PABST
THE BIRTH OF BLUE RIBBON
Pabst Blue Ribbon beer was created in a brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Jacob Best, Sr., in 1844. Originally called Best Select and decorated with a blue ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle, making it stand out to customers. In 1867, when Phillip Best retired from the company , Captain Frederick Pabst and Emil Schandein, the vice-president of Best Brewery took over the company. Pabst was a German immigrant who moved to Chicago in 1848 and married the granddaughter of Jacob Best, who founded the Best Brewing Company. Pabst then began working at the brewery and bought a 50% stake in the company. The company was completely transformed by 1874 due to the Chicago Fires, which wiped out Chicago's brewing industry, allowing the Best Brewing Company to step in and take over the market. The fires combined with new leadership made the company the largest beer producer in the United States by 1874.
BLUE RIBBON THROUGH THE YEARS
The company was renamed the Pabst Brewing Company in 1889, reflecting Frederick Pabst's growing influence and reputation. According to company tradition, Best Select adopted the name Pabst Blue Ribbon after earning the title of "America's Best" at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Pabst was forced to stop producing alcohol in 1920 due to the prohibition, so the company began producing cheese and non-alcoholic malt tonics to stay in business. With the end of Prohibition, Pabst rapidly returned to brewing. Pabst not only increased production in Milwaukee but also repurposed a substantial malt syrup facility in Peoria Heights, Illinois, creating a second major brewery. In 1935, Pabst Blue Ribbon became one of the first major American breweries to package beer in cans. During World War II, the company redirected its canned beer production to support U.S. military forces. They packaged beer in olive cans while civilian canned sales were halted because of wartime metal rationing. Blue Ribbon's popularity skyrocketed throughout the 1950s-1970s and was later purchased by S&P Company in 1985. A little over a decade later, the original Milwaukee plant closed, and the headquarters moved to Chicago, Illinois. Pabst Blue Ribbon has stayed popular and in production for nearly 2 centuries making an annual revenue of over 300 million a year and remains in the United States top 20 best selling beers.
