Pabst Brewing Company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. (March 2008) Pabst Brewing Company Location Woodridge, Illinois Year opened 1844 Active beers Ballantine Ale Blonde Ale Black Label Pale Lager Blatz Pale Lager Champale Malt Liquor Colt 45 Malt Liquor Country Club Malt Liquor Jacob Best Pale Lager Lone Star Pale Lager Lone Star Light Light Pale Lager McSorley's Ale Blond Ale McSorley's Irish Style Lager Pale Lager McSorley's Black and Tan Porter National Bohemian Pale Lager Old Milwaukee Pale Lager Old Style Pale Lager Olympia Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon Pale Lager Pabst Ice Ice Pearl Pale Lager Pearl Light Light Pale Lager Piel's Pale Lager Primo Island Lager Pale Lager Rainier Lager Pale Lager Schaefer Pale Lager Schlitz Pale Lager Schmidt's Pale Lager Special Export Pale Lager St. Ides Malt Liquor Stag Pale Lager Stroh's Pale Lager Pabst Brewing Company is an American company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best. Best known for Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, it is historically associated with Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it was founded, although its corporate headquarters are now in Woodridge, Illinois. Pabst retains a data center in San Antonio, Texas, the previous location of its headquarters. In 1999, the Pabst Brewing Company began transferring its production to Miller Brewing Company on a contractual basis. In 2001, it closed its last brewery in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The pending InBev purchase of Anheuser-Busch, announced in July 2008, prompted Pabst to claim to be the largest American-owned brewer. In fact, it is a "virtual brewer," a marketing company whose 85 brands are brewed by either Miller Brewing Company or Lion. The Pabst brands make up 2.8% of the American beer market. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Pabst Blue Ribbon 3 Old Style 4 Awards 5 Notes 6 External links [edit] History The original brewery was founded in 1844 as The Empire Brewery, later Best and Company, by the immigrant German brewer, Jacob Best. The brewery was run by Jacob, Sr. and his sons Phillip, Charles, Jacob, Jr., and Lorenz; Phillip took control of the company in 1860.[1] They started the brewery on Chestnut Street Hill in Milwaukee with a capacity of 18 barrels (2.9 m3). Later, in 1863, Frederick Pabst, a steamship captain and son-in-law of Phillip Best, bought a share in Best and Company, by which time the brewery was already selling a lager that they began bottling in 1875 under the name Best Select. The former Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 12-packs of Pabst.Pabst was renowned in Milwaukee for its brewery tours. A statue of King Gambrinus welcomed visitors, who gazed upon a vast, beer-filled warehouse as they were informed that another, equally-sized warehouse sat in the basement-for distribution to Wisconsin alone. Visitors to Pabst's tour were rewarded with sometimes bottomless glasses of beer at its end-of-tour Sternewirt Pub. Complete with a statue of Captain Frederick Pabst and waitresses pouring from pitchers of Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pabst Bock, and Andeker, the pub was popular with both tourists and locals, especially students from nearby Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. [2][3] In 2004, students at Westchester School For The Blind approached marketers at Pabst Brewing Company requesting that Pabst sponsor an unofficial fraternity based on Pabst Blue Ribbon's famous letters. Pabst agreed.[4] Pabst's long obsolete brewery complex in Milwaukee has been targeted to be developed into restaurants, entertainment venues, stores, housing and offices. The $317 million project is the subject of much debate in Milwaukee.[5] [edit] Pabst Blue Ribbon A 1911 advertisement showing a blue ribbon tied around the bottle. Papst Blue Ribbon beer glass, 100 000 000th Barrel, Mettenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate 1958Pabst Blue Ribbon, also known as "PBR", is the most well-known of the Pabst Brewing Company products. 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. The distinguishing quote on the bottom of the can reads as follows: "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," a reference to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, where the beer won a contest.[6] However, 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."[7] Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association and one of the most prominent names in the world of beer and brewing, 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." [8] A contributing factor to its resurgence may have been the lasting popularity of the cult 1986 David Lynch film Blue Velvet within the hipster subculture. In the film, it is the preferred beer of antagonist Frank Booth (portrayed by Dennis Hopper); immortalized in a memorable line where he profanely declares the superiority of PBR to be above that of rival beer, Heineken.[9] Despite its website featuring art competitions and photos of young people dressed in alternative fashions, Pabst has not fully embraced the countercultural label or appeal to it arguably because the very same "authenticity" that made it popular would be challenged by over-marketing. Instead, the company has opted for subtlety, finding clever ways to target its growing niche through the surreptitious sponsorship of indie music concerts, local businesses, dive bars, and radio programming such as NPR's All Things Considered. These techniques have proven effective and have been rewarded with remarkable growth in sales - the production of PBR has more than doubled since its revival in the early 2000s. Pabst's success is seen by some analysts as a model for advertising to a new generation of media-savvy, anti-consumerist youth culture.[10][11] [edit] Old Style Old Style was first brewed in 1902 by the G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse Wisconsin under the name Old Style Lager; it has since grown popular in Wisconsin, the Chicago metro area, Minnesota, eastern Iowa, Lincoln, and Southwestern Michigan. The original Heileman's/Old Style brewery in La Crosse is now owned by the City Brewing Company. City Brewing Company is now brewing La Crosse Lager, which is based upon the original Old Style recipe and is krausened for thirty days. This beer may also be the basis for the brewery's nationally-distributed DB Hobbs brand.