Joseph Schlitz arrived in Milwaukee in 1850 with little more than ambition. He took a job as a bookkeeper at August Krug’s small tavern brewery. When Krug died suddenly in 1856, Schlitz stepped in and took over the operation entirely. He renamed it the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. and quickly scaled production from 200 barrels to 2,000 barrels by 1859.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 changed everything for the brand. The disaster destroyed Chicago’s breweries overnight, leaving the city without beer. Schlitz shipped hundreds of barrels to Chicago to meet the desperate demand. Grateful Chicagoans became loyal customers, and the brewery earned the nickname that would define it for generations: “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.”
By 1902, Schlitz had sold over one million barrels of beer in a single year, placing it among the largest breweries in the world. That kind of growth didn’t happen by accident. The company invested heavily in quality and distribution, building a national reputation one barrel at a time.
Prohibition hit in 1920 after the 18th Amendment passed. Schlitz could no longer sell beer legally, so the company adjusted its slogan to “the drink that made Milwaukee famous” and pivoted its production to stay solvent. When the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition in 1933, Schlitz wasted no time. The brewery fired its equipment back up and restored the original slogan, swapping “drink” back to “beer.”
The 1950s were a golden era for Schlitz advertising. The brand leaned into postwar optimism, placing its beer in scenes of backyard barbecues, fishing trips, and family gatherings. The ads spoke directly to the American middle class, presenting Schlitz as the natural choice for life’s everyday celebrations.
Color printing and television gave Schlitz powerful new tools in the 1950s and 1960s. The brand’s print ads were bold and eye-catching, often featuring sharply dressed couples or rugged outdoorsmen holding a cold bottle of Schlitz. The tagline appeared in nearly every ad, reinforcing the Milwaukee connection.
Schlitz ads from this era also targeted women directly, which was uncommon for beer advertising at the time. Some campaigns showed women enjoying Schlitz at social gatherings, signaling that the brand saw a broader market than its competitors were willing to chase.
Sports sponsorships played a major role in Schlitz marketing during the 1960s. The brand tied itself to baseball, boxing, and football, reaching millions of male viewers during major broadcasts. These sponsorships kept the Schlitz name front and center during America’s most-watched events.
The vintage print ads below capture Schlitz at the height of its cultural presence. From holiday spreads to summer outdoor scenes, these ads reflect both the era’s design style and the brewery’s ambition to be America’s beer of choice.
