Pabst Blue Ribbon

Milwaukee brewing legacy

Pabst Blue Ribbon is an American lager beer, often called PBR.

Once a mainstream working-class beer, it became iconic among hipsters and indie subcultures in the early 2000s, prized for being cheap and unpretentious: The bar only had PBR on tap.

The name references a blue ribbon supposedly won at a 19th-century competition.

Related
  • PBRBudget American lager brand
  • beerFermented grain drink
  • lagerCold-conditioned beer
  • cheapLow in price
  • hipsterAggressively alternative person

dive bar · Milwaukee · can · beer cooler · ice cold · tallboy · cold · American · lawn chair · working class · bartender · happy hour · beer pong · keg stand · jukebox · pool table · six-pack · brewery

Opposites
beer market segment

Pabst Blue Ribboncraft beer

Small-batch artisanal beer

Stella Artois · Heineken · Guinness · Samuel Adams · Sierra Nevada

beer origin and production

Pabst Blue Ribboncraft beer

Small-batch artisanal beer

Belgian ale · German pilsner · Pliny the Elder · hazy IPA

cultural positioning

Pabst Blue RibbonDom Pérignon

Legendary French bubbly

champagne · Grey Goose · bottle service · single malt scotch · craft cocktail

Family

blue, ribbon, blues, bluer, bluest, bluish, ribbons, ribboned

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Mostly American · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG