If Milwaukee photographer Paul Bialas chose a characteristic Milwaukee subject for his book of photos, he shows it from surprising angles. A handsomely designed volume (complete with a CD of recollections from former Schlitz employees), Schlitz Brewing Art is no mere scrapbook but a beautifully composed set of photographs arranged as a visual tour of the crumbling Jos. Schlitz Brewery. There are many dark passages latticed with wrought iron stairs under dusky skylights, and much debris left behind from when the plant closed, including big metal tanks with the brewery’s logo.
Schlitz Brewing Art is an artful presentation suffused with a sense of loss for the City that Once Meant Beer. The book also includes historical photographs and a chronicle of the brewery and beer in Milwaukee’s early years. Bialas will discuss Schlitz Brewing Art at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 2, at Books & Company, 1039 Summit Ave., Oconomowoc; and at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, at Boswell Book Co., 2559 N. Downer Ave.
