AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The last batch of Schlitz has been brewed, and beer drinkers from Milwaukee to Manitowoc and as far south as Chicago are taking their last sips.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: We're sending Schlitz off...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Laughter).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: ...In a big way.
RASCOE: WFLD TV captured those mourners in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. Schlitz Beer's Milwaukee roots stretch back to 1849 in August Krug's saloon on Chestnut Street. Krug hired fellow German immigrant Joseph Schlitz as a bookkeeper. When Krug died unexpectedly just a few years later, Schlitz bought the saloon and the brewery in the back.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 proved to be a boon, doubling Schlitz's sales in just the following year as Chicago's breweries began to rebuild. The company poured the proceeds into innovations like purer yeast for more consistent quality, refrigerated shipping and was the first industrial brewer to use brown bottles, which protected their contents from sunlight.
Schlitz was America's largest brewer both before and after prohibition and kept a leading position well into the '70s. Stumbles and bad calls started to decline that led to a sale to Stroh Brewing in 1982. Further industry consolidation found Schlitz in the portfolio of Pabst, which cited storage and shipping costs in its decision to discontinue the brew. Pabst stopped production months ago.
This weekend's sips are thanks to Wisconsin Brewing Company, which got permission to brew one last batch. So pour one out for a real one, but not if it's a Schlitz because...
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) When you're out of Schlitz...
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) Unthinkable.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) ...You're out of beer. Real gusto in the great light beers - Schlitz.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) The beer that made Milwaukee famous. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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