At a Chicago bar this week, the last known barrel of Schlitz beer in the city was tapped, poured and emptied. The moment looked like a simple farewell to an old Midwestern lager, but the history behind that final pour is much larger. Schlitz did not merely sell beer in Chicago. Its rise was intertwined with the city's recovery from catastrophe, its embrace of mass production and even the architecture of its neighborhood streets.
The farewell at Glunz Tavern in Old Town came after Pabst Brewing Company announced in May that Schlitz Premium would be placed on hiatus because of rising costs associated with storing and shipping the beer. The decision ended, at least for now, a remarkable 177-year commercial story that began in Milwaukee in 1849 and eventually made Schlitz one of the most recognizable beer names in America.