[12] This brewery is also the location of what is called "The World's Largest Six Pack," a series of storage tanks historically painted like the cans of beer. Prior to 1999, the tanks looked like the Old Style cans, and are currently painted like the La Crosse Lager cans.[13] [edit] Awards Awards at the Great American Beer Festival: Year Award Category Beer 1990 Silver American Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon 1990 Silver Malt Liquor Olde English 800 1991 Gold American Lager Pearl Lager Beer 1991 Gold American Malt Liquor Olde English 800 1992 Gold American Malt Liquor Olde English 800 1992 Silver American Lager Hamm's 1992 Silver American Dry Lager Olympia Dry 1993 Gold American Dry Lager Olympia Dry 1993 Bronze Mixed/Non-Alcoholic Pabst NA 1994 Gold American Light Lager Pabst Genuine Draft Light 1994 Gold American Malt Liquor Olde English 800 1994 Silver American Dry Lager Olympia Dry 1995 Gold American Light Lager Pabst Genuine Draft Light 1995 Gold American Malt Liquor Olde English 800 1995 Gold American Specialty Lager Olympia Dry 1996 Gold American Light Lager Pabst Genuine Draft Light 1996 Silver American Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon 1997 Gold American Style Specialty Lager Olde English 800 1997 Gold Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverages Pabst NA 1998 Gold Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverages Pabst NA 1998 Silver American Style Light Lager Pabst Genuine Draft Light 2000 Silver Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverages Pabst NA 2003 Gold American Style Light Lager Old Style Light 2003 Gold American Style Lager Old Milwaukee 2003 Silver American Style Lager Rainier 2003 Bronze American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light 2003 Bronze American Lager/Ale or Cream Ale Old Style 2004 Gold Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverage Old Milwaukee NA 2004 Gold American Style Light Lager Rainier Light 2004 Gold American Style Lager Old Milwaukee 2004 Silver American Lager/Ale or Cream Ale Special Export 2004 Silver American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light 2004 Silver American Style Specialty Lager Schlitz Malt Liquor 2004 Bronze American Style Lager Schlitz 2004 Bronze American Style Premium Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon 2004 Bronze American Style Specialty Lager St. Ides Malt Liquor 2005 Gold American Style Premium Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon 2005 Gold American Style Lager Stag 2005 Gold American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light 2005 Silver American Style Premium Lager Olympia 2005 Silver American Style Lager Rainier 2005 Bronze American Cream Ale or Lager Special Export 2006 Gold American Style Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon 2006 Gold American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light 2006 Silver American Cream Ale or Lager Lone Star 2006 Bronze American Style Lager Blatz 2007 Gold American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Lone Star 2007 Gold American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light 2007 Silver American Style Light Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon Light 2007 Silver American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Old Style Awards at the World Beer Cup: Year Award Category Beer 1996 Gold American Style Malt Liquor Olde English 800 1996 Silver American Style Malt Liquor Schlitz Malt Liquor 1996 Bronze American Style Malt Liquor Country Club Malt Liquor 1996 Bronze American Style Ice Lager Schlitz Ice 1998 Gold American Style Malt Liquor Schlitz Malt Liquor 2006 Gold American Style Premium Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon 2006 Gold American Cream Ale or Lager Old Style 2008 Gold American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Special Export 2008 Gold American-Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light 2008 Silver American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Lone Star 2008 Silver American-Style Light Lager Lone Star Light Golden Icon Awards by Travolta Family Entertainment: Year Award Category Beer 2006-2007 Golden Icon Best Domestic Beer Old Style Light [edit] Notes ^ A History of Milwaukee and Wisconsin Breweries ^ Fowler, Brenda. "WHAT'S DOING IN; Milwaukee." The New York Times, June 4, 1995. ^ Platt, Jeff. "Milwaukee Beer History." Suds, Wine & Spirits, 2006. ^ Associated Press. "Oregon State fraternity gets boost from PBR>" Modern Brewery Age, December 6, 2004. ^ Daykin, Tom. "PabstCity's glass half empty?" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2005-2007. ^ Pabst Blue Ribbon Web site "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." ^ 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. 10 v. [approx., 1000p.]: illus. (incl. ports.), 41 cm. ^ "365 Bottles of Beer for the Year," Workman Publishing, 2008. http://www.workman.com/products/9780761149354/ ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snhiofL2Rh4 ^ "'Pabst gives marketing campaign a blue ribbon for effectiveness'". Columbus Business First. November 16, 2007. http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/11/19/story10.html?jst=s_cn_hl. ^ "`Murketing' to Hipsters Saves Pabst, Boosts Apple: Book Review". Bloomberg. June 27, 2008. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a6ZkYz6vWDD0&refer=muse. ^ Kroger: Great Meals - Wine - House Wines. ^ Kirby, Doug; Smith, Ken; Wilkins, Mike. "Return of the World's Largest Six Pack." Roadside America, 2008. [edit] External links Pabst Brewing Company Olympia Beer: The Death of a Brand Old Style Beer: History Illustrated History of the Olympia Brewing Company Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pabst_Brewing_Company" Categories: American beer brands | Beer brewing companies based in Wisconsin | Companies based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Companies established in 1844 | History of Olympia, Washington | Companies based in DuPage County, Illinois