A while back I posted that Schlitz was attempting to revitalize the brand by bringing to market a re-brewing of the recipe that was used in the 1960's when the brand was one of the biggest in the US.  Tonight I had the opportunity to try that new version against the old version to see which is really superior.  First I want to mention though, that the new packaging for bottled Schlitz is really pretty awesome with a fantastic retro look.

Up until the mid-1970's, Schlitz was as big as the number 2 brewery in the United States.  Nowadays, it is safe to say it is far from that, and even safer to say that it is next to impossible to find.  The reasons for this dramatic decline are many, but one is said to be a change in the recipe to lighten the beer up and reduce the cost.  Consumers felt they were getting an inferior product and in droves switched to other brands.  So we get to today, where I sampled side by side the version that is supposedly using a recipe from the height of the Schlitz empire vs. the bastardized formula that drove the brand into the ground.  Which will come out on top?

First thing to notice is the canned version produces a noticeably larger head that was much longer lasting.  Held side by side to the light, the canned version was distinctly paler in color.  The 1960's formula was a pale but somewhat rich straw color while the can produced a very pale straw.  The other thing to note is that the new version was visibly more active in terms of carbonation, which was odd considering how much less head was produced.

In terms of aroma, the new version was so subtle that I can't even begin to describe it.  As soon as I could start to smell it, it would just fade away.  On the other hand, the canned version has a bit of a metallic presence in the nose along with trace amounts of hops.  Side by side, I personally liked the canned aroma a bit better, maybe just for the fact that the aroma lingered long enough for me to determine there was one.

The taste of the new one is definitely maltier and fuller bodied then the canned recipe.  It finishes on the sweeter side and is ultimately a refreshing macro lager.  The canned beer on the other hand had distinctly more hops present in the flavor.  Craft beer fans may scoff at this, but compared to some of the other macros available, the canned version actually does have a respectable amount of hops flavor, which unfortunately appears to be missing in this reintroduction of the 1960's formula.  Interesting to note that the cans actually have a logo written on them that states "Just the kiss of the hops", which is not present on the bottles at all.  So maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that the canned version is a touch hoppier.

Finally, I had the womanizer mix these up so I could blind sample them and decide which I liked better without any preconceptions weighting my decision.  Doing that I found it very hard to distinguish between the two, but wound up picking the canned variety as the favored.  All in all, I still applaud Pabst for making the attempt and actually producing a classy looking product.  But in the end, I think this recipe could still be improved on.  If the canned and new bottled variety could be combined, so that the hops from the canned were married to the fuller mouthfeel of the bottled, this would be a pretty outstanding beer from one of the macro breweries.  Instead I am told it is selling for around $6 per 6-pack, which is just out of sight for what is unfortunately a fairly ordinary beer.  I guess this is the point that I should mention I got the canned for about $6.50 for a 12-pack, by far a better value.