Schlitz: The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous
Once the king of American breweries, Schlitz held the gold crown as America’s largest brewer throughout the first half of the 20th century, with its flagship beer known as “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.” By 1902, Schlitz had become the world’s top beer producer 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. But what seemed like an unstoppable empire would crumble spectacularly in just a few decades.
During the 1970s, in an attempt to cut production costs and keep up with growing demands, Schlitz’s owners decided to shorten the beer’s brewing time by implementing a process called “accelerated batch fermentation,” while also opting to replace its malted barley with cheaper corn syrup. Sales dropped as Schlitz’s customers grew frustrated with the brand and started returning cases of beer, forcing the company to recall more than 10 million cans and bottles of beer in 1976, costing the company over $1.4 million.
The final nail in the coffin came with a disastrous ad campaign dubbed the “Drink Schlitz or I’ll kill you” campaign, featuring burly men and snarling boxers who threatened physical violence if someone were foolish enough to take away their cans of Schlitz. Schlitz closed its Milwaukee brewery in 1981 and was eventually purchased by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1982, later sold to the Pabst Brewing Company in 1999.
Billy Beer: Presidential Brother’s Folly
On October 31, 1977, William Alton Carter III, then-President Jimmy Carter’s younger brother, appeared at a press conference in Louisville, Kentucky, to announce that he was lending his name to a new beverage: BILLY Beer. The can sported Billy Carter’s endorsement: “I had this beer brewed up just for me. I think it’s the best I ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot. I think you’ll like it, too.”…