The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous

Just the kiss of the hops. Schlitz beer.

The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was once the largest producer of beer in the world. Its namesake beer, Schlitz, was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" and was famously advertised with the slogan "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer".

Schlitz first became the world's top beer producer in 1902 and enjoyed that status at several points during the first half of the twentieth century, exchanging the claim with Anheuser-Busch multiple times during the 1950s.

The company was founded by August Krug in 1849 but acquired by Joseph Schlitz in 1858. Schlitz would eventually be bought by Stroh Brewery Company in 1982, and subsequently be sold again along with the rest of Stroh's assets to the Pabst Brewing Company in 1999.

After a several decade period of decline Pabst reintroduced the original Schlitz beer in 2008, back-formulated to recapture the brew's taste before over-competitive zeal caused the original to be changed.