Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company
The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company is a former American brewery in Milwaukee . From the beginning of the 20th century until the 1950s, the Schlitz product flagship was one of the best-selling beers in the world.
history
founding
Joseph Schlitz , from Mainz , worked as an accountant for the pub brewery of August Krug, who was also of German descent . After Krug's death in 1856, Schlitz took over management of the brewery. Two years later he married the widow Krugs and changed the name of the brewery to Joseph Schlitz Chesnut Brewery . The new accountant was Krug's nephew, August Uihlein . Schlitz later hired Uihlein's brothers Henry , Alfred and Edward .
The widely spread story that the brewery owed its rise to national notoriety to Schlitz's commitment after the Chicago fire , more precisely the donation of thousands of barrels of beer, is nothing more than a later marketing myth. Even the advertising slogan "The Beer that made Milwaukee famous", which only became widespread in the late 1880s, had nothing to do with this episode, but was part of the tough competition between the leading breweries in Milwaukee.
In January 1872, Schlitz set up his first agency in Chicago, and later a central filling and cooling station for supplies to the Midwest. Since the mid-1870s, the distribution network has expanded to increasingly distant cities. This expansion was supported by brewery-affiliated saloons. Here, too, Chicago was of outstanding importance, since the company had built up a network of up to 80 pubs there since the late 1880s. Schlitz turned down an offer to buy from Bratton and Sons in 1873. At the beginning of 1874, when the company Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company also laid the financial foundations for further expansion.
Joseph Schlitz stipulated in his will that the company was not allowed to drop the suffix "Schlitz". In addition, August Uihlein should be used as his successor. Joseph Schlitz died in the sinking of the passenger steamer Schiller in 1875. After the death of his wife Anna Maria Krug Schlitz in 1887, the majority of the shares went to the Uihlein brothers.
Growth and market leadership
In 1902 the Schlitzbrauerei was the largest brewery in the world with an output of one million barrels of beer. The signature brown bottle was introduced in 1912. At the time of Prohibition , the company name was changed to Joseph Schlitz Beverage Company. Instead of beer, Schlitz produced various soft drinks, such as Schlitz Ginger Ale.
In addition to the beverage industry, the family also worked in transportation, finance, and real estate. After 1934 Schlitz was again the most successful brewery in the world. 1953 the company was overtaken by Anheuser-Busch for the first time . The reason for this was a 76-day strike, which cut production considerably. It was not until the introduction of the Old Milwaukee brand that Schlitz was able to restore its market leadership. Until the late 1970s, Schlitz and Anheuser-Busch were competitors for market leadership. In 1971, Schlitz opened the first filling line for aluminum cans - the first of its time.
Decline and sale
With constant pressure to cut costs, the manufacturing process of the popular slot has changed. Not only the brewing process itself, but also the ingredients were changed in several experiments in such a way that the taste and shelf life of the beer deteriorated.
Another strike in 1981, in which around 700 workers took part, finally brought the company out of business. Both the Pabst Brewing Company and the G. Heileman Brewing Company tried to incorporate Schlitz, but this was banned by the US Department of Justice . Slot was eventually to the Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit sold. The once popular brand gradually lost further market shares in the following years.
The site of the Schlitz brewery was converted into a mixture of residential and commercial area, the Schlitz Park .
Revitalization of the brand by Pabst
In 1999, Stroh Brewery Company was bought by Pabst Brewing Company , who set out to revive the old brand. Since the original recipe was lost during the experimental phase, Pabst had to conduct extensive research to restore the taste of the old Schlitz. By involving product testers and former master brewers, it was finally possible to reconstruct the recipe for Schlitz beer.
In 2008, the reintroduction began with a large-scale television campaign. The first sales regions included Chicago , Florida , Boston , Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Milwaukee . In keeping with the marketing as a classic beer of the 1960s, the former playmate of 1968, Cynthia Myers, was hired as the brand's spokeswoman.
Trivia
- The following joking poem, which was written around the turn of the century, contained the names of the most successful American breweries at the time:
“A young lady by the name of ANHEISER,
Who said no man could surprise her,
But PABST took a chance,
Found the SCHLITZ in her pants "
And now she is sadder, BUDWEISER." - In May 1968 Jerry Lee Lewis sang the song "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)", alluding to Schlitz beer.
- In the Simpsons episode Waiting for Duffman (S26E17) it turns out that the secret recipe for Duff beer is " Schlitzbier + Wasser ".
Web links
- Official Homepage (English)
- Detailed company history (English)
- Article about Schlitz Brewing Company (English; PDF; 164 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Schlitz - The Beer (& Bottles) That Made Milwaukee Famous (English; PDF; 164 kB), p. 1, accessed on June 10, 2013
- ^ Uwe Spiekermann, "Political Revolution, Emigration, and Establishing a Regional Player in Brewing: August Krug and Joseph Schlitz." In Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present , Vol. 2, ed. v. William J. Hausman and the German Historical Institute. Last change September 19, 2016. http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=279 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ History of the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company ( Memento of the original from November 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed June 10, 2013
- ↑ Schlitz - The Beer (& Bottles) That Made Milwaukee Famous (English; PDF; 164 kB), p. 3, accessed on June 10, 2013
- ↑ Schlitz History: 1800's-1930's ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed June 10, 2013
- ↑ a b Schlitz - The Beer (& Bottles) That Made Milwaukee Famous (English; PDF; 164 kB), p. 4, accessed on June 10, 2013
- ↑ Schlitz History: 1970's-1990's ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed June 10, 2013
- ↑ Schlitz Park (English), accessed June 10, 2013
- ↑ Schlitz History: 2000's ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed June 10, 2013
- ^ Pabst Brewing Company: Product Portfolio , accessed June 10, 2013
- ↑ Schlitz - The Beer (& Bottles) That Made Milwaukee Famous (English; PDF; 164 kB), p. 2, accessed on June 10, 2013
