1. It was the beer brand preferred by beloved psychopath Frank Booth in David Lynch's classic film Blue Velvet.
2. Pabst brewing company was founded by in 1844 in Woodridge, Illinois by Jacob Best. His great-great-great-granddaughter is actress Caitlin O'Heaney, who once modeled for Salvador Dali.
3. Pabst is renowned in Milwaukee for its brewery tours where a massive statue of King Gambrinus greets visitors. King Gambrinus is the patron saint of beer.
4. It's the beer swilled by hipsters in every Indie Rock bar from Tacoma to Tallahassee.
5. The can boasts proudly, "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."
6. More recently, in 2006, it won top honors and a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival, with the judge saying, "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."
7. It was the brand my late grandfather would drink a full 24-pack of in one sitting out on the fishing boat at 5:30 am.
8. Seems like the microbrew craze has died out a bit in favor of a return to the old classic lagers. For years, I kept telling the owner of my regular haunt to bring in PBR on tap but she thought I was nuts, calling it "old man beer." She finally started serving it a few months ago and it's become her top selling beer. A pitcher is a dollar cheaper than the other domestic brands. I've seen some places with PBR on special for as low as $3 a pitcher.
9. I'm a "fan" of PBR on Facebook, along with 17,879 others. Oddly, the PBR MySpace only has 1,100 "friends."
10. Some Pabst hardcorists claim that the only way that it should be consumed is from a can. Something about how the metal provides a flavor element that kicks it up a notch. I've tried both canned and draught and couldn't really distinguish any major difference between the two. Of course that was after I'd already had a few so who knows?
Pabst Blue Ribbon Website1950's PBR TV Ad:
1979 PBR TV Ad: