Kevin M. Kruse
‪@kevinmkruse.bsky.social‬

My junior year at UNC, when my friends and I had no money to do much else, we took a road trip to the Schlitz factory in Winston-Salem.

You get three free drinks at the end, and yes, malt liquor was an option. But my big prize was a Schaefer t-shirt that I wore until it disintegrated.

‪Dan Shafer‬
‪@danshafer.bsky.social‬
· 16h
RIP to my favorite dive bar beer, a true legend, the beer that made Milwaukee famous. This is a genuine bummer.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2026/05/15/schlitz-once-milwaukees-biggest-brewer-is-being-discontinued/90095322007/

Schlitz beer production ends after 175 years
Pabst Brewing Co. is ending production of Schlitz, the beer that 'made Milwaukee famous,' after 175 years.
www.jsonline.com
8:11 PM · May 15, 2026

Dan Shafer
‪@danshafer.bsky.social‬

RIP to my favorite dive bar beer, a true legend, the beer that made Milwaukee famous. This is a genuine bummer.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2026/05/15/schlitz-once-milwaukees-biggest-brewer-is-being-discontinued/90095322007/

Schlitz beer production ends after 175 years
Pabst Brewing Co. is ending production of Schlitz, the beer that 'made Milwaukee famous,' after 175 years.
www.jsonline.com
3:49 PM · May 15, 2026

BUSINESS
Schlitz beer production ends after 175 years

Francesca Pica
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated May 15, 2026, 2:22 p.m. CT

Schlitz, the beer that made Milwaukee famous, is no more.

Pabst Brewing Co. is ending production of Schlitz, which began as a Milwaukee tavern brewery and was once America's largest brewer. The company, founded in 1849, was bought by Pabst in 1999.

To send the Milwaukee icon off, Kirby Nelson with Wisconsin Brewing Co. will brew a final 80-barrel batch of Schlitz on Saturday, May 23 at its Verona brewery. Nelson will then give a talk about the brand at 1 p.m.

Nelson said Schlitz deserves to go out with "dignity and respect." So, he'll be brewing with the company's specifications from 1948, when it was on top of the U.S. brewing industry.

{snip}