The Pabst Brewing Company () is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by
Jacob Best and was, by 1889, named after
Frederick Pabst. It
outsources the brewing of over two dozen brands of
beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
and
malt liquor. These include its own flagship
Pabst Blue Ribbon, as well as brands from many defunct breweries.
Pabst is headquartered in
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
. On March 16, 2021, it was announced that Blue Ribbon Partners, an investment platform led by American beer and beverage entrepreneur Eugene Kashper, owns 100% of Pabst Brewing Company. Blue Ribbon Partners is focused on beer and beverages in the US. Prior to current ownership, on November 13, 2014, Pabst announced that it had completed its sale to Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings, LLC, which was a partnership between
Eugene Kashper and
TSG Consumer Partners, a San Francisco–based private equity firm.
Prior reports suggested the price agreed upon was around $700 million.
History
Founding
The original brewery was founded in 1844 as The Empire Brewery, later Best and Company, by 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.
They started the brewery on Chestnut Street Hill in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
with a capacity of . Later, in 1863,
Frederick Pabst, a steamship captain and son-in-law of Phillip Best, bought 50% of Phillip Best, and assumed the role of vice president. In 1866, Best's other daughter,
Lisette, married Emil Schandein, to whom Best sold the remaining half of the business. This move made Frederick Pabst president, and Emil Schandein vice-president.
Lisette Schandein took over as vice-president of the company through 1894 after her husband's death.
Two factors helped position the company for significant growth: the untimely death of Milwaukee brewing competitor C.T. Melms in 1869 due to an infection from a needle, and the
Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Melms' brewery was sold to Best and Company after Melms' death, which greatly expanded capacity for the company. Then, with the fire in Chicago a couple of years later wiping out the Chicago brewing industry, the company was in a position to grow with less competition to worry about. By 1874 Phillip Best Brewing Co. was the nation's largest brewer.
The brewery's best-seller was a
lager
Lager (; ) is a Type of beer, style of beer brewed and Brewing#Conditioning, conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be Pale lager, pale, Amber lager, amber, or Dark lager, dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially availab ...
, Best Select, which began public sales in 1875. By 1893, Pabst became the first brewer in the United States to sell more than of beer in a year.
20th century

During much of the 20th century, Pabst was run by Harris Perlstein, who was named president by Frederick Pabst in 1932 after a merger of Pabst Brewing and Premier Malt Products Co. (the latter of which Perlstein had been president).
Perlstein emphasized research and innovation; under his direction, Pabst worked with American Can Company to produce the first
beer cans, worked to create product consistency among multiple location breweries, and invested heavily in advertising and promotion.
Pabst was involved in the
1953 Milwaukee brewery strike. In 1954, Perlstein was named chairman, and served until 1972; he then served as chairman of the executive committee until his retirement in 1979.
Pabst's sales reached a peak of in 1978 before they entered into a steep decline.
During Prohibition, Pabst stopped making beer and switched to cheese production, selling more than of ''Pabst-ett Cheese''. When Prohibition ended, the company went back to selling beer, and the cheese line was sold to
Kraft
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...
.
Pabst was renowned in Milwaukee for its brewery tours. 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 tourists and locals alike, especially students from nearby
Marquette University
Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...
and the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...
.
Kalmanovitz era
Paul Kalmanovitz, a "self-made" beer and real-estate baron, purchased the Pabst Brewing company in 1985 for $63 million in a hostile takeover through the auspices of his holding company S&P Co.;
S&P Co.'s first brewery was
Maier Brewing Company, purchased in 1958.
When Kalmanovitz died in 1987, S&P became legally inseparable from the Kalmanovitz Charitable Trust.
In 1996, Pabst's entire beer production was contracted out to the
Stroh Brewery Company, which utilized excess capacity at the former flagship brewery of the
G. Heileman Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin it had absorbed earlier that year. In turn, the historic
Pabst brewery in Milwaukee was closed,
ending a 152-year association with the city and turning that company into a virtual brewer.
In 1999, Pabst purchased the
Stroh
Stroh Austria GmbH () is an Austrian manufacturer of liquors, especially spiced rums and high-proof rum-like drinks used in warm drinks and cooking. The Stroh brand is one of the best-known spirits from Austria.
