster uncovered key clues on how recreate the beer in its "classic '50s" heyday. While it's certainly not the rarest or most exotic-tasting beer I've ever tried, it's a true taste of the past — before national consolidation, globalization, and the rise and fall of microbreweries destroyed old-school regional American beers. In short, it's Schlitz at the height of its success.

I've only allowed myself one Schlitz so far. Wisconsin Brewing restricted buyers to a generous helping of five four-packs of Tall Boys. Humbly, I allotted four four-packs to share between myself, my brother, and my parents, who grew up buying six-packs for less than $3 in Lubbock, Texas. As of writing, the vintage-inspired beverage is currently sold out, though you can still sign up for the brewery's email waitlist.

Unlike so many of today's adult beverages, Schlitz has a real history that goes all the way back to 1849. At one point, it was considered the world's largest brewer. However, by the '70s, Schlitz made recipe changes to reduce brewing cost, and fans were understandably incensed. Paired with a disastrous ad campaign that jokingly threatened customers, the brand never quite recovered. While Pabst left open the possibility of a future comeback, for now, this Wisconsin batch represents the final goodbye of the beloved beer.