Last Call! Beloved Beer Brand Is About To Brew Its Last Batch

Raise one up for one of the most iconic beer brands in America. After 177 years, Schlitz Premium is being discontinued.

Pabst Brewing Co., the brand’s parent company, announced that Schlitz Premium is being put “on hiatus.”

“Unfortunately, we have seen continued increases in our costs to store and ship certain products and have had to make the tough choice to place Schlitz Premium on hiatus,” head of brand strategy Zac Nadile said in a statement, according to USA Today.

“Any brand or packaging configuration that is put on hiatus is still a cherished part of our history and hopefully our future. We continually look for opportunities to bring back beloved brands, and customer feedback is important in shaping those discussions.”

Schlitz traces its roots back to 1849, when August Krug founded a tavern brewery in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. After Krug died in 1856, company bookkeeper Joseph Schlitz married Krug’s widow and renamed the company after himself.

Schlitz died at sea in 1875, but the company continued to grow and became one of the largest beer brands in the nation. Stiff competition eventually led to the company shutting down in 1982 before Pabst Brewing Co. revived the brand after acquiring it in 1999.

Schlitz returned to the market in 2008 with a reformulated version of its original brewing recipe, but never reclaimed its throne in the beer market.

Now the company is once again fading from store shelves.

Wisconsin Brewing Company brewmaster Kirby Nelson said the brand would receive a “proper sendoff” with “dignity and respect.”

The brewery plans to produce “the last Schlitz” at its Verona, Wisconsin, facility on Saturday, as Milwaukee-area bars and breweries host farewell parties honoring the historic brand. The final batch will be released June 27 as a limited-edition ode to “Schlitz’s glory days.” 

The news comes as alcohol consumption in the United States continues to decline. According to a Gallup poll published last year, the percentage of American adults who say they drink alcohol has fallen to 54%, the lowest on record in Gallup history.