Monday’s ad is for Schlitz Malt Liquor. I don’t ever remember the can looking so, well, stylish so I have to guess this is from the 60s? The pull-top is another clue, of course, as Schlitz introduced what they called the “pop-top” in 1963. Plus the stylized art looks rather bachelor pad circa mid-60s, too. Plus, I love those bold reds and blacks.
I’m a few yrs older than Jay & remember the can. I slugged a few of those in my college days- tasted better than Colt 45 or Country Club way back then, when Heineken & Lowenbrau were the limits of my beerscope!
I believe those cans can out as early as 1963 and were produced into the early 70’s — when they were replaced with a design featuring a large blue bull on a silver and black background with a white platform around the bottom of the can.
My Dad worked for Continental Can Company back in those days — and helped Schlitz build an internal can making plant at their brewery in Winston-Salem, NC — which was one of the largest and most advanced plants in the world when it opened. A couple of memories stand out from that time:
1. Cans were three-piece steel back then. And I remember walking around pallets of “flats” or the sides of cans, before they were rolled and welded into cylinders. What was cool about the Schlitz Malt Liquor cans is that they had some interesting copywriting on one side of the label — then, on the other side, you had the label as depicted in the ad above. That was unusual for that period of time.
2. What was also really, really cool is that the medallion design around the bottom of can, in the silver and black area, was embossed. Nobody else did that at the time. Schlitz was still going strong — and didn’t mind spending an extra penny or two on a can to make it stand out. Certainly worked on this 6 year old.
Great memories. And the ad above is a great one, too. Shame what happened to the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company — but when you tinker with a continuous brewing process — then put your flagship label on the product — bad things happen.