Pabst Blue Ribbon

Pabst Blue Ribbon
Type American-style lager
Manufacturer Pabst Brewing Company
Alcohol by volume 4.74% – 5.9%
Website www.pabstblueribbon.com

Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) is a brand of beer sold by Pabst Brewing Company, originally established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but now based in Los Angeles.[1] Pabst Blue Ribbon is contract-brewed in six different breweries around the U.S. in facilities owned by Miller Brewing Company (a few of which were actually Pabst breweries at one time).

Originally called Best Select, and then Pabst Select, the current name came from the blue ribbons that were tied around the bottle neck, a practice that ran from 1882 until 1916.[2]

Contents

Brand history

The company has historically claimed its flagship beer was renamed Pabst Blue Ribbon following its win as "America’s Best" at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.[2]

“ This is the original Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. Nature's choicest products provide its prized flavor. Only the finest of hops and grains are used. Selected as America's Best in 1893. ”

—Quote from PBR label, referring to the award it received at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.[3]

Whether the brand actually won an award in 1893 is unclear. Some contemporaneous accounts indicate that many vendors were frustrated by the fair's refusal to award such prizes. One account says that the only prizes awarded by the executive committee were bronze medals, in recognition of "some independent and essential excellence in the article displayed," rather "than merely to indicate the relative merits of competing exhibits."[4]

Sales of Pabst peaked in 1977, when they reached 18 million barrels;[5] by 2001, the brand's sales were below a million barrels, 90% less than the peak. While there is some disagreement about the origin of Pabst Blue Ribbon, it has been proven by beer historians that it is definitely an American and not a German beer.[6]

Taste

Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association, published the following tasting notes for Pabst Blue Ribbon in 2008: "A contrasting counterpoint of sharp texture and flowing sweetness is evident at the first sip of this historic brew. A slowly increasing hoppiness adds to the interplay of ingredients, while the texture smooths out by mid-bottle. The clear, pale-gold body is light and fizzy. Medium-bodied Blue Ribbon finishes with a dusting of malts and hops. A satisfying American classic and a Gold Medal winner at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival."[7]

Nutritional content

A 12 US fluid ounces (0.35 l) Pabst Blue Ribbon has:

Marketing and revival

The beer experienced a sales revival in the early 2000s after a two decade-long slump, largely due to its increasing popularity among urban "hipsters". [6][8] Although the Pabst website features user-submitted photography, much of which features twenty-something Pabst drinkers dressed in alternative fashions,[9] the company has opted not to fully embrace the countercultural label in its marketing, fearing that it could jeopardize the very "authenticity" that made the brand popular[6][10][11] as was the case with the poorly received OK Soda. Pabst instead targets its desired market niche through the sponsorship of indie music concerts, local businesses, post-collegiate sports teams,[12] dive bars and radio programming like National Public Radio's All Things Considered.[8][13] The beer has also been drunk by characters in various films such as Blue Velvet [14] and Gran Torino,[15] and in television shows such as AMC's Breaking Bad.

In popular culture

References

  1. ^ Li, Shan (2011-05-14). "Pabst headquarters moving to Los Angeles". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/14/business/la-fi-pabst-brewery-20110514. Retrieved 2011-05-16. 
  2. ^ a b Zeldes, Leah A. (2009-08-10). "Chicago gave Pabst its blue ribbon — and a tax break". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc.. http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2009/08/10/chicago-gave-pabst-its-blue-ribbon-and-a-tax-break/. Retrieved 2010-05-22. 
  3. ^ "The brewery's flagship beer was finally renamed Pabst Blue Ribbon following its win as 'America's Best' at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago". http://www.pabstblueribbon.com. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
  4. ^ Bancroft, Hubert Howe. The Book of the Fair: an historical and descriptive presentation of the world's science, art, and industry, as viewed through the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893, designed to set forth the display made by the Congress of Nations, of human achievement in material form, so as to more effectually to illustrate the profess of mankind in all the departments of civilized life. Chicago, San Francisco: The Bancroft Company, 1893. p.83. (10 v. [approx., 1000p.]: illus. (incl. ports.), 41 cm.)
  5. ^ Pabst Brewing Co. Timeline from the company's website
  6. ^ a b c Rob Walker (June 22, 2003). "The Marketing of No Marketing". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/magazine/the-marketing-of-no-marketing.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2009-09-17. 
  7. ^ "365 Bottles of Beer for the Year". Workman Publishing. 2008. http://www.workman.com/products/9780761149354. 
  8. ^ a b "Marketing With a Whisper". Fast Company. January 11, 2003. http://www.fastcompany.com/fast50_04/winners/stewart.html. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  9. ^ "Pabst Blue Ribbon Homepage". http://pabstblueribbon.com/. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  10. ^ Carly Berwick (June 25, 2008). "Murketing to Hipsters Saves Pabst, Boosts Apple". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601094&refer=book&sid=a6ZkYz6vWDD0. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  11. ^ Edward McClelland (August 11, 2008). "And the next great American beer will be...?". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/mwt/food/eat_drink/2008/08/11/pabst_blue_ribbon/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-17. 
  12. ^ "Pabst Blue Ribbon Lacrosse". http://www.pbrlax.com.  PBR Lacrosse is the official lacrosse team of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. PBR Lacrosse is the premier post-collegiate lacrosse team in Houston, Texas. The team is made up of post-NCAA Division I, II and III and MCLA players. They compete against SWLA teams throughout the state of Texas and play in tournaments in the southern United States region.
  13. ^ Dan Eaton (November 16, 2008). "Pabst gives marketing campaign a blue ribbon for effectiveness". Columbus Business First. http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/11/19/story10.html. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  14. ^ Blue Velvet Pabst Blue Ribbon on YouTube
  15. ^ "Pabst Blue Ribbon and Gran Torino - Coolspotters". http://coolspotters.com/brands/pabst-blue-ribbon/and/movies/gran-torino. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  16. ^ Isler, Ramsey. "South Park: 'The Poor Kid' Review". IGN. November 17, 2011

External links