Schmidt Beer Is Back!

Ok well that headline is a little misleading because Schmidt beer has always been around, so instead I’ll say retro Schmidt beer packaging is back!

Yes it’s true, they finally took my advice I gave them years ago to update the cans and bring back the old school vibe …. ok not sure they took my advice, but it was long overdue haha. What they need to do now though is, start an advertising campaign about the outdoors with being a retro beer and etc then they can sit back and watch the money come rolling in.

Seriously it worked for Pabst, it worked for Hamm’s, why would it not work for Schmidt?

I went into my local “old man liquor store” yesterday in search of the new cans and long and behold I found they not only redid the cans, they also revamped the carboard packaging too!

I said to the guy working “I had a feeling you guys would have this beer here cuz I was looking for the new packaging” he replied “Are you kidding, this is a staple beer here” I had to chuckle after that. Someone on the Land of Sky Beer Waters instagram account asked if they had the entire wildlife lineup in the pack and I was shocked I didnt check at first so the first thing I did when I got home today was go through the entire box. But for right now they just have the pheasant on the cans…all 30 of them.

Oh yeah if you are going to buy some Schmidt you’ll pretty much have to buy the 30 pack because lately I’ve never seen anything smaller, go big or go home haha.

So about the new cans, the classic “The brew that grew with the great northwest” slogan is here along with “Best Outdoors” and “Brewed for Big Spaces” is now above and under the revised Schmidt logo. There is also a little art scene of three pine trees and a crescent moon with Est 1855 on the sides of the old school Schmidt logo. If you ask me the art stuff looks kinda similar to what would be on a Leinenkugel or Miller box but whatever its cool. Also it looks like they gave up using the “Schmidt’s” name which was a combo of Schmidt’s of Philadelphia and the St Paul Schmidt we all know and love.

So about the beer, I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised it was decent. The last two times I had it was at the VFW and also at the Croatian Hall which are both in South St Paul MN (SSP still serves up the Schmidt’s) and the beer was just not that great. Maybe it was an old keg or can but I was let down because it took me so long to finally try it after years of collecting the Schmidt beer items.

The beer pours your typical pale straw color and smells like an old man beer should smell. It’s pretty smooth and doesnt have the overbearing corn flavor of an American adjunct lager or the hop bitterness you’d find in a typical Czech or German Pilsner, it’s pretty easy drinking actually.

Oh and it’s 4.5% ABV so that also adds to the easy drinking factor.

Also the can states its brewed by the G. Heileman Brewing Company of Milwaukee Wisconsin. Ok so I’m pretty sure that Pabst technically owns Schmidt now but are they using an off shoot name or going retro and using the name to brew some of their other classic beers? Like now I want to go to the store and get some Old Style (another great old man beer by the way) and see what it says on that can because Old Style is the OG of the G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse…know what I’m sayin?

So if you want to stray from your typical hipster beers like Pabst and Hamm’s I’d suggest picking up some Schmidt because I would almost guess you may be surprised what you find. Cheers.