America's Former Top Selling Beer Is Now Almost Impossible To Find

Facts

America's Former Top Selling Beer Is Now Almost Impossible To Find

If asked to name America's top-selling beer, Budweiser or Coors would be a fair guess (Fact: In 2025, Michelob Ultra is now the top-selling beer by volume). But before any of these brands had a strong foothold in America, in the mid-20th century, you would have been asking for a now-mostly-unheard-of beer: Schlitz. For a long period, Schlitz reigned supreme as one of America's top-selling beers.

First brewed in Milwaukee in 1849, Schlitz operated originally under the name Krug Brewery. The name was updated when Joseph Schlitz took over the business and married the founder's widow. Its slogan became "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous" by the 20th century, and the company would continue to use this line for decades