1. PBR wasn’t always called PBR
Photo courtesy of pinterest.com
Pabst Blue Ribbon was named after Frederick Pabst, who ran the company from 1860 to 1904. It wasn’t originally called that, though, there were a ton of owners who all named the beer after themselves.
2. It’s pretty unhealthy
Photo courtesy of 40ozmaltliquor.com
Pabst Blue Ribbon has 144 calories, 12.8 grams of carbs, and is 4.74% alcohol by volume. Not the worst for you, but definitely not the best.
3. The bottles used to have blue ribbons
Photo courtesy of taverntrove.com
Back in 1882, they actually started to tie blue ribbons around the neck of the bottles. They were purchasing over a million feet of silk ribbon and had people hand tie them around every bottle. Rationing in WWI put an end to that.
4. The company used to make cheese
Photo courtesy of pabstblueribbon.com
During the prohibition, the company stayed afloat by making cheese called “Pabst-ett”. This made up a substantial amount of their money, even higher than their soft drink line.
5. Pabst used to sponsor boxing matches
Photo courtesy of insidetheparkcollectibles.com
For a few years in the 1950’s, Pabst was the headline sponsor of weekly boxing matches that were on TV. It was called “Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts”.
6. PBR is historic
Photo courtesy of pabstbrewingco.com
In 2001, the brewery was added to the National Register of Historic Places. You can go to visit the old time-y brewery in Milwaukee.
7. The company is currently in L.A.
Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com
Initially established in Milwaukee, the company has definitely gained some street cred and has become ~fancy~ enough to move to Los Angeles.
8. PBR only ever won one blue ribbon
Photo courtesy of thrillist.com
They tied ribbons around the bottles as a marketing technique before ever winning any awards. They finally won the blue ribbon at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It also won “least shitty beer” on our website.
9.Patrick Swayze starred in one of their commercials
Photo courtesy of adweek.com
Pabst used to have insanely cool commercials with a bunch of celebrities. And there’s tons of parodies fans have made that are totally laughable.
10. Pabst is great for cooking
Photo courtesy of thedeckchef.com
There’s hundreds of recipes that use beer, but a lot of people prefer to cook with PBR. It’s relatively inexpensive, light, and tastes pretty good. Here’s a PBR hush puppy recipe to try, too.
11. They have the best fans
Photo courtesy of epictimes.com
PBR lovers go so far as to get tattoos of the beer. Who knows why, but these beer fans are obsessed, and don’t take drinking lightly. PBR’s tattoo competition is just as tough as these true foodies.
12. Overall a lovable beer
Photo courtesy of boiseweekly.com
Southerners and hipsters alike love this beer, it’s pretty good, and has a rich history. It inspires artwork, brings people together, and most importantly, gets us drunk. Thank you Pabst Blue Ribbon, for making cheap beer that hipsters, college kids, and dad’s can all drink together.