(Photo: Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP Images)
Industry giant Anheuser-Busch InBev has signed a deal to produce Pabst Blue Ribbon and other Pabst-owned products beginning early this year, according a report from Brewbound.
The deal comes weeks after Pabst's contract brewing agreement with Molson Coors expired at the end of December. Though one of the most recognizable names in the American beer landscape, Pabst has not produced any of its brands in-house since the closure of its Milwaukee facility in 1996.
Pabst inked a similar arrangement in 2019 with City Brewing, a contract brewer with facilities in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Tennesse and California. Those facilities will continue to produce Pabst-owned products alongside AB InBev until 2040. Eugene Kashper, the co-owner of Blue Ribbon Partners, reportedly owns a "significant ownership interest " in City Brewing, per Inside Beer.
In addition to its namesake brew, Pabst Brewing Co. owns a varied portfolio including Schlitz, Old Milwaukee, Colt 45 and Ballantine. According to Brewbound, Lone Star will be the first beer to begin production at AB InBev facilities, with Pabst Blue Ribbon to follow soon after.
“By entering into this agreement with Anheuser-Busch, Pabst will strengthen its supply chain, allowing us to better meet the needs of our valued retail and distributor customers,” Pabst CEO Paul Chibe said in a press release. “With both City Brewing and Anheuser-Busch as contract brewing partners, Pabst will have even greater supply certainty and growth potential across our full portfolio of products.”
Pabst was founded in 1844 by German-born Jacob Best Sr. alongside his sons Jacob Jr., Charles, Phillip and Lorenz. The brand derives its now-iconic name from the literal blue ribbons tied around the bottle’s neck for a short period between 1882 and 1916.
Sales peaked at 18 million barrels in 1977. In the decades after, however, Pabst struggled to keep up with its contemporaries, reporting declining sales figures year after year throughout the 1980s and '90s. It wasn't until the early 2000s that PBR experienced its now-famous hipster revival, which led to a 200% sales increase between 2004 and 2013. Though sales have since plateaued, PBR remains one of the 20 most popular beers in America.
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