Tag Archives: Schlitz – the beer that made Milwaukee famous

Jubilant July

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Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

America’s 250th Birthday was wonderful notwithstanding ongoing political and social controversies. We need to harken back to the principles on which this great country was founded. That includes the Rule of Law,

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” — Plato

Music lifts the soul. Whether it’s the US Marine Band playing John Philip Sousa marches or my favorite Big Band themes, golden oldies from my college years, country ballads or classical oboe masterpieces such as Mozart’s “Oboe Concerto in C major,” all of which are on my playlists, these are food for my spirit.

I was reminded of this recently when attending a book reading by author, Eric Gray, who just published a wonderful two-volume book Music We Heard Along the Way. It’s a compelling collection of stories from friends, family, and strangers about the moments when music helped to shape their lives.

Now perhaps I’m biased because my narrative about a concert and related experience during my sophomore year in college appears in volume 1, but don’t take my word for it. Heres’ what Robin Young, Host of NPR’s “Here and Now” says”

“Eric Gray reminds us that our collective memories form a symphony of recollection. The passing car whose radio blasts a lyric that a son, and later a father, will tattoo on his arm.

A woman who learned about America through staticky Madonna hits in her native Vietnam. Finding a life partner in the person who helped you up after a fall in the mud at a music festival. You will love these stories and remember your own.”

I first met this personable author two years ago when he did a similar reading from his book Backyards to Ballparks: It’s the second volume in a series of fan‑focused baseball books, following Bases to Bleachers. Eric compiled and edited over 1,250 personal anecdotes collected worldwide, all centered on baseball, but rich with human interest. (#2)

Eric and his wife of forty-nine years, Lynn Ellen Rhodes, were on a tour promoting his latest work. Besides his writing, I admire Eric because he’s a fellow Long Island, New Yorker; he got his undergraduate degree in political science and his favorite artist is Jackson Browne!

His 39-year career at the U.S. Department of Labor involved administering job training and employment programs for disadvantaged youth, most of that time spent with the Job Corps program.

About thirty people attended Eric’s reading in a pub in Portland this week and I was honored when my selection was one he read. He subsequently signed my book and we had a nice chat. (#3 – #5)

I’m sure that all of you are curious about why Eric selected my story….!? Well, it involves a concert at Oregon State University in 1968.

Many wonderful artists performed in Gill Coliseum during the late sixties and early seventies including Harry Belafonte, The Association, Petula Clark, The Doors and The Righteous Brothers. And a lot more. (From left – clockwise below) (#6 – #10)

But the most unforgettable musical event for a group of my SAE fraternity brothers and me was the wonderful concert by Grammy-award winning artist Lou Rawls. We were underage and couldn’t drink in a bar or brewery, so we rented a room at the Towne House Motor Inn – Corvallis’ finest motel!

The letter “e” on the end of “Town” indicated it was upscale – but nothing else. Unfortunately, the establishment has permanently closed, but before its ultimate demise, it rated a hefty 3.7 on a scale of 5 in Yelp. (#11)

It so happened that Lou Rawls was staying at the same hotel and he unexpectedly joined our dates and us at the party after the concert. (Sloe gin plays a key role in that encounter….)

Larry Rich and Don Whitney, two members of the Oregon State Giant Killer Football Team are also key “players.”

That night and an unlikely, chance encounter by SAE Rick Gaffney – the organizer of the concert – ten years later, is an entertaining and humorous tale. (At least Eric thought so.)

You can read the story in my blog post entitled “Did We Really Do That? – College Antics.” (#12- #13)

Lou Rawls
Sloe gin??

I hope you take a look at Eric’s books. Regardless of whether you have a passion for music or baseball, you will enjoy the read.

Farewell to a Classic

One event to diminish the jubilance of the summer is inability to belly up to a dive bar server and say, “Give me a Schlitz.”

While not a craft beer, Schlitz was one of my favorite beers in college and afterwards – most notably Schlitz Dry – which disappeared years ago. (#14)

The Schlitz Brewing Co. – founded in Milwaukee in 1849 – is an interesting story from when Joseph Schlitz – first hired as a bookkeeper in a tavern brewery – took over management of the brewery in 1858 and renamed it. “The Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous” became the largest beer producer in the U.S. in 1902.

However, Schlitz’s popularity declined in the 1970s due to recipe changes. The brand was sold to Stroh Brewing in 1982 before being acquired by Pabst in 1999. (Wikipedia) (#15)

The story of the historical brewery is typical of other major breweries both in the US and internationally – trying to adapt to changing tastes, compete and maintain profitability and acclimate to mergers.

A May 2026 Oregon Live article entitled, “Iconic American beer brewed for final time, going out with ‘dignity and respect'” states:

“Schlitz was acquired by the Pabst Brewing Company in 1999 and relaunched in 2008, but was unable to recapture the magic of its prime.

