Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) - Pabst Brewing Company

ZenAgnostic

Texas

1.53/5  rDev -49%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Can poured into a lager glass.

Appearance - White one finger head with good retention. Super pale straw body.

Smell - Stale cardboard.

Taste - Dry. Metallic. Horrible even for an AAL.

Mouthfeel - Watery mess.

Overall Drinkability - Crap. No real redeeming qualities besides the price. Even that doesn't balance out the worthiness of this brew.

Serving type: can

04-11-2011 09:31:01 | More by ZenAgnostic

dubman003

New Hampshire

1.55/5  rDev -48.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

There is no reason anyone should pay to drink PBR. Even for college students buying a keg, I would be embarrased to tell people I bought this beer. It stinks and tastes foul. Its only saving grace is when the beer comes from a bar tap, possibly because it is fresher (I hope), but coming from a can, run from this beer.

With other options on the grocery shelf--namely Miller High Life and Milwaukee Best Light--the low price is not even a saving grace. Some people get used to the taste from buying the cheap beer on the shelf, but I honestly can't support anyone even 'tasting' this beer.

Serving type: can

04-12-2006 01:04:59 | More by dubman003

erz316

Indiana

1.55/5  rDev -48.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

ah, the classic hipster drink.

well, considering the metal tap and mouth opening makes the brunt of the taste I would say this is worse than the bud cans. the feel and colour and the drinkability is the same in comparison to the standard nonlight versions of the macros.

Serving type: can

01-18-2010 23:35:09 | More by erz316

deaconoflove

Pennsylvania

1.58/5  rDev -47.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

My first PBR in decades:
Ap. Pale yellow with a small head that just got smaller in a hurry. No lacing.
Sm. Beer. Cheap. Grains, smells yellow!, corn? earth? Got it!!! It smells like Wisconsin in the summer of '72!
Ta. See above. A bit harsh.
Mf. Very very little mouthfeel. Like drinking a beer flavored glass of water.
Dr. If necessary. Aah, memories....

Serving type: can

01-28-2010 22:28:25 | More by deaconoflove

LiquidSanity

Florida

1.6/5  rDev -46.7%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Serving from the pint cans normally found in the grocery store in a glass mug.

Ap: Very typical and generic adjunct lager transparent straw yellow. Virtually no lacing and a tiny amount of head that lasts no longer than a fart.

Ar: I don't grasp any significant smell. Just a metallic and faint odor of lackluster corn/syrup smell. Void of character.

Ta: This is where it becomes rather interesting. While you would expect the typical adjunct lager criticism, it is a refreshing beer. However, it is short lived as the beer becomes warm. Drinking a pint's worth diminishes the value of the beer since it requires you chug the beer. Thus the infamy of the beer that it is the perfect college/frat boy beer. You need to consume it fast and in large quantities to enjoy. This is not a sipping beer. You'll gather flavors of the typical corn adjuncts and very metallic aftertastes.

Mf: It's in my mouth...it's like a very inexpensive champagne. The carbonation is mild and you must decide whether to spit it out or swallow it quickly. You're SOL either way so you may as well swallow it.

Ov: It lacks true character, true distinguishable flavor and is nothing more than a party beer, beginner beer or beer of choice to ensure everyone in the party gets wasted. Once you develop a true appreciation for beer, it becomes difficult to indulge in PBR. Leave it for the rookies, but if you must drink it, drink it super cold and very quickly.

Serving type: can

02-28-2012 04:45:44 | More by LiquidSanity

TastyTaste

Minnesota

1.63/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Light yellow color with a head the quickly dissipates into nothing. Smell is bursting with grainy maltiness and skunk. You can almost see the old guys in the ice house. A very grainy, malty flavor. No hops traces at all. This is not a very good beer. Not a good value, either, at $7.99 for a 12 pack.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2004 21:57:32 | More by TastyTaste

collegemate

Ohio

1.63/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Okay.

I encounter this garbage all the time at parties and it is absolutely atrocious in every way imaginable. I will never understand the love for this beer. One day when I was six years old I drank cat urine because these older kids dared me to do so, and it just so happens that the consumption of this abomination of a beer acts as a time warp back to that day. I'm saying PBR tastes like cat urine. It truly does. The appearance of the beer is very unsettling even when I'm drunk. If I look at it, the liquid itself (not to mention the can), makes me feel uneasy and nauseous.

