YOUR AD HERE »

Pabst revival scores high on hipness

William Ferchland
Turn 3 Peanut Bar owner Sarah Sheehy pours a cold, popular Pabst Blue Ribbon from the tap.
ALL |

Another popular beer of choice, perhaps the most unlikely among South Shore drinkers, is Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Once painted olive green for World War II soldiers, PBR has now found its way to the palates of the young adult crowd.

At Whiskey Dick’s Saloon, several cases of 24-ounce cans and 40-ounce bottles were ordered for a punk show this weekend. Employee Kylee Knowles said crowds for punk shows usually go through a small river of Pabst.



One could say Pabst, the first beer to be placed in a can, is enjoying a certain renaissance among the trucker-hat-wearing young adult crowd who might drink the beer for the sake of image. But speaking to bartenders, fans of Pabst run the culture gamut.

“I go through more PBR than anything else, even before Bud,” said Sarah Sheehy, owner of Turn 3 bar. “It’s nice and cheap. I also think people really like it.”



About five years ago, Sheehy said she was shopping for a domestic beer to put on tap. She discovered Pabst, which stuck with customers. She sells pints of it for $1.50.

Stone Street Bar and Grill inside Caesars Tahoe is also a South Shore establishment that sells the beer on tap.

Dan Ornelas, sales manager for Saccani Distributing, which delivers more than 100 beers to Northern California businesses, said Pabst is Saccani’s biggest seller.

The beer is a favorite among college areas.

“The people who want to get more for their money are drinking Pabst,” he said.

The lack of advertising for Pabst likely contributes to its low price, Ornelas said. It also helps people be free of stigmas produced by commercials, he added.

“Pabst is not telling people what the beer means to them,” Ornelas said. “They drink it for whatever reason they see fit.”


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.