Schlitz has changed but still brings back memories
By Owen Morris in Booze
Tuesday, Apr. 14 2009 @ 12:30PM
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Conservatively I'd say 95 percent of people my age are unfamiliar with Schlitz but thanks to a former boss I was not one of them. The boss' name was Andy and he was from Texas, which he said meant Shiner Bock. Yet I never saw him drink anything but Schlitz from a can. Because he was my boss, I never questioned why he drank it, I just knew it was one of the reasons we always hung out at Harry's Country Club. Soon enough, I tried it but didn't see its appeal -- it tasted of grass clippings and metal and corn.
The new Schlitz tastes quite similar. But maybe my tastes have grown because the grass clippings and metal and corn flavors have been enhanced and the taste tweaked to pleasant. Yes, Schlitz is pleasant but don't get any grand ideas.
This is still a macro-brewed American lager. But there are significant
flavors and overtones not found in competitors like Pabst Blue Ribbon
or Hamm's.
Like the above mentioned beers Schlitz is refreshing and light. Unlike them, New Schlitz has an edge. Not a strong one, but it's unusual to find any hop flavor in an American lager, many of which go down like lightly flavored water. It only strikes when the beer is warmed up, which is another oddity with new Schlitz -- it's better around 50 degrees than it is at 40 degrees. Both are signs that the company isn't lying about dramatically improving ingredients, but it could have gone farther. This could be a great beer if only they had turned up the hop bitterness and put some malt flavor, making it more filling.
But that wouldn't be Schlitz.
Like the above mentioned beers Schlitz is refreshing and light. Unlike them, New Schlitz has an edge. Not a strong one, but it's unusual to find any hop flavor in an American lager, many of which go down like lightly flavored water. It only strikes when the beer is warmed up, which is another oddity with new Schlitz -- it's better around 50 degrees than it is at 40 degrees. Both are signs that the company isn't lying about dramatically improving ingredients, but it could have gone farther. This could be a great beer if only they had turned up the hop bitterness and put some malt flavor, making it more filling.
But that wouldn't be Schlitz.
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