Schlitz was “the beer that made Milwaukee famous,” and depending on your age that phrase either means nothing or is burned into your memory from decades of advertising. We picked up a six-pack of the Classic tallboys to see what’s actually in the can behind the slogan.
At a Glance
| Style | American Adjunct Lager |
| ABV | 4.6% |
| Brewery | Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. (brewed today under Pabst) |
| Where It’s From | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| First Brewed | 1849 |
The Brand That Made Milwaukee Famous
Joseph Schlitz took over a small Milwaukee brewery in 1858 and built it into the biggest beer brand in America by the early 1900s, at one point outselling every other brewery in the country. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 actually helped: Chicago’s own breweries were wiped out, and Schlitz shipped enough beer south to fill the gap and pick up loyal drinkers for decades. The brand survived Prohibition, a 1980s buyout by Stroh’s, and eventually landed with Pabst, which still brews Schlitz today, including a “Classic 1960s Formula” version aimed at drinkers who remember the original recipe.
What It’s Actually Like
Poured into a glass it’s pale straw gold with a thin white head that fades fast. The nose is light and a little sweet, mostly corn adjunct with a faint grainy note. On the tongue it’s crisp and light-bodied with a mild sweetness up front from the corn, balanced by Cascade, Mt. Hood and Willamette hops that keep it from tasting one-note. It finishes clean and fast, built for drinking cold in volume rather than sipping slowly.
How It Compares
Schlitz sits in the same lane as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Style and Hamm’s: light, corn-forward American lagers built in the mid-1900s and still made the same way today. It’s a touch sweeter than PBR and less bitter than a modern craft lager, which is exactly the point. If you grew up on the marketing or you’re chasing the “Classic 1960s Formula” nostalgia, it delivers on that; if you’re looking for hop character, look elsewhere.
- Genuinely historic recipe and brand
- Light, easy-drinking, built for a cooler full of ice
- Cheap enough to buy by the case
- Balanced by real hop additions, not just corn
- Thin body and fast-fading head
- Not much complexity if you’re used to craft lagers
- Sweetness from the corn adjunct can read as one-note
Schlitz also still shows up regularly in nostalgia-driven marketing and retro packaging runs, trading on decades of brand recognition that few American lagers can match, even ones with bigger sales numbers today.
Schlitz still shows up in bar coolers across the Midwest, and the tallboy format is part of the appeal, it looks and pours like the beer people remember from decades of TV ads. If you grew up around a Schlitz drinker, cracking one open is as much about the ritual as the taste. For everyone else, it is a cheap, easy-drinking lager that does exactly what an adjunct lager is supposed to do: stay out of the way.
FAQs
Does Schlitz still use the same recipe?
Pabst brews a “Classic 1960s Formula” version of Schlitz aimed at recreating the pre-1970s recipe, alongside the standard modern Schlitz, since the original formula was altered several times over the decades to cut costs.
What is Schlitz beer made of?
Schlitz is an American adjunct lager brewed with barley malt, corn adjunct, and a blend of Cascade, Mt. Hood and Willamette hops, at 4.6% ABV.
Who owns Schlitz beer now?
Schlitz is owned and brewed today by Pabst Brewing Company, after passing through Stroh’s ownership in the 1980s and 1990s.
Is Schlitz beer still made in Milwaukee?
No. Production moved out of Milwaukee decades ago; Schlitz is now brewed under contract at Pabst facilities.
Best Way to Drink It
Schlitz is built for one job: being ice-cold and easy on a hot afternoon. Skip the fancy glassware and drink it straight from the tallboy or poured into a shaker pint, well below fridge temperature. It doesn’t reward slow sipping the way a craft lager might, so don’t treat it like one. A cooler full of ice and a backyard grill is really the natural habitat here, not a tasting flight.
