Pabst Brewing Company

Pabst Brewing Company
Industry Alcoholic beverage
Founded 1844 in Milwaukee, WI
Founder Jacob Best
Headquarters Los Angeles, California
Key people
 Frederick Pabst
Products Beer
Website http://www.pabstbrewingco.com

The Pabst Brewing Company (/ˈpæpst/) is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and by 1889 named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently the holding company contracting for the brewing of over two dozen brands of beer and malt liquor from defunct companies including Pabst Brewery brands, P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company, G. Heileman Brewing Company, Lone Star Brewing Company, Pearl Brewing Company, Piels Bros., National Brewing Company, Olympia Brewing Company, Falstaff Brewing Corporation, Primo Brewing & Malting Company, Rainier Brewing Company, F & M Schaefer Brewing Company, Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company and Stroh Brewery Company.[1]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pabst Brewing Company Complex.

The company is also responsible for the brewing of Ice Man Malt Liquor, St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor, and retail versions of beers from McSorley's Old Ale House and Southampton Publick House (of Southampton, New York).[1]

Pabst is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.[2][3] On November 13, 2014, Pabst announced 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.[4] Prior reports suggested the price agreed upon was around $700 million.[5]

History

Formation

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.[6] They started the brewery on Chestnut Street Hill in Milwaukee with a capacity of 18 barrels (2.9 m3). Later, in 1863, Frederick Pabst, a steamship captain and son-in-law of Phillip Best, bought 50% of Phillip Best Brewing assuming the role of Vice President, by which time the brewery was already selling a lager that they began bottling in 1875 under the name Best Select. By 1874 Phillip Best Brewing Co. was the nation's largest brewer.[7] In 1866, Best's other daughter Lisette married Emil Schandein, and Best sold the remaining half of the business to her husband, making Frederick Pabst president, and her husband vice-president.[8][9] Schandein unexpectedly died in Germany and Lisette Schandein took over as vice-president of the company which she remained until 1894.

During Prohibition, Pabst stopped making beer and switched to cheese production, selling more than 8 million pounds of Pabst-ett cheese. When Prohibition ended, the company went back to selling beer, and the cheese line was sold to Kraft.[10]

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 both tourists and locals, especially students from nearby Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.[11][12] Pabst's sales reached a peak of 15.6 million barrels in 1978 and then went into steep decline.[7]

Kalmanovitz era

The former Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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.;[13][14] S&P's first brewery was Maier Brewing Company, purchased in 1958.[13] When Kalmanovitz died in 1987 S&P Co. became legally inseparable from the Kalmanovitz Charitable Trust.[13] S&P Company 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, PBC claimed that they were unable to find a buyer at market value and requested an extension until 2010 that the IRS granted.

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,[7] ending a 152-year association with the city and turning that company into a virtual brewer.[7] In 1999, Pabst purchased the Stroh label,[15] and the brewery in La Crosse was sold to City Brewing Company.[16] In 2001, production was contracted to Miller Brewing Company, and by then what remained of the Pabst company operated out of San Antonio.[14]

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, a Chicago suburb. The offices in Woodridge were located on historic US Route 66.

Between 2005 and 2010, "PBR brand volume increased 69 percent [and Pabst's] gross margins increased 48 percent, operating profit rose 81 percent, and net revenue per barrel increased 28 percent."[17]

Metropoulos era

On May 26, 2010, investor C. Dean Metropoulos reached a deal to purchase Pabst for about $250 million.[18] On May 14, 2011, it was announced that Pabst would be relocating to Los Angeles, California.[2]

Pabst retains a data center in San Antonio, Texas, the previous location of its headquarters. Pabst's long obsolete brewery complex in Milwaukee has been targeted to be developed into restaurants, entertainment venues, stores, housing and offices. The $317 million project is the subject of much debate in Milwaukee.[19] On May 28, 2008 a former Pabst Brewery in Newark, New Jersey, which was in the process of being demolished, caught fire and was seriously damaged.[20]

Pabst Brewing Company won "Large Brewing Company of the Year" at the Great American Beer Festival in 2011 and 2012.[21]

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.[4] Prior reports suggested the price agreed upon was around $700 million.[5]

In July 2015, Pabst announced plans to return to Milwaukee and build a small brewery on the site of the original Pabst Brewing "complex." [22] The company plans to spend between $3 million - $4 million to redevelop an old German Methodist church, turning it into an "innovation brewery." The new location will craft small-batch brews and focus on the production of new craft beers.

Outside of 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 owned company but it is based in China.[23][24][25] China Pabst recently released a new beer called Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 for consumption in the domestic market; it sells for 44 U.S. dollars a bottle.[26]

Product lines

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Main article: 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 bottle neck, a practice that ran from 1882 until 1916, discontinued due to a silk shortage during World War I. It was once again tied around the bottles after prohibition from 1933 until 1950.

Jacob Best

"Jacob Best Pilsner" is a pale lager named after Pabst's founder, Jacob Best.

Ballantine

"Ballantine IPA" relaunched in August 2014 after nearly 20 years off the market. This is Pabst's foray into the craft beer scene.[27] Ballantine's flagship beer, "Ballantine XXX Ale," has remained on the market since the prohibition ended. Ballantine Brewery was acquired by Pabst in 1985 when it bought Falstaff.

Schlitz

"Schlitz" was first brewed by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Schlitz was one of the world's top-selling beers during the first half of the 20th Century.[28] Pabst Brewing Company also produces four Schlitz malt liquors—Schlitz Red Bull, Schlitz Bull Ice, Schlitz High Gravity, and Schlitz Malt Liquor.[1]

Old Milwaukee

Main article: Old Milwaukee

"Old Milwaukee" is a pale lager. It was first brewed in 1890 by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was later reintroduced in 1955 as a value priced beer.

Colt 45

Main article: Colt 45 (malt liquor)

"Colt 45" is a brand of malt liquor first produced in 1963 by the National Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland. Colt 45 is the namesake of running back Jerry Hill (#45 of the 1963 Baltimore Colts).

St. Ides

Main article: 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 use of celebrity endorsements by rap artists such as Ice Cube, 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Scarface, The Notorious B.I.G., and Method Man & Redman.

Stroh's

The Stroh Brewery Company in Detroit, Michigan first brewed "Stroh's beer in 1850. Stroh's is an American-style lager.

Old Style

"Old Style" was first brewed in 1902 by the G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin under the name Old Style Lager; it was popular in Wisconsin, the Chicago metro area, Minnesota, eastern Iowa, Lincoln, Nebraska, southwestern Michigan, Upper Michigan, and Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota. It has been served at Wrigley Field for many years, and is popular with fans of the Chicago Cubs. 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. This beer may also be the basis for the brewery's nationally-distributed DB Hobbs brand.[29]

In the early 1990s, Chicago-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."[30] The production of Old Style has returned to its birthplace in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In a 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."[31]

Lone Star

"Lone Star" was first brewed by Lone Star Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas. It was Lone Star Brewing Company's main brand and marketed as "The National Beer of Texas."

Olympia

The Olympia Brewing Company in Tumwater, Washington first brewed "Olympia" beer. Olympia is an American-style pale lager.

Rainier Beer

"Rainier Beer" was first brewed in Seattle, Washington by the Rainier Brewing Company. It is popular in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

Schmidt Beer

"Schmidt Beer" was first brewed by the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1855. It is popular throughout the Upper Midwest.

National Bohemian

Main article: National Bohemian

"National Bohemian" was the flagship beer of the National Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Bohemian-style American beer. Ninety percent of National Bohemian sales are in the Baltimore area.[32]

Former brands

Andeker

Pabst introduced a premium brewed European style lager called Andeker in 1939.[33][34] After dying out in the 1960s it was brought back from 1972 to 1986, brewed from extra-rich malt, specially selected grain, and select hops, then given extra ageing - lagering in German - to develop a full, rich, smooth "continental" taste, according to its promotions.