The (technically incorrect) ter ...
label,
and the brewery in La Crosse was sold to
City Brewing Company. In 2001, production was contracted to
Miller Brewing Company
The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the ...
, and by then what remained of the Pabst company operated out of
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
.
S&P was ordered by the IRS to sell the Pabst Brewing Company by 2005 or lose its not-for-profit, tax-free status. After a while, Pabst Brewing claimed that they were unable to find a buyer at market value and requested an extension until 2010 that the IRS granted.
In 2006, CEO Brian Kovalchuk resigned and the board replaced him with Kevin Kotecki. Kotecki swiftly moved the Pabst Brewing Company and its roughly 100 headquarters personnel to
Woodridge, Illinois
Woodridge is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, with small portions in Will and Cook counties, and a southwestern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 34,158.
The village is just north of the I-55 junction with IL-53 ...
, a
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
suburb. The offices in Woodridge were located on historic
US Route 66.
Between 2005 and 2010, "PBR brand volume increased 69%, and Pabst's gross margins increased 48 percent, operating profit rose 81 percent, and net revenue per barrel increased 28 percent."
On May 28, 2008, a former Pabst Brewery in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, which was in the process of being demolished, caught fire and was seriously damaged.
Metropoulos era
On May 26, 2010, investor
C. Dean Metropoulos reached a deal to purchase Pabst for about $250 million.
On May 14, 2011, it was announced that Pabst would be relocating to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
Pabst retains a data center in
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, the previous location of its headquarters. Pabst's shuttered
brewery complex in Milwaukee was targeted to be redeveloped into restaurants, entertainment venues, stores, housing and offices. The $317 million project became the subject of public debate in Milwaukee.
Kashper era
Pabst Brewing Company announced November 13, 2014 that it had completed its sale to Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings, LLC. Blue Ribbon is a partnership between American beer entrepreneur
Eugene Kashper and
TSG Consumer Partners, a San Francisco–based private equity firm.
Prior reports suggested the price agreed upon was around $700 million.
Redevelopment of the historic Pabst campus continued, with the original brewhouse converted into a hotel, other buildings converted into condominiums and offices, and others still to be redeveloped.
In July 2015, Pabst announced plans to return to Milwaukee and refurbish a former church and training center on the site of the original Pabst Brewing complex as a micro-brewery and taproom. This project was completed in Spring 2017, with the taproom featuring both newly developed and historic beers in the Pabst portfolio. Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company closed the facility in 2020 and it was taken over by Central Waters Brewing Company in 2021.
In November 2018, a lawsuit by Pabst against
MillerCoors reached trial stage. Pabst argued that MillerCoors wanted to put it out of business by ending a longstanding contract through which MillerCoors brews Pabst's beers. Pabst said that MillerCoors is its only option for the brewed annually for the company, since
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC ( ) is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...
, which has the biggest U.S. market share, does not do contract brewing.
The lawsuit was settled out of court, and the contract between the two companies was renewed.
In 2019, Pabst signed a 20-year production agreement with
City Brewing Company. In 2020, Pabst exercised its option to purchase Molson Coors’s
Irwindale brewery, and in 2021 sold the Irwindale brewery to City Brewing. The transition of production from Molson Coors to City Brewing was underway in 2022 and is expected to finish by the end of 2024.
Outside the United States
Pabst Blue Ribbon America has a licensing agreement and joint venture arrangement with
China Pabst Blue Ribbon. It is produced, marketed and distributed by CBR Brewing Company, which jointly owns the company along with Guangdong Blue Ribbon Group under a sub-licensing agreement with the Pabst Brewing Company. CBR is a
British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...
owned company but it is based in China. China Pabst recently released a new beer called Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 for consumption in the domestic market; it sells for US$44 a bottle.
