Old Milwaukee is a brand of American dry lager owned by the Pabst Brewing Company. The brand currently consists of three different brews: Old Milwaukee Lager, Old Milwaukee Light, and Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic. Old Milwaukee is brewed throughout the United States and various packages are currently distributed in all 50 U.S. states, many Canadian provinces, and in select international markets.

History

Old Milwaukee Beer was first brewed in the 1930s as a value-priced beer by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. In 1982, the Schlitz Brewing Company and the Old Milwaukee brand were acquired by Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit. In 2000, Stroh's and all of its beer brands and recipes were acquired by Pabst Brewing Company, where the brand currently resides. Canada is one exception: in 1999, Sleeman Breweries of Guelph, Ontario (a division of Sapporo Breweries) acquired Stroh Canada, becoming the Canadian manufacturer and distributor of Old Milwaukee. The purchase doubled Sleeman's volumes, although the Old Milwaukee brand competes on lower margins than premium beers.

Accolades

All three Old Milwaukee brews have won top honors at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. Old Milwaukee Light was awarded the Gold medal in the category American-Style Light Lager at the 2008 World Beer Cup. All three brews have won numerous awards at the Great American Brew Festival including:

Old Milwaukee Lager

Old Milwaukee Light:

Old Milwaukee NA:

Advertising

In 1991, Old Milwaukee ran TV ads featuring the fictional "Swedish Bikini Team". In 2013, Will Ferrell recorded a series of ads for the company. In 2014, Old Milwaukee teamed up with the Packard Brothers to create the Pass Me a Beer series. The latest release features Nick Packard and Tim Higgins completing challenging and comedic beer tosses for the Pass Me a Beer Summer Finale.

Alcohol content