A Pabst representative told Milwaukee Magazine that discontinuing Schlitz was a ‘tough choice’ dictated by increased storage and shipping costs, but wouldn’t rule out bringing it back some day.” Here’s Hoping!

Changing Times?!

Oregon City Carnegie Library

The acceleration in societal change is a bit staggering. Not that I yearn for the days when I used to go to the card catalogue at the Oregon City Library for school research, but…..(#16)

I realized with a chuckle last week another example of change when we were taking care of our eight-year old granddaughter who is a very smart little girl. The days of mailed written personal correspondence, cards and bills has diminished to the point where many people conduct these transactions exclusively on-line

What’s a stamp?

We were at our younger daughter’s house when she and her husband were both at work. I wanted to mail a bill so I asked my granddaughter if she knew where her parents kept their stamps. Her reply was “What’s a stamp?” (#17)

This brought back memories of when our older daughter, Lisa, was in about sixth grade (around 1995) and had her own CD collection.

I was lying on our couch playing an old Eagle’s 33 RPM album on our turntable – part of my vinyl collection. I’d had the LP since about the time it was released in the early 1970’s.

I’d been listening for a while and Lisa heard “Peaceful Easy Feeling” near the beginning and liked it. She asked if she could play it again. I told her to go to the turntable and start it over. She said, “Dad, it’s not on here,” to which I replied, “Lisa, I played it twenty minutes ago, look on the other side.”

She walked over to me with the album and exclaimed, “You mean these have two sides!” (#18)

The Eagles

An article entitled 32 Examples of Social Change published in August 2023, gives a comprehensive list. I didn’t look for an updated narrative – the number would now probably be over fifty. What concerned me when considering my own ability to adapt, was the final example — “Resilience”

“Resilience is the ability of a society to withstand stresses. Without resilience a society will experience instability whereby periods of prosperity and calm are followed by dramatic declines driven by environmental destruction, conflict, war, disease or natural disasters.”

So, in an effort to become more resilient, I guess I’ll start learning Claude Ai and throw away my manual typewriter, slide rule, copy of the Yellow Pages and my old VCR. (#19)

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. ChatGPT Image Generator (Fourth of July Celebration).

#2. Eric Gray Website (https://ericgrayauthor.com/).

#3 – #5.  Eric Gray Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10225465535293378&set=pb.1475568500.-2207520000&type=3).

#6.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Harry Belafonte 1970 (cropped).tif – Wikimedia Commons)    Public domain / Arquivo Nacional Collection – Agosto de 1970.

#7.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Petula clark 1965.jpg – Wikimedia Commons ) This work is in the public domain in the United States.  Author: Tullio Piacentini / Federico Zanni – 1965.

#8.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:The Association 1966.png – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.  Author: KRLA Beat – 1966. 

#9. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons  (File:The Doors 1968.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.  Author: Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) – 1966.

#10. Wikimedia Commons (File:TheRighteousBrothersperformingKBF.jpg – Wikimedia Commons)  No known copyright restrictions; “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.  Author and date unknown.

#11.  (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g51817-Corvallis_Oregon-Hotels.html).

#12. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:President Ronald Reagan meeting with Lou Rawls in the Oval Offiice (cropped).jpg – Wikimedia Commons)  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties..  Series: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 – 1/20/1989. 3 December 1984.

#13.  Wikimedia Commons (File:Hand Made Sloe Gin.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.  Author:  Smifff  – 9 December 2022.

#14.  Wikimedia Commons (File:Old Schlitz Beer advertisement in Milwaukee Wisconsin.JPG – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.  Author: Victorgrigas – 4 January 2014.

#15.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Schlitzbier Ad in German (1897).jpg – Wikimedia Commons).  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931.  Author: Davidis, Henriette – 1 January 1897.

#16. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:OREGON CITY OREGON CARNEGIE LIBRARY copy.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Srandjlsims – 29 May 2012.

 #17. US Postal Service (U.S. Flag 2026 Stamps | USPS.com).

#18. Wikimedia Commons (File:The Eagles in performance, 2008.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Steve Alexander – 2 December 2008.

#19. ChatGPT Image Generator (https://chatgpt.com/c/6a552616-dc68-83e8-ab87-66b36041e5d6).

Beerchasing in Wisconsin – Part I

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The sunset in Sister Bay, Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a beautiful state, most notably Door County, which is in the northeast part of the state and borders both Lake Michigan and Green Bay.  My wife and I were fortunate to spend a week there with my sister-in-law, Pam, in June – in Sister Bay, a charming little burg of 876 residents, but which hosts year-round tourism in what some refer to as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest.” 

