What HAPPENED to this #1 US BREWERY: Schlitz

[@phantomblott1]

I was in the Navy during the mid 1960's, stationed out of Norfolk Va. Out on Virginia Beach, there was a place called, "The Light House" right on the ocean. We would order a plate of blue crab along with Schooners of Schlitz beer in frosted mugs. Just great memories from times long ago, I miss Schlitz beer today.

[@thebeercollector]

Great memory - thanks for sharing. I have similar memory in a restaurant outside of Ft. Benning, but with different beer.

[@danielnagle8338]

Nice video and great collection Schlitz is still the best brewing company of all time Then Now and Forever

[@thebeercollector]

thank you. Long Live Schlitz!

[@geronewaynespruill6595]

I Totally Agree.

[@BOBBOTO]

@@danielnagle8338 SCHLITZ and FALSTAFF. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!

[@michaelpatrickhamilton3384]

Great video Schlitz is a classic 🍺 🍻 cheers

[@thebeercollector]

Thanks. As you can tell, I'm a big Schlitz fan.Cheer!

[@Kevscancave]

Incredible Collection! 👍👀👍 Thanks! …….👍K👍

[@thebeercollector]

Thank you!

[@toddvolkman2414]

When you’re out of Schlitz… you’re out of beer!🎶

[@thebeercollector]

great slogan

[@frankdawley1982]

I worked at a Schultz distributor in the 80’s I remember all the point of sale advertising. Brings back good memories of when I worked there. The owner of the distributor was a hard nosed marine. I learned a lot from him. Thank you, Russell J. Saputo Sr. RIP.

[@thebeercollector]

Glad the video brought back some great memories. Thanks for sharing.

[@501rivet]

Being a Wisconsinite all my life, while attending the Wisconsin State Fair, I enjoyed visiting the several Milwaukee beer pavilions that existed up to the 1970's. The Schlltz pavilion was the largest, a long low structure decked in white w/Schlitz signage. The structure is still there at the fairgrounds as of 2024 and is now a standard beverage outlet w/a band stage. As a sidenote Blatz, Pabst, and Miller had impressive old school pavilions also, or courtyards of which the Pabst Beer pavilion also still exists (now rented out as a local eatery. Miller beers original pavilion was torn down in the early 70's and contemporary structures built. Alas, Blatz had a huge metal sign garden area, now long gone.

[@thebeercollector]

Very cool! - Thanks for sharing

[@RaceBannon-x1u]

I remember the Shlitz sign at every corner bar, store and honky tonk in my youth...

[@thebeercollector]

It sure was everywhere.

[@MrSteveb80]

back in the early 70's at Lum's restaurant by me we used to get Dark Schlitz on draught in a cold mug. it was outstanding. never could find it in bottles though up here in Ma.

[@thebeercollector]

I wish I could have tried Dark Schlitz.

[@MrSteveb80]

@@thebeercollector great memories when we became of age. it was so good.

[@JamesMatiak]

Nice collection love to see the rest in future video

[@thebeercollector]

Thanks. In time, I'll show more.

[@midmoprepper4960]

Nice video, nice collection!

[@thebeercollector]

Thanks. I collect all Wisconsin Breweries and this was just my Schlitz wall.

[@mrm52858]

Nice collection you have there.

[@BOBBOTO]

I remember when every bar and gin joint in Kansas City had a neon SCHLITZ sign sticking out from the building. GOOD BEER!!

[@thebeercollector]

Schlitz sure was everywhere

[@shawnwaters3274]

Nice video again keep it going

[@thebeercollector]

Thank you!

[@Bosco-z3c]

Used to haul loads out of Schlitz,Van Nuys,Ca

[@thebeercollector]

Very cool!

[@robertsuszek2327]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane,

[@thebeercollector]

My Pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it. Check out some of my other videos if you liked this one.

[@cardnut]

If I remember correctly, Schlitz was a sponsor of the New York Yankees and Reingold was the sponsor of the New York Mets.

[@thebeercollector]

Interesting.

[@oldrmike1195]

Ballantine beer and ale was the Yankee sponsor, brewed in Newark, New Jersey. Mel Allen would quaff a large mug in between inning as commercial. Yes Rheingold was the Mets sponsor. The fans preferred their jingle to the cheesy official tune. I remember Schafer beer being the Brooklyn Dodgers sponsor, Rupert Knickerbocker for the New York Giants, if I’m not mistaken.

[@davidmanley9437]

Beautiful collection I miss them Used to be my favorite

[@thebeercollector]

Thanks for the comment.

[@chriscasa167]

"Watch out for that Bull." Miss those commercials: Schlitz, Oly's, Ham and especially Reiner (for those from the NW).