In 1999,
Sleeman Breweries
Sleeman Breweries is a Japanese-owned Canadian brewery founded by John Warren Sleeman in 1988 in Guelph, Ontario. The company is the third-largest brewing company in Canada. Along with its own Sleeman brands, the company produces under licence t ...
in
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, a division of
Sapporo Breweries
is a Japanese beer brewing company founded in 1876. Sapporo, the oldest brand of beer in Japan, was first brewed in Sapporo, Hokkaido, in 1876 by Seibei Nakagawa. The world headquarters of Sapporo Breweries is in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo. The co ...
, acquired Stroh Canada which owned the Canadian rights to a folio of brands, including Pabst. Sleeman then became the Canadian manufacturer and distributor of those products.
Product lines
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pabst Blue Ribbon, also known as "PBR", is the namesake 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 neck of the bottle, a practice that ran from 1882 until 1916, and discontinued due to a silk shortage during World War I. After Prohibition, the blue ribbons were once again tied around the neck of the bottle, a custom that endured from 1933 until 1950.
Besides the 4.7%
alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of Alcohol (drug), alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest ...
Original, there are now also Pabst Extra a stronger 6.5% lager, Pabst Easy which is their low calorie light beer offering (3.8% ABV), and Pabst Non-Alc with less than 0.5% ABV.
In July 2019, the organization began testing a Hard Coffee line of drinks under the Pabst Blue Ribbon name in states along the
East Coast,
as well as a hard tea, hard seltzers, and even a whiskey.
Products
Brewing products include (or have included):
*
P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company,
*
G. Heileman Brewing Company,
*
Lone Star Brewing Company,
*
Pearl Brewing Company,
*
Piels Bros.,
*
Valentin Blatz Brewing Company,
*
National Brewing Company,
*
Olympia Brewing Company
The Olympia Brewing Company was a brewery which operated at the Olympia Brewery in Tumwater, Washington.
Founded in 1896 by Leopold Friederich Schmidt, it was bought by G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1983. Through a series of consolidations, it ...
,
*
Falstaff Brewing Corporation,
*
Primo Brewing & Malting Company,
*
Rainier Brewing Company
The Rainier Brewing Company is an American owned beer brand, originally established in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. Rainier Beer remains a popular brand in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Although Rainier was founded in 1 ...
,
*
F & M Schaefer Brewing Company,
*
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company is an United States, American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was once the largest producer of beer in the United States. Its namesake beer, Schlitz (), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" ...
,
*
Christian Schmidt Brewing Company,
*
Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company, and
*
Stroh Brewery Company.
About half of the beer produced under Pabst's ownership is ''
Pabst Blue Ribbon'' brand, with the other half their other owned brands.
The company is also responsible for the brewing of Ice Man
Malt Liquor
In the United States of America, Malt liquor is a type of mass market beer with high alcohol content, (typically above 5%), made with malted barley and resembling those for American-style lagers.
Manufacture
Malt liquor is a strong lager or ale ...
,
St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor, and retail versions of beers from
McSorley's Old Ale House
McSorley's Old Ale House is the oldest Irish wikt:saloon, saloon in New York City. Opened in the mid-19th century at 15 7th Street (Manhattan), East 7th Street, in what is now the East Village, Manhattan, East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, ...
and Southampton Publick House (of
Southampton, New York
Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stre ...
).
Jacob Best
Jacob Best Pilsner is a
pale lager
Pale lager is a pale-to- golden lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness.
In the mid-19th century, Gabriel Sedlmayr took British pale ale brewing and malt making techniques back to the Spaten Bre ...
named after Pabst's founder, Jacob Best.
Ballantine
Ballantine Brewery was acquired by Pabst in 1985 when it bought the
Falstaff Brewing Corporation. Ballantine's flagship beer, Ballantine XXX Ale, has remained on the market since Prohibition ended. Ballantine IPA re-launched in August 2014 after nearly 20 years off the market.
Schlitz
Schlitz was first brewed by the
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company is an United States, American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was once the largest producer of beer in the United States. Its namesake beer, Schlitz (), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" ...
in Milwaukee. Schlitz was one of the world's top-selling beers during the first half of the 20th century.
Pabst Brewing Company also produces four Schlitz
malt liquors—Schlitz Red Bull, Schlitz Bull Ice, Schlitz High Gravity, and Schlitz Malt Liquor.
