[QUOTE=JohnBckWLD]
From memory, back when I was in the beer business, Stroh’s also owned / bottled:[list][li]Schlitz - And all but ruined a decent beer by the former #3 American brewer[/QUOTE][/li]
I could be wrong but wasn’t Schlitz already ruined by the time Stoh’s got its hands on it? For all the talk about the decline of Stroh’s, Schlitz was a textbook example of how to take a successful company with a popular product and run both into the ground. For years, until the late 70’s, Schlitz was the second best-selling beer in the U.S. behind Bud and their ads were all over TV and radio (“Go for the gusto!”). Then, some corporate wizard at Schlitz got the idea of tampering with the beer’s formula so, ostensibly, it would be cheaper to produce. This change went over with loyal Schlitz drinkers as well as “New Coke” did years later. Then, Schlitz embarked on a new ad campaign that proved so hostile and offensive that it came to be known as, “Drink Schlitz or I’ll Kill You!” Finally, in a move that further alienated its blue-collar union market, Schlitz closed its Milwaukee plant and departed for the union-unfriendly environment of Arizona. With those moves, Schlitz quickly dropped from the ranks of best-selling beers and became the obscure, cheapo brew you occasionally see today.