[@thebeercollector]

Those are some classics!

[@kevinlindsey6862]

The invented the first malt liquor called bull 🐃 schlitz 😅😅😅!

[@fromthesidelines]

What happened? THEY CUT CORNERS, that's what! Schlitz got *cheap,* and eventually allowed themselves to be bought out by someone else.......who closed their brewery, and essentially bought the brand name for their own kinds of beer.

[@thebeercollector]

Yep - many mistakes made

[@stevebanks1640]

I use to drive an older man from the around when I first got my license in the 70s. We have a store in our little town that had the coldest beer around. Sometimes we would be 30 miles from the store but he'd make me drive there for a 6 pack of Schlitz and a pack of Winstons. It was his car so I didn't care lol. It was good beer though

[@thebeercollector]

Sounds like some good memories. Thanks for sharing.

[@JimGarver-tx8rj]

I miss Schlitz and Blatz. Two great beers. P.S. Olympia was also a great beer from the west, not a Milwaukee beer.

[@thebeercollector]

Agree Totally!

[@charlessupp2543]

Jo's. Schnitzel Jr. owned the old Brewers baseball team ( pre-Braves). Casey Stengel was manager for a time

[@charlessupp2543]

Jo's. SCHLITZ

[@thebeercollector]

Interesting - Thanks for Sharing!

[@zorkestar]

A joke from my young teens, and I am now in my 60's. was; Why don't girls drink beer at the beach? They might get sand in their Schlitz.

[@thebeercollector]

Oh my. LOL

[@mikebryan9160]

I remember back in the 1980's drinking Schlitz's malt liquor in tall cans that I think were sold in a 4 pack with a blue bull on the can. After a couple of those tall boy drinks you felt it. Good times back in the day!

[@thebeercollector]

Good memories. I think the malt liquor has a higher alcohol content.

[@brianlayne9742]

Schaefer Beer is alive and well in New York, I'm from Long Island Pabst makes it for a longtime now... but still a great beer! CHEERS

[@thebeercollector]

Cheers

[@kenm7179]

I still remember every word of the Schaefer jingle- "when you're having more than one......." -it must have been played constantly back in the day. That and the great old Narragansett ads. (Boston area).

[@tateflorell2751]

I can still buy Schlitz at my local liquor store for $10 for a 12. In holdrege Nebraska. Quite far away from Wisconsin

[@thebeercollector]

that is great. I keep hearing others outside Wisconsin finding it. Keep buying it, and maybe it will spread.

[@jovanweismiller7114]

Schlitz may have pioneered brown glass bottles and most other breweries followed suit, but Miller High Life was the holdout & is still holding out!

[@thebeercollector]

Yeah - I imagine they have some other process that doesn't allow the light to ruin their beer.

[@stevenhall9009]

​@@PoppoFitzI remember reading sometime soon after prohibition hit, Pepsi bought up the now unusable 12oz beer bottles from breweries around the country. And their new campaign was to offer Pepsi in 12 oz bottles "twice as much" compared to Cokes 6 oz bottle for the same price of 5 cents.

[@bobanderson6656]

@@PoppoFitz Nope, not a scam. Light (UV I think) will wreck a number of beverages, including beer and milk. Learned that in a college agriculture class long ago.

[@christopherhelms7290]

"Lets cut a few corners. Nobody will notice and we'll save a ton of money."

[@thebeercollector]

Famous last words.

[@The_Non-One]

Pretty crazy how, instead of quickly changing back to the original recipe, they doubled down and lost their market share. I can understand trying to save money, but when you see that you’re actually losing money, you change. These baboons didn’t, which puzzles me. What were they thinking?!

[@thebeercollector]

Agreed - I beleive they use this blunder in business textbooks.

[@lmchankins]

A new philosophy was taking hold of corporate America at the time; maximizing shareholder value. The theory had already been disproven, but the allure of massive short-term gains in lieu of long-term success ensnared businesses to the point where it became an addiction. Schlitz beer was one of the first brands to experiment that failed philosophy and behold, they no longer exist.

[@thevitaminp]

@@thebeercollector This is true. At Baylor Business School, in the late 80's we studied this case.

[@GreatDataVideos]

Coca-Cola recognized their mistake with "New Coke" and reversed course, otherwise the same may have happened to them.

[@kayandaeddings4803]

You forgot something else. In the 1970s and 80s, we had Schlitz malt liquor bull. And the slogan from the 1970s until around 1989 or 1990 was, no one does it like the bull. The only way we can probably still get it is an African-American liquor stores. That was my grandmother's, and my uncle's favorite beer back in the day.