The smell is horrid, though admittedly it is not as bad as the aroma of cat urine (leave that to the taste). The mouthfeel is just plain bad. And, making things worse, PBR is entirely unchuggable- leaving the presence of PBR and the absence of every other beer at parties extremely devastating.You can't even chug it because the taste is so painful to the tongue. It is low content, making the suffering of drinking it practically pointless.

If you want a crappy American beer, choose Busch.

Serving type: can

08-13-2008 03:51:51 | More by collegemate

semihobo

Michigan

1.65/5  rDev -45%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I got really thirsty at a volleyball tournament before coming home to a PBR ... probably a good idea.

Pours with a big ugly head that drops quickly but, to its credit, leaves an good layer on top and some lace around the edges. Very pale yellow, few bubble columns .. eh.

Smells like corn and adjuncts. At least it doesn't smell very strongly... no hops or "malts" in the traditional sense.

Taste is gross. Bad corn and that overpowering taste that is in the worst of beers, the one that makes you flinch and make a face. Is that just "adjuncts?" Bitter finish that encourages puking.

Hard to separate the mouthfeel from the taste, but I don't think it's that bad. Starts off too bubbly, gets flatter as it warms, so according to the intermediate value theorem, there has to be a good balance in there somewhere. Still nothing pleasant.

I feel I should give some sympathy points on drinkability. It is cheap, although not especially for the style "American Macro Lager." About average for the field of extremely cheap beer. For a beer that's meant to get you trashed, I wish the finish weren't so gross ... it encourages vomiting when you want to keep it down.

I'll drink it at college parties, and it's maybe a step above Milwaukee's Best or Natty.

Serving type: can

09-14-2005 00:07:59 | More by semihobo

BrownNut

Florida

1.65/5  rDev -45%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

This is a bad beer. When I was out of work and things were looking pretty bad, I had to stop buying good beer. I even tried to stop buying beer period. But after a while I wanted a beer so bad. So at the grocery store there was a deal on two fourpack tallboy cans for $6. Pretty nice. The beers to choose from were Miller High Life, Icehouse, and PBR. The first time, they were out of PBR and I got High Life and Icehouse. I didn't even like High Life in high school when I was a devotee of such fine brews as Miller Genuine Draft and Bud Light. It was worse than I remember. That's a crappy beer. The Icehouse was fine for that sort of thing. Not great, but ballpark quality. So the next time I was happy to see they had PBR. All of my friends had been drinking it during the hipster revival and they liked it so I thought I was in luck. Ohhh no. Oh no. Bad. Bad beer. It was worse than High Life. I don't know what people are thinking saying they love this beer. This is a gross tasting beer. It's on a level with Natural Light or Keystone or something else awful. Big disappointment. Won't drink it again.

Serving type: can

01-30-2012 04:37:40 | More by BrownNut

rye726

Colorado

1.68/5  rDev -44%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Not a bad macro lager and a good deal at $30 a keg. This is a good one to drink if you don't want to experience much. It is golden yellow with a tan head. Not much of a smell. Some bad hops. The taste is very neutral. Not as bad a most of this style. Feel is very light with ample carbonation. No bad off flavors, but not much flavor at all either.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2008 05:17:12 | More by rye726

changeup45

Florida

1.68/5  rDev -44%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Very light-bodied and pale. It has a very grainy aroma and taste. Really not much flavor but that was expected. Doesn't go down all that smooth either making it really a beer I'll probably stay away from. It is cheap enough so if you're strapped for cash and want a cheap drunk, be my guest.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2008 21:27:45 | More by changeup45

jasonpeckins32

Michigan

1.7/5  rDev -43.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

At first I was somewhat surprised that this beer seemed drinkable. I wasnt expecting much, but the first few drinks werent that bad. It kind of reminded me of a Miller High Life Light at first. But as I went on, this beer got worse and worse. It gradually started tasting just awful. I found that strange as beer usually tastes better and better the more I drink. Anyways, it looked like piss, did not have hardly any smell, and the only noticable tastes were a bit of bread and a few grains. Nothing special at all. This is not even worth picking up if its the only thing you can afford. Better off sticking with Busch Light or even Natural Light. This beer flat out sucks!