The Cape Cod of the Midwest…

It is the land of bays, beer, brats, churches and cheese.   I can’t understand why Hillary Clinton was reluctant to return during the 2017 Presidential campaign, but that’s another story and one left best ignored when chronicling Beerchasing exploits.

Milwaukee – historic ambiance with modern energy

After a smooth flight from Portland to O’Hare, we rented a car and drove from Chicago to downtown Milwaukee the first night – Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

And the city, which we both really liked, has a lot of historic ambiance, but bustling energy and was hopping that weekend. Milwaukie is an  old and renowned beer town – for many years touted as “The beer capital of the world.”

According to Beerhistory.com, “……indeed, the city has been home to some of America’s largest brewers — Pabst, Schlitz, Miller, Blatz.” 

The historic Pabst Theater

The website states that factors such as abundant water, availability of raw materials such as hops and barley, cheap labor and even loads of ice from Lake Michigan were not responsible for the City’s preeminence in the sudsy brew.  Rather, it was a combination of factors including savvy business people with a vision and who expanded sales to outside markets and this very interesting bit of information:

This fire helped make Milwaukee the beer capital of the world

“Proximity to the large beer-consuming population of Chicago — and the easy and inexpensive lake transportation thereto — was always a boon to Milwaukee’s brewing industry.

For example, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 boosted sales of Milwaukee breweries enormously. Schlitz’s frequent shipments of beer to the devastated city earned it the slogan, ‘The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous.’ Schlitz enjoyed a 100 percent jump in sales immediately after the Chicago fire.” 

First Brewery in the city

We arrived in the early evening and scouted Water Street – adjacent to the Milwaukee River for a good place to eat and a craft beer although some Northwest skeptics warned us that craft beer in Milwaukee is a “mug of PBR with an orange slice adorning it…..”

The Water Street Brewery was our first stop and one that was interesting for its history and its beer memorabilia – including collections of beer cans (50,000 of which 6,000 are featured in 25 displays), 1,400 tap knobs, 2,300 coasters, 825 bottle and can openers, etc.)

One of twenty-five displays of beer cans

The micro-brewery, opened in 1987, was Milwaukee’s first according to the “Water Street Journal”:

The bottle opener collection – all 825 of them

“The city’s first modern “brew-pub” – with six gleaming copper vats to brew beer for tavern patrons opened Wednesday…..the building dates back to 1898…..

Demand for Water Street Brewery beer was so strong that in the first six months, brewing capacity was increased by 50%…..At the time there were only 16 brew pubs across the US…”

We had excellent beers and great food – bratwurst and spaetzle dumplings included.

My affinity for dive bars was accommodated by walking only one-half block from the brewery with two adjoining bars – Scooter’s Pub and Duke’s on the Water.  Janet is not a fan of dive bars although she acquiesced when I told her I had to take advantage of Scooter’s special – drafts of Miller Genuine Draft in a large plastic cup for a buck!

Perhaps because of the weekend, the bars were more genteel and had an enthusiastic diverse crowd that night unlike this Yelp review (2/3/16):

“Aside from a hot bartender there were no women on this side of this odd bar connected to another bar on the other side which is called Dukes.

Responding to the demand for $1 draft beers…..

That side had many more people and few women ventured to Scooters and from judging and looking at the bro’ crowd I could see why. the dudes in here were both drunk and dumb and rude. The place seemed pretty shabby and the lone bartender was overworked providing fair service.”

—–

The crowd was fine and I downed my MGD and we were  on our way.

A lively crowd at Duke’s

Lambeau Field – Home of the Green Bay Packers

The next day, we decided to take a short side trip on the way to Sister Bay, so we could see Lambeau Field in Green Bay – the famous home of the Packers.  Now Green Bay, with a population of a little over 100,000 is known as Title Town USA in light of the thirteen NFL championships, the most of any NFL city.

Toilet Paper Capital of the World – the other title Green Bay has under its belt…….

And Green Bay, does not have much else besides football, except for a few meatpacking plants and it probably doesn’t brag about the city’s other title – “The Toilet Paper Capital of the World”:

“…..Green Bay, home to the Quilted Northern brand. In 1901, Northern Paper Co. produced its first tissue. Named Northern Tissue in 1902, the product became splinter-free in the 1930s, two-ply in the 1960s and quilted in the 1990s.” (American Profile 1/14/2007)

Hinterland Brewery – almost across the street from Lambeau

And as expected, there were two breweries within a short radius of the stadium.  The first, Hinterland Brewery had just relocated to a sparkling new building across the street from the stadium although it does have an older gastro-pub in Milwaukee. The brewery originally opened in 1995 in an old meat-packing facility.

