Old Milwaukee


Old Milwaukee is a brand of American dry lager owned by the Pabst Brewing Company and consists of four different brews—Old Milwaukee Lager, Old Milwaukee Light, Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic, and Old Milwaukee Ice. Old Milwaukee is brewed throughout the USA and various packages are currently distributed in all 50 US 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 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.
In 1987 Old Milwaukee introduced a beer/party ball to the market. It contains five gallons of beer. The "Beer Ball" was first introduced by F. X. Matt of Utica, New York, and that brewer coined the name "Beer Ball". Matt's first Beer Ball hit the market in 1977 and by 1982 it was being used by 10 other US and Canadian breweries.

Accolades

All four 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 four brews have won numerous awards at the Great American Brew Festival including:

Old Milwaukee Lager:

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/nutritional value