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2005 02:44:31 | More by jasonpeckins32

Dogbrick

Ohio

1.7/5  rDev -43.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Well I couldn’t avoid it forever. Clear pale golden color with tiny bubbles and a thick but short-lived white head. No real lacing to speak of. Aroma of sweetcorn and light hops. Light-bodied and somewhat crisp with a barely-there sweet flavor, and some bland hops. The finish is an off flavor that really prevents this from being a harmless, flavorless beer. The aftertaste is rather unpleasant, like wood varnish or something. Needless to say I won’t be trying this again any time soon.

Serving type: can

02-23-2005 22:02:50 | More by Dogbrick

bmills1608

Pennsylvania

1.73/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

I don't know.... this has been reviewed a lot here and a lot seem to like it, but I just don't know. Very boring IMHO. Simple, easy, almost like your not having a beer at all. Take a big sip, swallow, and its like "Did I just take a sip of beer or was that I day dream." It is cheap for sure and when I bought it it was like 90 degrees and I had a bunch of beer sitting in the cellar that was'nt very cold and I just needed some cold damn beer so I figured $10.99, what the hell!! OK I guess, I don't know..........

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2002 13:45:03 | More by bmills1608

AltBock

Ohio

1.73/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz. can
I tried to find something good in this and I couldn't. The only thing that was ok was the appearance. It was a pale yellow color that somewhat of a head of foam on it. No smell, except maybe some grains. No taste, not even malt. It was just water with a watery mouthfeel. The drinkability is high for me because this some of the cheapest beer on the market and it shows it. The can made me laugh because it said it was made with some of the finast ingredients and voted America's best beer in 1893. A good beer maybe in that year, but thats over 110 years ago. Drink if free.

Serving type: can

08-08-2005 20:03:23 | More by AltBock

bubseymour

Maryland

1.73/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

One of the best looking bottle labels in the history of beer. Ok now onto the review of what's inside. I don't care for PBR at all. I love several American Adjunct Lagers but this one just has a bad taste and overall flavor to me. I can't even describe it...its just off the mark in taste and drinkability. One of only a handful of American Adjuncts that I had to force to finish. I'll stick to my tried and true easy drinkers and leave the PBR's for the trailer trash and phony hipster crowd.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 01:44:28 | More by bubseymour

merlin48

Kentucky

1.75/5  rDev -41.7%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

In my many years of beer drinking I honestly can't recall drinking a PBR. I'm certain I've never purchased one, before today. This 12 oz bottle from a six pack pours a clear, pale golden body that is actively carbonated. Once inch white head evaporates in seconds, and leaves no remnants of lace. Aroma is unremarkable, with subdued notes of adjunct grain sweet maltiness and a suggestion of vague hop. It's light bodied in the mouth, with bountiful carbonation. The taste is unappealing. Corn syrup sweetness, light grain presence, a metallic offnote, and muted hops bitterness. Tastes like cardboard, with an acrid finish. Crisp, but not what I would deem refreshing. Not as clean as other macros I've tried the past two years. Very disappointed that this is inferior to Coors and Bud.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2005 20:27:58 | More by merlin48

wolfpack87

North Carolina

1.75/5  rDev -41.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Did not like much of anything about the king of college beers PBR. Other than the fact it was very cheap and a fairly smooth drink, it was not a pleasant experience drinking my first and only PBR. The appearance was your standard yellow American lager but once poured had very little foam and basically looked like urine that had been sitting around for a while. Taste left a lot to be desired, one of the worst beers I've ever had to be honest. If you plan on getting drunk and don't want to pay much for it, then go for some PBR. If you actually want to enjoy your beer, I would recommend something else.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 19:24:56 | More by wolfpack87

Vixie

Illinois

1.75/5  rDev -41.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a straw yellow color with a thick white head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving no lacing.

Very strong smell of corn, has a grain like smell that reminds me of the smell of the local grain processing facility here.

Pretty weak in the flavor department. I think if you boiled corn and rice together, then drank the water from it, it would taste similar to this. Has a bit of a metallic aftertaste.