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."[35]

Red, White and Blue

Main article: Red White & Blue Beer

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:

Year Award Category Beer
1990 Silver American Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon
1990 Silver Malt Liquor Olde English 800
1991 Gold American Lager Pearl Lager Beer
1991 Gold American Malt Liquor Olde English 800
1992 Gold American Malt Liquor Olde English 800
1992 Silver American Lager Hamm's
1992 Silver American Dry Lager Olympia Dry
1993 Gold American Dry Lager Olympia Dry
1993 Bronze Mixed/Non-Alcoholic Pabst NA
1994 Gold American Light Lager Pabst Genuine Draft Light
1994 Gold American Malt Liquor Olde English 800
1994 Silver American Dry Lager Olympia Dry
1995 Gold American Light Lager Pabst Genuine Draft Light
1995 Gold American Malt Liquor Olde English 800
1995 Gold American Specialty Lager Olympia Dry
1996 Gold American Light Lager Pabst Genuine Draft Light
1996 Silver American Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon
1997 Gold American Style Specialty Lager Olde English 800
1997 Gold Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverages Pabst NA
1998 Gold Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverages Pabst NA
1998 Silver American Style Light Lager Pabst Genuine Draft Light
2000 Silver Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverages Pabst NA
2003 Gold American Style Light Lager Old Style Light
2003 Gold American Style Lager Old Milwaukee
2003 Silver American Style Lager Rainier
2003 Bronze American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light
2003 Bronze American Lager/Ale or Cream Ale Old Style
2004 Gold Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverage Old Milwaukee NA
2004 Gold American Style Light Lager Rainier Light
2004 Gold American Style Lager Old Milwaukee
2004 Silver American Lager/Ale or Cream Ale Special Export
2004 Silver American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light
2004 Silver American Style Specialty Lager Schlitz Malt Liquor
2004 Bronze American Style Lager Schlitz
2004 Bronze American Style Premium Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon
2004 Bronze American Style Specialty Lager St. Ides Malt Liquor
2005 Gold American Style Premium Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon
2005 Gold American Style Lager Stag
2005 Gold American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light
2005 Silver American Style Premium Lager Olympia
2005 Silver American Style Lager Rainier
2005 Bronze American Cream Ale or Lager Special Export
2006 Gold American Style Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon
2006 Gold American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light
2006 Silver American Cream Ale or Lager Lone Star
2006 Bronze American Style Lager Blatz
2007 Gold American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Lone Star
2007 Gold American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light
2007 Silver American Style Light Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon Light
2007 Silver American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Old Style
2008 Gold American Style Cream Ale or Lager Lone Star
2008 Gold American Style Lager or Premium Lager Olympia
2008 Silver American Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light
2008 Silver American Style Lager or Premium Lager Blatz
2010 Silver American Style Lager or Light Lager Old Milwaukee
2010 Silver American Style Specialty Lager or Cream Ale or Lager Rainier
2010 Bronze American Style Specialty Lager or Cream Ale or Lager Old Style
2011 Gold American-Style Lager, Light Lager or Premium Lager Old Milwaukee Light
2011 Bronze American-Style Lager, Light Lager or Premium Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon Light
2011 Silver American Style Specialty Lager or Cream Ale or Lager Rainier
2011 Bronze American Style Specialty Lager or Cream Ale or Lager Old Style
2012 Gold American-Style Lager, Light Lager or Premium Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon
2012 Silver American Style Specialty Lager or Cream Ale or Lager Old Style

Awards at the World Beer Cup:

Year Award Category Beer
1996 Gold American Style Malt Liquor Olde English 800
1996 Silver American Style Malt Liquor Schlitz Malt Liquor
1996 Bronze American Style Malt Liquor Country Club Malt Liquor
1996 Bronze American Style Ice Lager Schlitz Ice
1998 Gold American Style Malt Liquor Schlitz Malt Liquor
2006 Gold American Style Premium Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon
2006 Gold American Cream Ale or Lager Old Style
2008 Gold American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Special Export
2008 Gold American-Style Light Lager Old Milwaukee Light
2008 Silver American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Lone Star
2008 Silver American-Style Light Lager Lone Star Light
2010 Gold American-Style Lager Olympia
2010 Silver American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Old Style
2010 Silver American-Style Lager National Bohemian
2010 Bronze American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Lone Star
2010 Bronze American-Style Specialty Lager Colt 45

