Sunday, April 5, 2009

Identity Crisis? The BEER That Made Milwaukee Famous















That's right muthabitches, it's Schlitz. I'd been meaning to pick up a big-ass can of Schlitz since I started this little waste of time but I kept putting it off for one reason or another...probably because it's gross. Since I don't really keep my ear to the ground in the bad beer circuit, I had no idea that Schlitz was about to reinstate their old 1960's recipe in an effort to capture the collective wallets of the Natural Light crowd. Since nothing says 'good beer' like the 1960's, I knew I had to have it. So what made this beer so great 40 years ago? After 5 bottles, I have no idea.

What to say about Schlitz? Well, not much really. The smell mostly consists of corn, not unlike many other by-the-case beers. Taste is pretty much the same. I can't quite say that's a bad thing, but I have a hard time commending it as well. For the first time in recollection, I really just don't care one way or another. It's not bad, per say. The problem is, unsurprisingly, it's just not that good. Would I order it over more common, better-advertised brews? Definitely. Would I suggest that everyone at the table do the same? Unlikely.

As far as taste goes, you can expect a little more than your average American macro, but as most back-of-the-cooler types know,that isn't always a good thing. In the case of Schlitz, I'm somewhat torn between cursing it's pedestrian corny, aluminum flavor and applauding it's effort to at least taste like something. If this were another of the super cheap, $10/case brews I would most certainly think more highly of it, but for the price I just can't recommend it. Simply put, this beer has no business whatsoever in the $6 six-pack game.