Feel is basically water.

I guess if you had never had good beer before, this might appeal to you. Beers like this make me appreciate how much better craft and microbrews are.

Serving type: can

06-07-2012 20:02:17 | More by Vixie

wcudwight

North Carolina

1.78/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Corn yellow. Small head that left quickly. Smells like canned corn and straw. Taste like any other macro to me. Very grainy and maybe some malt. Mouthfeel was thin with some carbonation. Drinkability would be good except a horrible metalic aftertaste and the beer becomes absolutely putrid when warm.
When the situation calls for a low abv macro beer and some situations do. I think it's best to just get the cheapest b/c it's hard to distiguish the taste between them. The cheapest is usually PBR. It's a cheap beer plain and simple.

Serving type: can

09-25-2005 14:47:11 | More by wcudwight

SaunaKing

Ontario (Canada)

1.85/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

A friend of mine picked up a 6 pack of this while we were at his cottage and i tried one out on a boat ride. Can't say much about the appearence since it was in a can but the smell was unpleasant, something like sulphur.
The taste was pretty awful, strong presence of adjuncts, either rice or corn i guess. A very fizzy mouthfeel like tonic water and even though we were out on a boat in the sun i couldn't drink any more of these.

Serving type: can

08-27-2004 20:24:02 | More by SaunaKing

SetarconeX

Florida

1.85/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Purchased a case of this after they started sponsoring NPR. I say a case, because this is one of those beers that, outside of a bar, you can't buy in quantities less than a dozen. Also, it's union made. I like that.

Looks like your average pils, with a head that lingers perhaps a tad longer than usual. Smell is a bit sour, with a dash of malt and a heaping shovel of the sulfuric mud from the retention pond around the corner. Tastes a bit sour, but thinner and more watery than the scent would have led me to expect.

Actually, this is a little icky. I think I'll avoid it in the future.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2006 22:36:59 | More by SetarconeX

beertunes

Washington

1.85/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

I poured some Hipster Deluxe into a glass to evaluate the visual components, drank the rest from the can like one of the cool kids. Poured a clear urine yellow with a sharp white head that immediately dissipated, leaving no lacing.

The aroma was slightly sweet, with grain and grass most prominent, not totally bad smelling. The flavor was very neutral, almost no flavor of any kind. I was expecting corn, grass or grain of some sort. Maybe that's why so many drink this beer, it has no flavor.

As expected the body was nearly non-existent. The beer was very drinkable, in the same way water is. Avoid this beer.

Serving type: can

07-11-2009 21:11:00 | More by beertunes

FlemingVSKing

Florida

1.85/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

This is just the most basic and chintzy light lager you can find. If you're going to be repainting your garage or need to buy 144 beers to cover a Super Bowl party at your local AA office then it's passable but otherwise it's watery, and tastes only of grain. There are better starter beers (Coors, Boston lager, michelob, Stella Artois, Saporo, Dos Equis) and I'd choose one of them. No real reason to ever fall back on this one.

Serving type: can

05-28-2012 22:04:20 | More by FlemingVSKing

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

1.85/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 1.75

Appearance: Sickly yellow , boasting low, thin carbonation that poured with a finger of head that did not lace or retain very well.

Smell: It certainly has an acidic funk to it with an odd hard water smell backing it. Warming didn't really help or hurt it, but I wouldn't say it's appetizing in the least.

Taste: It starts with a sweet, swampy corn taste that builds and builds and ends with a brief earthy hop twang. That's really it, nothing too out of the box on this one.

Mouthfeel: It's got an acidic texture to it that is undesirable but other then that it's alright, the carbonation is ok and doesn't fall flat for a good long while. It does cloy a bit after a while.

Drinkability: That acidic tone really hurts my desire to get this stuff down, and doesn't quite settle right. It's also very uninteresting so it's really not something I want to continue drinking for any purpose other then getting smashed.

Final Thoughts: I finally found out why South Park lampooned this beer, but remain oblivious at how this has suddenly become a "hipster" beer. It's pretty much such a slapped together cheap lager, which I wouldn't really wish upon anyone.

Serving type: can

03-10-2013 08:38:28 | More by TheHammer