"A cherished part of our history and hopefully our future"

America is increasingly no country for old beer brands, and Schlitz, at a ripe old age of 177, certainly fits the description. Earlier this month, Chris Drosner broke the news that “The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous” was headed for the recycling bin of history. The veteran Wisconsin brewing-industry reporter filed his scoop at Milwaukee Magazine with a statement from Schlitz parent firm Pabst Brewing Company’s head of brand strategy Zac Nadile, who said:

Pabst acquired Schlitz in 1999, long after the sun had set on its glory days, so odes to legacy ring a smidge hollow. And the notion that anybody outside Pabst’s packaging department laments bygone “packaging configurations” is pure delusion. But the real buzzy beauty in this comment is how evasive it is about Schlitz’s de facto demise. The beer wasn’t selling well, and Pabst is in the business of selling beer, and that’s kind of the whole ballgame right there. We know this because Schlitz Malt Liquor, which sells better, is still in the mix! Nobody wanted Old Yeller to get shot, but at least Disney didn’t try to wrap the movie with a title card that said he’d been put “on hiatus.” Life is hard; speaking plainly about this very straightforward business outcome really shouldn’t be.

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