He stands outside Annabell’s in Highland Square, smoking an American Spirit cigarette as he rattles on about some band that used to be cool before they became famous. His friends look as nonchalant as possible in their ironic t-shirts and their skinny jeans and their thrift-store scarves and handmade necklaces and bracelets. And they all watch passerbys from behind their, equally ironic, Buddy Holly glasses. He flicks his cigarette into the street and, without trying too hard, meanders mysteriously back inside. He sits down and calls over the bartender and orders a freezing cold can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, the hipster’s beer of choice.
PBR may seem like a last resort, blue collar beer to some but, to the underground communities of artists, musicians, hipsters, hippies, freakers and the largely disenfranchised groups of outcasts, PBR is the beer of choice. From New York City to Portland, Oregon, indie-scene 20 somethings are bringing back one of America’s oldest brewing companies from the brink of collapse. It’s a consumer movement that can only be described as anti-establishment.
Pabst Brewing Company, which brews and distributes Pabst Blue Ribbon, has a long history as a major player in the beer making trade. The brand was officially started back in the 1880’s when Captain Fredrick Pabst took over the Empire Brewery and renamed the company Pabst Brewing Company. During that time, Pabst also began their signature tradition of tying little blue ribbons around the bottle necks of their most popular beer, Best Select. Then, as the legend goes, Best Select won “America’s Best” at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Captain Pabst, with all of his genius, then renamed Best Select to Pabst Blue Ribbon and thus PBR was born.
Unfortunately, the good times couldn’t last for the ole’ Captain and his brewery. As with all breweries, Pabst Brewing Company was forced to change its business during “the dark ages”, also known as prohibition. Pabst Brewing Company dropped “brewing” from its named and started producing soft-drinks and cheeses. Think about it folks, you could be munching on some delicious Pabst cheese right now. But, nay, after the darkest era in American beer history ended, Pabst Brewing Company came back stronger than ever. Beer would be falling from the heavens. Angels would sing and rainbows covered the landscape.
Pabst Brewing Company led the industry in innovation as one of the first breweries to offer canned beer. Canned beer is to beer drinking as Pamela Anderson is to home movies, the two are virtually inseparable. Even today, Pabst Blue Ribbon is often served in a can. The can was very popular in a post World War II America, a time that saw a huge economic boom. America’s prosperity after the war was great for beer sales. During the boom, Pabst Brewing Company became one of America’s top five breweries. Pabst opened breweries around the country. When Pabst opened a brewery in Perry, Georgia, the town changed its name to Pabst to celebrate the occasion. In 1977 Pabst Brewing Company was selling 18 million barrels of PBR a year.
Yet, somehow Pabst Brewing Company fell off the radar during the 1980’s. And, let’s be honest, PBR was mostly forgotten until David Lynch’s 1986 classic, ‘Blue Velvet’. In the film Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) yells, “Heineken?! Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon!!” But, even with Lynch’s film, the sales of Pabst Blue Ribbon fell under one-million barrels a year by 2001. The brand was dying and it seemed like all hope was lost.
Since 2001, Pabst Blue Ribbon has made an enormous comeback in the U.S. According to our sources, Pabst sales are up 30% compared to Budweiser sales which have fallen 7% and Corona Extra sales which have fallen 8%. Pabst Blue Ribbon is flying off the shelves in taverns, convenience stores and college bars around the country, making it one of the fastest growing beers in the country. But, it’s not just the blue-collar workers sipping on the brew anymore. It’s the young and hip college crowd bringing Pabst Blue Ribbon back from the dead. Nothing tastes better than pouring an entire case of the stuff into a beer bong and taking it to the face. Trust us, we know.
So what is making Pabst Blue Ribbon so damn popular? Is it the price? Is it marketing? Is it the cool-factor? The answer to all three of these questions is undeniable. Yes! Pabst still remains in the “cheap beer” category even though they recently upped the price. Nothing is more important to aspiring alcoholics than having as much beer as possible at a low price. And we all know that most college students are getting degrees in binge drinking and functional substance abuse. Keeping the beer cheap is key to keeping them stumbling to class with hellish hangovers.
PBR has secured a great place in the beer market. It’s slightly more expensive than Natural Light but cheaper than Budlight. Nothing tastes better than something other than Natural Light and the college crowd knows it. But, most of the hype happens completely word of mouth and Pabst Brewing Company likes it that way. Pabst Brewing Company spends little on marketing. Sparse marketing keeps PBR off of the mainstream radar and keeps it attractive to the hipster underground. The company has been careful not to alienate their customer base. Pabst hasn’t overtly pushed advertising towards the community; rather, the company has embraced the community by sponsoring a Pabst Blue Ribbon art contest. Contestants submit artwork featuring the beer. The grand prize winners receive money and, more importantly, free Pabst Blue Ribbon for a year. The community is what keeps Pabst going. Interestingly, Pabst Brewing Company is for sale to the public at buyabeercompany.com, where anybody over 21 can donate money and own a piece of the company.
Pabst Blue Ribbon is now a staple in college towns, hipster communities and blue-collar dives alike. PBR is a testament to the importance of grass-roots movements in every aspect of society. America’s youth took PBR from a struggling brand to the beer of their generation, making Pabst Brewing Company the fourth largest brewery in the country. Ironically, Pabst Brewing Company did it all as nonchalantly as possible, just like their skinny-jean wearing costumers. Remember: “Heineken?! Fuck that shit!”
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