[@thebeercollector]

Ahh yes, the good ole Bull!

[@stevebanks1640]

@@kayandaeddings4803 mine too !

[@kayandaeddings4803]

@@stevebanks1640 is that so?

[@stevebanks1640]

@kayandaeddings4803 a 40oz Bull and some Newports and I was straight lol

[@kayandaeddings4803]

@@stevebanks1640 i'm not an alcoholic but I do love the Schlitz matl liquor bull commercials. Even when it was on the radio. We had artist that did commercial spots for the radio versions as well.

[@garymckee63]

I wish I could purchase it in East Tennessee.

[@thebeercollector]

People have been telling me they are finding it outside the midwest. You never know - It may show up at some store. Good Luck.

[@phantomblott1]

Used to get it in Michigan, it went away several years ago and I'm afraid it's gone for good.

[@reb1050]

One of the things that took Schlitz down was cutting corners and they ended up with a beer that had tiny particles floating in it that resembled snot (mucus).

[@thebeercollector]

Yes, that would probably deter drinkers from repurchasing that brand for sure.

[@BOBBOTO]

SHADDUP. YOU SOUND RIDICULOUS

[@jordanbarger2655]

You can still get the bull in Florida

[@thebeercollector]

Nice!

[@MichaelSheffield-ox8yd]

First time I drank a beer, it was a Schlitz (in the late 1970s). Couldn't find it after that.

[@thebeercollector]

Although it's available, it is still not easy to find. I've found it in larger beer stores in Illinois and Wisconsin.

[@Iconoclasher]

I don't understand why companies mess with the recipes. Coca-Cola was big enough to recover from it by apologizing and admitting they were stupid then moving on.

[@thebeercollector]

I agree - people sometimes don't see the long term effect on their decisions.

[@jeffbauer3425]

I am in Florida , where they don't sell it ,and would love to drink the original recipe Schlitz! The only beer my dad drank in the 60s to early 70s , or until they screwed it up. How can I get some so I can taste the beer my departed Dad drank ? This would be great for the memories.❤

[@thebeercollector]

I know they sell it in Wisconsin and surrounding states. not sure how far their reach is. I would reach out to Pabst. They may be able to share where it is avaialbe.

[@khabbad]

You're gonna laugh, but Im in Pensacola area, we literally went to Baton Rouge and bought about 18 12 packs at total wine. Literally drinking it now, its a shame its so so so so so superior to all of the other macro lagers its no competition but people don't know it

[@thebeercollector]

I'm with you. My dad always has cold Schlitz in the fridge. I think he has it there, so I visit more often. LOL @@khabbad

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

Is this someone's personal collection, or a museum? This would explain why I can't find stuff like this for my collection.

[@thebeercollector]

Hi Tim - These items are from my personal collection. I find most of this stuff at Beer Shows. Check out "The Beer Collector" Facebook page for some of the Beer Show information.

[@paulmusso19]

Schlitz and Old Chicago Dark was all we drank as under aged kids…

[@thebeercollector]

Ahh the good ole days.

[@dawnhasbroken6304]

My very first beer was a Schlitz when I was 13. Warm and flat.

[@thebeercollector]

Probably not the best experience for a first beer. LOL

[@edward2448]

I used to love the "Tall Boy"

[@thebeercollector]

That was great packaging

[@LesterMoore]

I recall a "groaner" joke I heard on a stand down in Vietnam. There was one game to decide the National League Pennant between two Midwestern teams. Bottom of the 9th home team behind 1 run. They manage to fill the bases with 2 outs, 1 to go. The pitcher is tiring and is replaced by sore armed alcoholic relief pitcher ... Milt Famey. Famey proceeds to walk 2 batters on 8 straight pitches. Later as some of the happy winning team players are in the parking lot, they see an open doored parked car with a passed out Milt Famey slouched in the car, surrounded by empty Schlitz beer bottles. One player points at the sad sight and says, "Look guys. There's the beer that made Milt Famey walk us." 😄 GROAN.🤪

[@thebeercollector]

LOL

[@mindjob]

My favorite commercial was Hamms with the bear in techno color

[@thebeercollector]

Those were great. I did a video of Hamm's Show that you may like on this same channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqLXkKV8mbiEg6csi=0Myza8lQk7ts43s7

[@hgzhhghj1275]

Fun fact: "Schlitz" is German and means "slot" in English. Btw I'm German and never heard of this brewery until recently. Is it better than Budweiser? Greetings from Germany

[@thebeercollector]

Greetings! Interesting fact about the translation. The original (which is the current) formula is very good.

