Schlitz finds its way back to Milwaukee
20.06.2008 05:01
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- Source: JS Online
Dean Wonser was 9 when he tried his first Schlitz. It didn’t go down so well. His Cub Scout troop was attending a Brewers game at County Stadium, and Wonser’s father said he could have a sip of beer. Wonser managed to swallow a few big gulps before Dad yanked his cup back. A few innings later, he was in the fetal position on the bleachers, trying not to vomit in front of his pals. When Wonser turned 18, in 1980, he drank his first legal Schlitz, for years advertised as “The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous.” But the stuff was watery and weak, leaving Wonser to wonder: “Gee, what was I waiting for all these years?” Wonser learned that the formula for Schlitz had been changed, and not for the better. So Wonser tried other beers, and today favors Miller High Life Light. But he’s willing to give Schlitz another shot, now that it’s being sold again as the “Classic 1960s formula.” “Absolutely, I will,” Wonser declared Thursday, after learning about next week’s return of Classic Schlitz to Milwaukee. He grew up in the Riverwest neighborhood, where there was seemingly a tavern on every corner, and “everyone drank Schlitz. That’s just the way it was.” Guys like Wonser, in their 40s and older, are the main target of Classic Schlitz, which is being sold only in bottles. Pabst Brewing Co., which now owns the Schlitz brand, last year resurrected the old recipe. The standard formula Schlitz, the beer that Wonser found uninspiring, is still available in cans. But Pabst thinks it can tap into baby boomer nostalgia by bringing back Classic Schlitz in bottles, said company President Kevin Kotecki. “The Schlitz that we sell in cans is a fine product, but it’s not the original formula,” Kotecki said. The reformulated Schlitz in bottles is a “much more full-bodied product,” he said. Pabst worked with former Schlitz brewmasters to recreate the taste and look of Classic Schlitz, Kotecki said. Pabst, based in suburban Chicago, owns dozens of brands but doesn’t operate any breweries. Classic Schlitz is brewed under a contract arrangement by Miller Brewing Co. at its Eden, N.C., brewery. Pabst will begin selling bottled Schlitz in Milwaukee on Tuesday, and will mark the occasion with a noon event at the former Brown Bottle restaurant, now Libiamo Restaurant, 221 W. Galena St. Libiamo is in the heart of Schlitz Park, an office park converted from the former Schlitz brewery. Schlitz, once the best-selling beer in America, has great potential, Kotecki said. “It’s not going to be the largest beer in the country,” Kotecki said. “But we think there are huge numbers of former Schlitz drinkers who have great residual interest, and will try it again. And other people who appreciate great beer will want to try it.” It’s a long journey back for a beer once sold as the epitome of “gusto.” Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. was the nation’s largest brewer until 1957, when Anheuser-Busch Cos. surpassed it. But Schlitz continued to fight fiercely for market share, and nearly 20 years later saw an opportunity to again take the crown. A 1976 strike at Anheuser-Busch had caused a sales slump, and Schlitz moved to fill that gap. So Schlitz shortened the time it took to brew beer in order to pump out more suds, according to the book “Beer Blast,” by Philip Van Munching. In reducing the brewing cycle, Schlitz also shortened the process that creates carbon dioxide — which purges substances that can cause beer to spoil more quickly, Van Munching wrote. Also, Schlitz made a change in its foam stabilizer to prolong the beer’s shelf life. However, it had the opposite effect of speeding up the beer’s deterioration, according to Van Munching. Suddenly, Schlitz tasted different, and sales dropped. In 1981, workers at the company’s Milwaukee brewery went on strike. Management decided to close the brewery, angering area residents. A year later, Stroh Brewery Co. bought Schlitz. Most of Stroh’s brands, including Schlitz, were later purchased by Pabst, another former Milwaukee-based brewer. Pabst first began selling Classic Schlitz in Minneapolis and Tampa, Fla. In April, Classic Schlitz was brought to Chicago. Among those who drank Schlitz in its hey-day is Paul Noel of Green Bay. He recalls quaffing it while serving as an Army medic in Vietnam in 1967. Noel, now of New London, remembers having trouble adjusting to the 115-degree temperatures and high humidity while serving at an Army hospital. “The only part of the hospital that was air conditioned were the operating rooms, so after a 12-hour shift taking care of the wounded, a couple of ice cold Schlitz really hit the spot before hitting the sack,” Noel wrote, in an e-mail. “Being born and raised in Green Bay, seeing the Schlitz from Milwaukee was a very welcome sight halfway across the world.” SCHLITZ: THE RETURN What: Schlitz “Classic 1960s formula.” When: Sold in Milwaukee beginning next week Where: Select stores and restaurants Sign of the times: The classic Schlitz formula is owned by Pabst Brewing Co., now based in suburban Chicago, and is being brewed under special contract with Miller Brewing Co. — at its North Carolina brewery. JSOnline.com The logo. The taste. The good times. Readers share their memories of Schlitz. Go to www.jsonline.com/links.
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