Schlitz

Brewed since 1849, Schlitz beer is one of the oldest beer brands in the United States; only
Pabst Blue Ribbon (1844) and Schaefer (1842) are older.  "The beer that made
Milwaukee famous," is a classic American lager, brewed with "just a kiss of the hops,"
meaning it has a mild taste with just enough bitterness to keep it from being bland.  Until the
mid-1970s, Schlitz was one of the top two beer brands in the USA, rivaling Budweiser in
sales.  However, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company began to falter under relentless
Anheuser-Busch advertising pressure and internal conflicts with a militant union labor force.
In 1982, Schlitz, and all of the company's other brands (Schlitz Light, Schlitz Malt Liquor,
Old Milwaukee, Old Milwaukee Light, and Erlanger special premium beer) were acquired
by the Stroh Brewing Company.  In 1999 Schlitz became a Pabst Brand.  Erlanger, Schlitz
Genuine Draft, and Schlitz Ice have been added and dropped from the Schlitz family since
1981.  Schlitz Genuine Gold is a product sold only in Canada.  Also, in 2008 Pabst Brewing
developed a new Schlitz Gusto 1960s formula, which claims to be a reinvention of the sixties
recipe.  Supposedly, Schlitz had changed their recipe sometime in the 1960s or 1970s,
making a more watered-down beer.  Pabst contacted retired Schlitz brewery workers, who
helped develop the new (old) recipe.  There is some doubt to as whether Schlitz actually
changed the formula, because Pabst was unable to locate any documents containing the old
recipe.  It seems unlikely that Schlitz would not have had a paper trail in their files that would
have been able to show when, if, or how a new formula or recipe was developed decades ago.
One wonders if the recipe change is not a myth more than a fact.  Beer drinkers, who had
largely abandoned Schlitz in the 1970s and 80s, might have perceived a difference from what
they had drunk in earlier days.  But, whatever the case, the new (2008-present) Schlitz has
4.7% alcohol and a slightly fuller body and more bitter hop profile than the regular Schlitz beer,
which has 4.6% alcohol.  This is only a relative change, because I've sampled both versions
extensively, and find the real differences to be minimal.  Possibly, the ordinary Schlitz might be
creamier than the new Gusto Schlitz.  But, both are delicious. 

Another interesting fact is that the new and old Schlitz versions are never sold concurrently in
the same market, so as the 2008 version is introduced, the pre-2008 version is taken out of that
area.  The general plan is a gradual phase-out of the pre-2008 version (which has been sold
only in cans since 2001).  The Schlitz Gusto beer is sold in 16 oz. cans (called "Tall Boys"), 12
oz. bottles, and on draft.  Whether this new formulation and "Gusto" retro promotion will make
Schlitz a popular beer again remains to be seen.  Since the beginning of 2010, when
negotiations started for the buyout of Pabst by the Metropoulos  family (finalized in June, 2010),
there seems to have been little to no promotion of Schlitz, whereas in 2008 and 2009, there was
relatively heavy promotion of the beer in print, television news stories, and on radio (in the areas
in which it was being phased in).  Schlitz beer of either recipe has received no national
advertising attention of any kind since the 1982 buyout.

I would recommend giving Schlitz a try.  You will probably find that it stands toe to toe with any
of the other major American-style lager brands.