[@hgzhhghj1275]

@@thebeercollector Many Americans seem to prefer this over Budweiser, Miller's etc.. I might give it a try if I find it over here somewhere or next time I'm over in the states. 👆👍

[@JamesCarter-tc6bo]

@@hgzhhghj1275 Schlitz is owned by Pabst, which has no actual brewery. Last I knew, both brands were produced by Miller (Molson Coors) under contract. The Schlitz brewery in Tampa (now Yuengling) has a lot of Schlitz bottles buried from the 70s. The new filtering technique caused hazy beer in the summer. Maybe they were ahead of their time! It is amazing to see a brewery go from #2 in the country to an unknown brand today.

[@jeffbauer3425]

​@@JamesCarter-tc6bo Can I buy Schlitz in Tampa , and what do you mean they have bottles buried?

[@geronewaynespruill6595]

I Still Enjoy It, When They Sold It Here In California.

[@michellebrill1910]

I like schlits dark

[@thebeercollector]

Never had a chance to try that. I take it they don't make that any more.

[@GermanShepherd1983]

Schlitz had already declined to the point of no return before the I'll kill you ad campaign. It was the changing of the formula in the 60's that did them in. After that nothing could save them. I really didn't think the ads wee all that bad, certainly now worse than other ads in the '70's

[@thebeercollector]

Yes, there were certainly a number of contributing factors that led to their decline. I believe the changing of the formula had to be one of the biggest factors.

[@andrewoolman]

Wouldn’t surprise me that Schultz beer is being used to make cheese curds

[@thebeercollector]

Or Beer Dip!

[@blewitt3898]

My Grandad Herr preferred Schlitz to Budweiser.

[@thebeercollector]

My Dad still drinks Schlitz.

[@mvitti21]

I remember the "taste my Schlitz" ad campaign. Don't think it helped them much.

[@thebeercollector]

I'm sure there were many jokes about that tag line. LOL

[@davidkuharich9269]

Schlitz always gave me the shits.

[@thebeercollector]

Oh No!! LOL

[@mikemiller659]

the modello crowd took over

[@thebeercollector]

Modelo certainly made headway after the Bud Light controversy

[@garymorris1856]

I find it in Omaha, Nebraska.

[@garymckee63]

Yes, when I worked there, l could buy it when l went to a restaurant that had great hamburgers, and l can't recall the name of it.

[@thebeercollector]

Awesome - I continue to hear from people who are finding it in different states.

[@sometimes988]

YOU ONLY GO AROUND ONCE IN LIFE GRAB FOR ALL TH GUSTO YOU CAN ,i'm 70 don't drink anymore ,but if i had a SCHLITZ i would drink it ,it was a great beer,however i must confess i delivered schlitz to stores and bars in 1979 and 1980 in the chicagoland area ,by that time it had lost most of its market share ,thank god for old milwaukee ,we sold a lot of that ,but schlitz never recovered from their mistake .

[@thebeercollector]

Go for the Gusto! Thanks for sharing your story. Good Old Milwaukee - It doesn't get any better than this.

[@geronewaynespruill6595]

My Favorite No. 1 Beer In The World.

[@thebeercollector]

If only it were available in more places.

[@geronewaynespruill6595]

I Can Dig It.​@@thebeercollector

[@jdwilkins2000]

Question: "Why did they quit serving beer at the beach"? Answer: "Because the girls kept getting sand in their Schlitz"

[@thebeercollector]

LOL

[@edgabel6814]

Original formula was excellent beer.

[@thebeercollector]

It sure was!

[@garymorris1856]

Why did a successful brand change its recipe? doesn't seem to make sense

[@thebeercollector]

I imagine they thought they could get away with cheaper ingredients or process and customers wouldn't care. Well, they cared.

[@stever1791]

Coke tried this and FAILED TOO

[@garymorris1856]

@@stever1791 Yes, you are correct, pretty much, the very same thing. Good observation.

[@stever1791]

@@garymorris1856 Thanks

[@Preaplanes]

And now another titan falls

[@thebeercollector]

I know right - You would think people would learn from History.

[@jerryg4688]

Worst beer I ever tasted. And I've tasted a lot of beer. In the 1970s, a friend worked in a liquor store, and they would give it away to employees because nobody would buy it.

[@thebeercollector]

I think the 70s is when they started changing their recipe.

[@dominicromano1611]

Once my favorite beer. They changed the brewing process and it no longer was as good.

[@thebeercollector]

A mistake they learn about in Business School

[@DTWave81]

Not much information, just panning through this guy's memorabilia collection.

[@thebeercollector]

I agree. My channel is more about the Breweriana, so i kept it high level.

[@steveperry1344]

I used to like Schlitz in the 70's, then something happened, it became yuk.

