# How did Pabst Blue Ribbon become hip? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2011, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173 "2011-06-03T06:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/21 "2011-06-03T15:32:37Z")
Back in the late 70s, PBR was just a step above Lucky Lager and Brew 102. **Krokodil** said it perfectly: “I’m broke, but not totally without pride.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/22 "2011-06-03T15:32:56Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > PBR is hip? Since when? Since at least the mid-2000s, probably a bit earlier. Go to any hipster bar in the city, and PBR is usually the $2 beer of choice. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/23 "2011-06-03T16:16:37Z")
I’ll drink PBR before I drink any AB beer. But not because I think PBR is good. To be honest, I think it tastes like a watery mixture of corn and rice. So while PBR is certainly not a “good” beer (IMO), at least it’s not a \*bad \*beer like Busch or Buttwiper. If you want to drink a pilsner that is good \*and \*cheap, look no further than **Burger Beer**. I am serious. It is made with 100% barley (no corn or rice), and uses the more expensive 2-row hops vs. the (more common) 6-row hops. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/24 "2011-06-03T16:38:28Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Honestly? While Old Style is my cheap beer of choice, PBR does fine. For cheap watered down American lagers, it’s better (IMHO) than any of the typical mass market brews: Miller, Budweiser, and Coors. The fact that it usually sells for less than any of those is a bonus. I enjoy it without any irony whatsoever. !00% correct… I have drank my way thru Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium and the Netherlands (each country on several different occasions) as well as the Micro-Brew Meccas of Northern California, Oregon and Washington, up into Vancouver (all of these places many, many, MANY times) and with the exception of Belgium, the beer that the average German, Dutchman or Czech is drinking on a daily basis is a hell of a a lot closer in taste, style, appearance and strength to ol’ Pabst Blue Ribbon than an average American micro like Sierra Nevada, Full Sail, Goose Island or Sam Adams. PBR is great for what it is, so is Rainier, Yuengling, Old Style and Strohs, all of which are very similar in taste and style to the mass produced beers of the European Beer-Belt, like Heineken Pils, Pilsner Urquell or Bitburger. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/25 "2011-06-03T16:40:25Z")
This gets asked a lot, and it usually just gets a lot of hipster hate. PBR wedged its way into the indie music/“hipster” community by sponsoring a lot of live music in dive bars and such, and for being cheap and adequate in a situation where it seems more fitting to pound a few tallboys than savor a $7 microbrew. And since the crowd in question is one that seeks out alternatives to the mainstream, it makes sense that they’d migrate to something other than the Bud/Miller/Coors behemoths. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/26 "2011-06-03T16:43:50Z")
[Bike messenger races](http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-10625-pabst-calls-it-a-comeback.html) in the Pacific Northwest. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/27 "2011-06-03T17:11:46Z")
> [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](#): > > Schaefer could have been PBR but for time and place. When I was in high school Schaefer could be purchased for $6 a case. It is an undrinkable beer. It is fit only for beer bonging. Drinking a PBR on the other hand can be an enjoyable experience. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/28 "2011-06-03T17:23:10Z")
At our local Natural Foods Co-op, you can get about 50 different kinds of microbrews…and Pabst Blue Ribbon. It’s just freaky… ---
**Author:** ![icallbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ac91a4/32.png) [@icallbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icallbull)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/29 "2011-06-03T17:27:21Z")
As for Schaeffer, my father swears that it used to be the most popular beer in Brookly/NYC area. Apparently they shut the brewery down in the 70’s and moved it to Pennsylvania. He said after the move sales dropped dramatically in the area. Everyone said that it just didn’t taste the same. Considering beer is like 95% water, and now you’re no longer using the same water…it probably would change the taste. Again…no real proof…just according to my father. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/30 "2011-06-03T17:48:21Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > PBR is great for what it is, so is Rainier, Yuengling, Old Style and Strohs, all of which are very similar in taste and style to the mass produced beers of the European Beer-Belt, like Heineken Pils, Pilsner Urquell or Bitburger. Well, it is a good bit different. The mass-market American beers tend to skew sweeter and have a good bit of corn and/or rice in them. I wouldn’t go around comparing PBR to Pilsner Urquell, which is a truly great beer the nearer you get to the source. The popular European lagers do have the advantage in being all-malted barley beers, for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/31 "2011-06-03T17:54:37Z")
I would have guessed it was entirely because of the scene in _Blue Velvet._ NSFW: [noparse][Blue Velvet Pabst Blue Ribbon - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snhiofL2Rh4%5B/noparse%5D) ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/32 "2011-06-03T17:55:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, it is a good bit different. The mass-market American beers tend to skew sweeter and have a good bit of corn and/or rice in them. I wouldn’t go around comparing PBR to Pilsner Urquell, which is a truly great beer the nearer you get to the source. The popular European lagers do have the advantage in being all-malted barley beers, for the most part. Those are valid points, but what tastes, looks, finishes most similarly? A PBR and an Urquell or a Sierra Nevada and an Urquell? Not even close to close… ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/33 "2011-06-03T18:22:02Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Those are valid points, but what tastes, looks, finishes most similarly? And is cheap? Not many. See my post above on Burger beer. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/34 "2011-06-03T18:29:39Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Those are valid points, but what tastes, looks, finishes most similarly? > > A PBR and an Urquell or a Sierra Nevada and an Urquell? > > Not even close to close… Sure, PBR is closer to Urquell than Sierra Nevada is to pretty much anything in Europe outside England. And, even in England, their IPAs and pale ales are different enough that there shouldn’t be any mistaking the two. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/35 "2011-06-03T18:40:07Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > This gets asked a lot, and it usually just gets a lot of hipster hate. > > PBR wedged its way into the indie music/“hipster” community by sponsoring a lot of live music in dive bars and such, and for being cheap and adequate in a situation where it seems more fitting to pound a few tallboys than savor a $7 microbrew. And since the crowd in question is one that seeks out alternatives to the mainstream, it makes sense that they’d migrate to something other than the Bud/Miller/Coors behemoths. It’s this. It’s as cheap or cheaper than Bud/Miller/Coors, but it’s not Bud/Miller/Coors. It doesn’t scream trying too hard the way a microbrew or other “good tasting” beer would. You don’t want to spend your money on beer after all, if you are going to spend you money you are going to spend it on (checks calendar sees that Rye is scheduled to be popular in June) quality shots of Rye\*. PBR started sponsoring the music stuff because of this, not the other way around. It was just starting to be a thing in Los Angeles, in 2003 when I turned 21 so it goes back at least that far. I don’t remember it being serious until 2005 though. \*If you didn’t get your calendar this moth is Rye, so put down the Bourbon that was last month and for god sake Patron Tequila stopped being a thing at least 2 years ago, put it away. Next month is top shelf Gin, don’t think this Rye thing will last too long so don’t go nuts and buy any for your home. Tequila should be back in style by December though, but not Patron. That’s done forever. Don Julio is on the schedule, but it’s still tentative. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/36 "2011-06-03T18:51:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Sure, PBR is closer to Urquell than Sierra Nevada is to pretty much anything in Europe outside England. And, even in England, their IPAs and pale ales are different enough that there shouldn’t be any mistaking the two. I should amend this and stress the words “pretty much.” There are breweries in Scandinavia that are trying out hoppier styles of beers with American hops that are somewhat similar to Sierra Nevada. I’m sure there must be others. So no nitpicking. 😉 But predominantly, the most usual popular styles are lagers. And, yes, of course I’m aware of the plethora of things Belgians do with their beer (which don’t resemble Sierra Nevada, either), and there are plenty of examples of (other types of) ales throughout the continent, too (what with Germany and their wheat beers, the Baltic area with their porters, etc., etc., etc.) So do take my statement as a broad generalization and in context. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/37 "2011-06-03T19:07:42Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > [Bike messenger races](http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-10625-pabst-calls-it-a-comeback.html) in the Pacific Northwest. > [@](#): > > As brand manager, and later marketing director, Stewart worked with a team of brand ambassadors to direct and create the PBR re-branding campaign—a campaign that employed an unobtrusive approach to marketing that appealed to the consumers who had begun to adopt the brand in 2000 and 2001 in the Northwest. Posers. 😃 It was the hipster beer of choice in the Star Bar in Atlanta at least from the mid-90s. Some Seattle kid passing through must have picked up on it. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/38 "2011-06-03T20:21:12Z")
One last thing and then I’ll have no more to say about the subject. For the record, I really like Sierra Nevada and other quality American Craft-Brews, (especially if I am only having a couple of beers in one sitting, more than that and most microbrews get way too filling and heavy for my tastes) and I am not under any delusion that Pabst Blue Ribbon is actually great beer; For what it is, (a fairly generic American, mass-produced, “budget” beer,) it’s far better than most of it’s direct competition (Miller High Life, Busch, Keystone) and just because the perception is that some segment of the market-share has glommed onto PBR as a Hipster “Badge of Honor” is not going to deter me from drinking a brand that I have been enjoying regularly for 20+ years. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/39 "2011-06-03T20:42:25Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > unpretentious. > > Hipsters love that shit. One of us doesn’t know what a hipster is. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173/40 "2011-06-03T22:29:53Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Point taken, but “Schaefer” just isn’t as fun to order when you’re drinking ironically. Maybe it’s too melodic a sound, or something. I could see Milwaukee’s Best, or Pabst Blue Ribbon, or Black Label or Mickey’s Big Mouth or Schlitz, but not Schaefer. > > Olympia’s right on the edge. Couldn’t say either way. [This commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3QBcrliFNk) makes Schaefer cooler than pretty much _any_ beer ever made, in my opinion. I’d buy it if it was available where I am - just because of that commercial. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pabst-blue-ribbon-become-hip/584173.md?page=3)