Blatz
Blatz was the flagship brand of the
Valentin Blatz Brewing Company of Milwaukee. The brewery was a major competitor of Pabst, Miller, G. Heileman, and other Milwaukee-area brewers, but was bought out in 1968 by Pabst. Pabst then sold Blatz to the G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1969. Under contract, Pabst continued to produce Blatz beer into the 1990s, when it was discontinued. The brand was revived in 2007 and is currently being brewed under contract by the Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee.
Old Milwaukee
Old Milwaukee is a
pale lager
Pale lager is a pale-to- golden lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness.
In the mid-19th century, Gabriel Sedlmayr took British pale ale brewing and malt making techniques back to the Spaten Bre ...
. The beer was first brewed in 1890 by the
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company is an United States, American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was once the largest producer of beer in the United States. Its namesake beer, Schlitz (), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" ...
in Milwaukee, and was re-introduced in 1955 as a value-priced beer.
Colt 45
Colt 45 is a brand of
malt liquor first produced in 1963 by the
National Brewing Company in
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
.
St. Ides
St. Ides is a brand of malt liquor first launched by the
McKenzie River Corporation in 1987. St. Ides gained prominence during the late 1980s and early 1990s through the company's use of
celebrity endorsement
Celebrity branding or celebrity endorsement is a form of advertising campaign or marketing strategy which uses a celebrity's fame or social status to promote a product, brand or service, or to raise awareness about an issue. Marketers use celeb ...
s by
rap artists such as
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...
,
2Pac
Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...
,
Dr. Dre
Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
,
Scarface,
The Notorious B.I.G., and
Method Man & Redman.
Stroh's
The
Stroh Brewery Company in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
first brewed Stroh's beer in 1850. Stroh's is an
American-style lager
The American lager or North American lager is a style of pale lager produced in the United States and Canada. Pale lagers originated in Europe in the mid-19th century and were brought to North America by German American, German immigrants. While ...
.
Old Style
Old Style was first brewed in 1902 by the
G. Heileman Brewing Company in
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...
, under the name Old Style Lager; it was popular in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, the
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
metro area,
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, eastern
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
,
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...
, southwestern
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, Upper Michigan, and
Fargo and
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, third-most populous ...
. It has been served at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...
for decades and is popular with fans of the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
. The original Heileman's Old Style brewery in La Crosse is now owned by the
City Brewing Company. It brews La Crosse Lager, which is based upon the original Old Style recipe and is
kräusened for 30 days.
In the early 1990s,
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
-born actor
Dennis Farina made a series of commercials for Old Style beer, mentioning that it was "our great beer... and they can't have it."
In 2016, the production of Old Style returned to the La Crosse brewery under a new contract with Pabst; City Brewery became the sole producer of the Old Style brand. Along with the homecoming of the beer, the brand introduced Old Style Oktoberfest.
Lone Star
Lone Star was first brewed by
Lone Star Brewing Company in
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. It was Lone Star Brewing Company's main brand and marketed as "The National Beer of Texas".
Olympia
Olympia was an
American-style pale lager. The
Olympia Brewing Company
The Olympia Brewing Company was a brewery which operated at the Olympia Brewery in Tumwater, Washington.
Founded in 1896 by Leopold Friederich Schmidt, it was bought by G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1983. Through a series of consolidations, it ...
in
Tumwater, Washington
Tumwater is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 25,350 at the 2020 census. The city is situated near where the Deschutes River enters Budd Inlet, the southernmost point of Puget Sound; it also borders the s ...
first brewed Olympia beer in 1896, with Pabst purchasing the label and brewing the beer from 2014 to 2021.
A Sacramento resident filed a class-action lawsuit against Pabst in 2018 for allegations of false advertising due to the depiction of Tumwater Falls and the slogan "It's the water" on Olympia's bottles despite the beer being brewed using water from the
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...
in Southern California. In 2020, the judge allowed the case to proceed. In January 2021, Pabst announced it was discontinuing Olympia beer. The suit was dismissed in 2022 as the plaintiff "could not show a concrete threat of future harm".
Rainier Beer
Rainier Beer was first brewed in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
Washington by the
Rainier Brewing Company
The Rainier Brewing Company is an American owned beer brand, originally established in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. Rainier Beer remains a popular brand in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Although Rainier was founded in 1 ...
. It is popular in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
of the United States.
Schmidt's of Philadelphia
Schmidt's of Philadelphia, which had no connection to the St. Paul Schmidt Beer, was brewed by the Christian Schmidt Brewing Company, founded in 1860.
Schmidt Beer
Schmidt Beer was first brewed by the
Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company in
St. Paul,
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
in 1855. It is popular throughout the
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a northern subregion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed upon, the region is usually defined to include the states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wi ...
.
National Bohemian
National Bohemian was the flagship beer of the
National Brewing Company in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
. It is a
Bohemian-style
American beer
In the United States, beer is manufactured in breweries which range in size from industry giants to brew pubs and microbreweries. The United States produced 196 million Barrel (unit)#Fluid barrel in the US and UK, barrels () of beer in 2012, ...
. Ninety percent of National Bohemian sales are in the Baltimore area.
Former independent brands
Andeker
Pabst introduced a premium brewed European style lager called Andeker in 1939.
After being discontinued in the 1960s it was brought back from 1972 to 1986. It has been described as "The most European of the Americans, with full body and well-modulated flavor. Creamy rather than violently carbonated, sharp but not bitter." Andeker has been revived by Pabst at their microbrewery on the old Pabst brewery grounds in Milwaukee, is available on tap, in growlers and crowlers.
The Great Gulp: A Consumer Guide's to Beer
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Red, White and Blue
Red White & Blue was a brand of beer produced and sold by Pabst from before Prohibition until the mid-1980s. Pre-Prohibition advertisements lauded its mellow taste and drinkability. After years of average sales, the brand saw significant growth in the early 1980s due to creative marketing campaigns. However, Pabst reformulated it to reduce costs and by the mid-1980s it was known as a "cheap beer". Sales steeply declined and the brand was discontinued.
Awards
''Awards at the Great American Beer Festival
The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is an annual beer festival hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado. Typically held in late September or early October, the event is currently held at Denver's Colorado Convention Cente ...
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''Awards at the World Beer Cup
The World Beer Cup is an international beer competition organized by the Brewers Association, a trade group
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organizatio ...
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''Golden Icon Awards by Travolta Family Entertainment:''
Pabst Brewing Company won "Large Brewing Company of the Year" at the Great American Beer Festival
The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is an annual beer festival hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado. Typically held in late September or early October, the event is currently held at Denver's Colorado Convention Cente ...
in 2011, 2012 and 2016.
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Image:Pabst Malt Extract.jpg, Pabst Malt Extract 1896
Image:Pabst-brewing 1897 malt.jpg, Pabst Malt Extract 1897
Image:Pabst-brewing 1897 beer.jpg, Pabst Malt Extract - Advertisement - 1897
Image:Pabst 1897 new-amsterdam.jpg, Pabst New Amsterdam - Advertisement - 1897
Image:Pabst Extract Advertisement 1917.jpg, Pabst Extract 1917
See also
* Beer in Milwaukee
The city of Milwaukee in the U.S. state of Wisconsin has been associated with beer throughout its history. This heritage can be found in its Major League Baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers, and on beer brands such as Old Milwaukee and Milwaukee' ...
References
Further reading
* Cochran, Thomas C. ''The Pabst Brewing Company: The History of An American Business''. New York: New York University Press, 1948.
* Weiss, Jana.
Frederick Pabst
in William J. Hausman (ed.). ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present''. German Historical Institute, 2018.
*
External links
Pabst Brewing Company
History of Pabst Brewery
Paul Bialas Photography & Brewery Books
modern images of the dilapidated Schlitz and Pabts breweries.
Old Style Beer: History
Pabst Brewing Company and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition Urban Myth Debunked
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1844 establishments in Wisconsin Territory
American companies established in 1844
History of Milwaukee
Companies based in DuPage County, Illinois
Manufacturing companies based in Milwaukee