Golden Icon Awards by Travolta Family Entertainment:

Year Award Category Beer
2006–2007 Golden Icon Best Domestic Beer Old Style Light

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Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 Our Portfolio from the company's website
  2. 1 2 Li, Shan. "Pabst headquarters moving to Los Angeles." Los Angeles Times. May 14, 2011.
  3. ↑ Contact from the company's website
  4. 1 2 DesChenes, Denise. "Pabst Brewing Company Completes Sale To Blue Ribbon Holdings". TSG Consumer Partners. TSG Consumer Partners. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 Wilmore, James. "Pabst Brewing Co sale finalised as Eugene Kashper, TSG take reins". Just-Drinks. Just-Drinks. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "TransIP". Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Shuttered Pabst Brewery Brims With History." by Gretchen Ehlke The Los Angeles Times, December 19, 2004
  8. ↑ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. J.T. White. 1893. p. 294.
  9. ↑ "Pabst Brewery".
  10. ↑ "Prohibition & Beyond".
  11. ↑ Fowler, Brenda. "WHAT'S DOING IN; Milwaukee." The New York Times, June 4, 1995.
  12. ↑ Platt, Jeff. "Milwaukee Beer History." Suds, Wine & Spirits, 2006.
  13. 1 2 3 The Family Jewels, a September 20, 1995 article from SF Weekly
  14. 1 2 Rob Walker (June 22, 2003). "The Marketing of No Marketing". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  15. ↑ Patricia Zacharias & Vivian B. Baulch (December 29, 1998). "Detroiters and their beers". Detroit News-Michigan History. DetNews.com.
  16. ↑ "History". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  17. ↑ "Former Pabst execs bitter about shift in philosophy under new owners" by Julie Wernau. The Chicago Tribune, June 04, 2011
  18. ↑ Lattman, Peter; Kesmodel, David (26 May 2010). "Pabst's New Owner Built Fortune on Old Brands". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  19. ↑ Daykin, Tom (2005–2007). "PabstCity's glass half empty?". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  20. ↑ New Jersey. "Firefighters battle blaze at former Newark brewery". Nj.com. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  21. ↑ GABF Winners from the festival's website
  22. ↑ "Pabst Returns to Milwaukee to Build Innovation Brewery". Brewbound.com. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  23. ↑ Sittig, Marshall (1995). Guide to China Business Contacts: Companies, Places, and Markets.
  24. ↑ Hoover's Masterlist of Major U.S. Companies 1998-1999. 1998.
  25. ↑ Miller, Russell (2000). Doing Business in Newly Privatized Markets: Global Opportunities and Challenges.
  26. ↑ Gibson, Megan (July 21, 2010). "Pabst Blue Ribbon Is Classy and Expensive in China". Time.
  27. ↑ Nkosi, Nkosi. "The Return of Ballantine". Chicago Beer Geeks. None. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Schlitz returns, drums up nostalgic drinkers". Gannett Co. Inc. August 1, 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
  29. ↑ Kroger: Great Meals - Wine - House Wines.
  30. ↑ 1991 Old Style Commercials, Youtube.com (retrieved 22 July 2013)
  31. ↑ Tighe, Mike. "Old Style to add first new brew in 15 years as it returns to La Crosse". La Crosse Tribune. La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  32. ↑ "National Bohemian beer to be served on draft again". Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  33. ↑ "ADSAUSAGE - vintage advertising library.". Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  34. ↑ The Untappd Team. "Andeker Beer Supreme (1968)". Untappd. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  35. ↑ The Great Gulp: A Consumer Guide's to Beer

Further reading

Coordinates: 34°3′13.04″N 118°25′57.39″W / 34.0536222°N 118.4326083°W / 34.0536222; -118.4326083

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