 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1849 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States |
| Founder | August Krug |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Assets sold to Pabst Brewing Company |
| Successor | Schlitz Brewing |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
Key people | |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner | Pabst Brewing Company |
| Website | schlitzbrewing.com |
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company is an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was once the largest producer of beer in the United States. Its namesake beer, Schlitz ( /ˈʃlɪts/), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" and was advertised with the slogan "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer".[1] Schlitz first became the largest beer producer in the US in 1902 and enjoyed that status at several points during the first half of the 20th century, exchanging the title with Anheuser-Busch multiple times during the 1950s.[2]
The company was founded by August Krug in 1849, but ownership passed to Joseph Schlitz in 1858 when he married Krug's widow.[3] Schlitz was bought by Stroh Brewery Company in 1982 and subsequently sold along with the rest of Stroh's assets to Pabst Brewing Company in 1999.[4] Pabst produced several varieties of Schlitz beers alongside Old Milwaukee.[5]
On November 13, 2014, Pabst announced that it had completed its sale to Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings, LLC. Blue Ribbon is a partnership between American beer entrepreneur Eugene Kashper and TSG Consumer Partners, a San Francisco–based, private-equity firm.[6] Prior reports suggested the price agreed upon was around $700 million.[7]
- ^ Yenne, Bill (2004). Great American Beers: Twelve Brands That Became Icons. MBI Publishing Company. p. 158. ISBN 0-7603-1789-5.
- ^ Victor J. Tremblay and Carol Horton Tremblay, The United States Brewing Industry (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press 2005), 68
- ^ "Going for the Gusto for over 150 years". Schlitz Brewing Company. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Schlitz returns, drums up nostalgic drinkers". Gannett Co. Inc. August 1, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
- ^ Our Portfolio Archived 2011-11-15 at the Wayback Machine from the company's website
- ^ DesChenes, Denise. "Pabst Brewing Company Completes Sale To Blue Ribbon Holdings". TSG Consumer Partners. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ^ Wilmore, James (November 14, 2014). "Pabst Brewing Co sale finalised as Eugene Kashper, TSG take reins". Just-Drinks. Retrieved June 5, 2015.