Pabst Brewing Co has cited “continued increases in our costs” for its decision to cease production of the Schlitz beer brand.
The group confirmed to Global Drinks Intel yesterday (20 May) that it has placed the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-founded brand “on hiatus”. Texas-headquartered Pabst did not rule out relaunching Schlitz in the future, saying: “We continually look for opportunities to bring back beloved brands.”
Wisconsin Brewing Co, which produced Schlitz Premium under licence, is releasing a ‘limited throwback Schlitz’ that will be available to preorder online this week for US$10 per four-pack of 47cl cans. The brewer announced it was “brewing the last Schlitz” for the core line on its Instagram account last week.
“Unfortunately, we have seen continued increases in our costs to store and ship certain products and have had to make the tough choice to place Schlitz Premium on hiatus,” Pabst’s head of brand strategy, Zac Nadile, told Global Drinks Intel.
“Any brand or packaging configuration that is put on hiatus is still a cherished part of our history and hopefully our future. We continually look for opportunities to bring back beloved brands and customer feedback is important in shaping those discussions.”
Last year, Pabst concluded its five-year flavoured malt beverage tie-up with Brown-Forman in the US, with the latter retaking control of the Country Cocktails extension of Jack Daniel’s.