Twelve of Hinterland’s own and twelve guest taps

It has a gleaming interior with a display kitchen, two large wood-burning fireplaces for those cold Wisconsin days and a great patio. We tried two of the twenty-four beers on tap –  Hinterland’s own Cherry Wheat Ale and the Nitro IPA  which the bartender told us was brewed with Oregon Simcoe hops.

A short drive down Vince Lombardi Ave. to the corner of Holmgren and Reggie White Ways….and we hit the massive parking lot for the Badger State Brewery.   On game days, the parking spots are only $20 if one patronizes the brewery – a great deal!

Our bartender, Josh, was friendly – as were all the staff we talked to in the Wisconsin bars and breweries – and recommended the On Wisconsin Red Ale

(“This red ale has a beautiful color given by the various caramel malts which also contribute a nice sweetness. All-American hops add light flavors of orange zest to the beer. Sweet – Fresh – Rustic – Hoppy.”)  Since we had just partaken at Hinterland, we split this one and liked the color and taste.

Josh reviewing the beers on tap with Janet

We drove the ninety miles to Sister Bay through the beautiful Wisconsin countryside – the flat terrain was a real contrast to our mountainous Oregon topography.

Water Street Brewery     1101 N. Water Str.  Milwaukee

Scooters Pub      158 East Juneau Ave.    Milwaukee

Dukes on the Water    158 East Juneau Ave.  Milwaukee

Hinterland Brewing    1001 Vince Lombardi Ave.   Green Bay

Badger State Brewing      990 Tony Canadeo Run   Green Bay

Don’t Be a Clutz – Visit Lutz (Tavern….)

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A Woodstock Neighborhood Retreat

A 1999 story from The Oregonian, stated, “Lutz Tavern has more than 50 years of history soaked into its dark wood…….a tavern that’s been part of the community for decades.”

Dark wood and red booths retain historical ambiance – this also shows good selection on tap!

Ten years later, The Willamette Week 2009 Drink Guide echoed these sentiments by stating, “A retreat for those turned off by the poshness of the Pearl and the affected low-rent vibe of Hawthorne and Belmont area drinking establishments, Woodstock’s (neighborhood) Lutz Tavern is a dive bar free of pretension and political correctness…..

When the Yuppie Zombies descend on Portland, the city’s blue collar workers will hole up inside and drink to the apocalypse with Miller High Life.”

and then

abruptly in 2010, Lutz, which originally opened around 1943, closed to the lament of Reed College students and the working-class group of regulars.

however

Back in Business

Lutz Tavern rose again  on 11/11/11 – this time with a new kitchen and patio and serving liquor in addition to the traditional PBR and four other tall-boys including Ranier ($2 and $1.50 during Happy Hour – daily from 4 to 6 and 11 until 2 AM) and Hamms on tap along with seven excellent micro-brews and eleven bottled beers.

At one time, the Lutz received a commendation from Blitz Weinhard for the amount of Blitz it poured.

Thebeerchaser and long-time friend and telecommunications guru, Walt Duddington, visited the Lutz on a Tuesday night and it is a great neighborhood bar – distinguished by its patrons and a very long bar with a light blue formica top, dark red booths  and a vintage phone booth with an ATM inside!

Shaun – excellent at food prep, Thebeerchaser and the Beer Tour Logo

Perhaps a call to Pennsylvania 65 – 000 would be appropriate – for those of you old enough to remember

Our bartender, Billy Jo, was great as was Shaun the cook, who opined that the best thing about the Lutz was “its multi-cultural regulars” who range in age from 21 to 65.

Billy Jo – a quality person and bartender

College memories with “The Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous”

I loved the old beer signs – most notably that from Schlitz – my favorite beer in college (Schlitz Dry to be specific) and the picture of Jackie Gleason at the end of the bar.

One of these days, Alice — right in the kisser!

It was also refreshing to note that the plasma-screen TV was off – people were playing pool, pinball or just talking in the bar and on the spacious deck rather than watching …. soccer??

Talk rather than TV…

The food was really good – we both had an excellent Lutz Burger with an incredibly big serving of shoe-string fries. (we declined the peanut butter that Billy Jo said is a popular topping with some regulars).  Perhaps we should have had the Pulled Pork Sandwich which draws rave reviews (“the bun was six sizes too small for the amount of pork”). If we had not had the beer, however, we would have opted for the $3 milkshake – “make it boozy and add a well shot for $3…”)                                   

I’ll take that Strawberry Shake with a splash of Crown Royal

Distinguishing Characteristics – Paradoxically, the Lutz fills this category by having no real distinguishing characteristics other than a lingering sense of history that fortunately did not die in 2011.  It’s worth a visit and say “hello” to Billy Jo and Shaun.

Lutz Tavern                       4639 SE Woodstock