Schlitz Runs Dry at Chicago Tavern as Pabst Puts 177-Year-Old Brand on Hiatus

10 articles · Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · May 22

7:55 p.m. Wednesday marked Schubas Tavern’s last Schlitz pour, when the tap died mid-glass and staff split the final trickle into three shot glasses.
Pabst put Schlitz on an indefinite hiatus last week to cut rising costs, while Wisconsin Brewing is allowed one final 80-barrel batch on Saturday.
Schubas had rushed to stock up after hearing in February that Schlitz was ending, even though the $5 draft remained its top seller at up to 500 glasses a week.
Chicago’s sendoff reflects the beer’s deep local roots: Schlitz once thrived in the city after the 1871 fire, and Schubas itself occupies a former Schlitz tied house.
The brand that was once the world’s best-selling beer had already been weakened by recipe changes, failed marketing, consolidation and the craft-beer boom before this hiatus.

With Schlitz gone, which of Pabst's other classic American beer brands could be the next to disappear from taps?

Is Schlitz's demise a unique failure or a dire warning for other historic lagers in the modern craft beer market?

Can one final batch truly recapture the lost taste of a 177-year-old beer after decades of changes?