[@thebeercollector]

Yep - they went with cheaper ingredients. dumb.

[@steveperry1344]

@@thebeercollector i think i saw it recently at the package store and next time i go in for my beer i will get some, at least a single. so when i buy my beer i buy like a mixed case of 6 buds, 6 coors, 6 millers, maybe 6 red stripe or maybe 6 ipa or maybe 6 naturai lights. i like to mix it up and kinda stick to regular american beer, it can get confusing when you see all the craft beers and i don't really have the taste for them. i'm not a big drinker and only have about 3 beers a week, like when it hits me.

[@georgedaniels4998]

That's wax my dad's beer

[@thebeercollector]

My Dad still has it stocked in his fridge.

[@tridevichamundamandirwithy6282]

Having a Shitz then a Buttwiper!

[@thebeercollector]

LOL

[@David-yw2lv]

Anheuser-Busch is destroying itself in going woke.

[@thebeercollector]

They certainly took a hit with that decision.

[@Bosco-z3c]

The Bull

[@thebeercollector]

Can't forget the Bull!

[@jamesskinner7185]

I could use a nice Shlitz beer when I listen to the democratic media Machine push out their next candidate 😂😂😂😂😂

[@thebeercollector]

LOL

[@martyduncan2636]

What a vapid, nothing piece of crap video! No detail, no context, no nostalgic commercials. I’d like my two and half minutes back 🙄

[@thebeercollector]

Yeah. My channel is more about showing off all the Breweriana out there. Towards the end, I share some very high level general comments about the fall of Schlitz, but it's mostly about the breweriana.

[@garylee9738]

What made Milwaukee famous has made a fool out of me….

[@thebeercollector]

"The Beer that made a Fool out of me". Has a nice ring to it. LOL.

[@kennethfeula2773]

Everybody kept getting the schlitz the next morning

[@thebeercollector]

LOL

[@StevesSlideandJazz]

It took a shitz?

[@thebeercollector]

It sure did

[@mwmann]

After about 75 I started noticing Schlitz gave me the shits

[@thebeercollector]

Age 75 or 75 beers?

[@mwmann]

@@thebeercollector 1975. Actually more like 74 come to think of it. I worked in a beer and wine store in Dallas. The owner in 1972 till I quit in 75 let us drink on the job. I drank a lot of different beers back then stocking the vault from the inside looking out at all the customers. Saw many church people I went to church with sneaking in buying beer, looking around like someone might recognize them. 😅 They didn't see me, I saw them. I was born in 54 so in 72 the law was still 21 drinking age. The owner didn't care. It was more laid back then. Cops in Dallas didn't care if you drove around drinking as long as you didn't wreck. I got stopped in my 66 SS 396 twice drinking beer. All they'd say is go home. Which me and my buddies didn't do. The 3 big sellers at Red Coleman liquor back in the early 70s was budweiser, schlitz and coors. At least in Dallas Texas. When I was young me and the other young guys would stack up cases of beer when we stocked up the big 3 brands from outside the cooler. We'd see who could pick up the most cases of beer and walk at least 3 steps. I was strong back then. 18 graduated from high school playing football, track, lifting weights. I could pick up 24 cases of stacked beer from the ground and walk the 3 steps. We had to spot each other cause customers were coming in and out and around us to get beer, etc. We couldn't afford to lose our balance or have cases of beer come crashing to the floor or on them. Amazingly we never did. Looking back we were crazy but what great times those were. Old man Jim Brown,who ran the store on my shift. He was a grizzled old world war 2 navy veteran. He had one phrase he'd tell me to never forget. Very simple phrase. He'd say never forget no matter me, you, anybody, whomever. People are stupid. The older you get boy you'll see. People are fuc*ing stupid. A pack of cigarettes was 50 cents. 6 pack of beer 1.49 +7 cent tax total 1.56. Premium case for the 3 selling brands. 5.66 total. I met a lot of Vietnam vets. And on occasion when no one was looking I'd sack them a 6 pack for free. Met Don Meredith number 17, Dallas Cowboys quarterback from the 60s and MNF personality along with Cosell and Gifford a couple of times. Tennyson Golf course was across the street. Met a few more like Bob Lilly and Mel Renfro and Lee Roy Jordan too. Cowboy games in the 60s was 2 dollars for end zone seats. Then when they moved to Texas Stadium in the 70s it was 6 dollars end zone seats. Just thought I would share. Now, at 70 years old picking up a case or 2 12 packs can be a chore sometimes. Good luck to you.

[@DeadBunny69]

Speaking of which, I have to go take a dump.

[@thebeercollector]

So many puns with the brand Schlitz