Tap Handle #20: Schlitz Malt Liquor - Bull

This is the iconic Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull. The tap is from the 1970s and is highly prized by collectors, especially if it's new in the box. It's smaller than most taps at about 8-9" in length.

Click through to read more about Schlitz Brewery...


The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was founded in 1858 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was once the largest producer of beer in the world. Joseph Schlitz was an accountant who acquired the brewery and renamed it when August Krug died in 1858 (he also married Krug's widow). Business picked up after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, when several competing breweries were destroyed in the fire. Joseph Schlitz died at sea in 1875 when his ship hit a rock and sank off the coast of Cornwall. The nephews of August Krug then took over the brewery. Schlitz changed its name from Brewing Company to Beverage Company during Prohibition (and changed back after the repeal). They introduced Old Milwaukee, a "bargain brew", in 1955. In the 1970s Schlitz cut costs and made formula changes in order to increase production, which caused a loss of flavor and reduced public appeal. The final blow was a crippling strike that resulted in a sale to Stroh Brewery Company in 1982. Schlitz was sold again to Pabst Brewing Company in 1999, and was relegated to a "bargain brew" status. Due to the changes made in the 1960s and 70s, the original formula was lost. In 2008, after document research and interviews of former brewmasters, the original formula was re-introduced. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 1.78 out of 5, but the "classic 1960 formula" is 2.56 out of 5.

Schlitz Official Website