Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) - Pabst Brewing Company

largadeer

California

3/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Looks like a fizzy yellow lager. Extremely clear and pale with fairly poor head retention.

Smell: Very grainy with subtle sweetness. Not the most aromatic beer out there.

Taste: Mildly sweet and a bit bready. Very lightly flavored with no discernable hop character. Has an ambiguous graininess to it - hard to tell if the flavor is coming from barley, corn, rice, or a combination of the three. Regardless, it's clean and relatively pleasant, if completely unremarkable.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and over-carbonated.

Notes: Not a bad little macro lager. It's cheap, inoffensive and fairly drinkable, though not something I'd ever seek out. Still, it has more flavor than most.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2007 20:23:37 | More by largadeer

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A. 12 oz. can poured into a wine glass. Yeah, I have a sense of humor, and want to take a glimspe of this spectacle. The palest of pales with a bubbly,frothy head that recedes gradually to nothing.

S. Grains, cooked corn, hint of malt.

T. Crisp tea like hop bite flashes for an instant, complimented a semi-sweet light malt body. Fairly well balanced and unoffensive for a macro style lager.

M. Light bodied and fairly smooth. Best if served ICE cold and consumed fairly quickly.

D. This is average drinking here. But compared to most macros, this is exceptional. Selected America's Best in 1893. As far as macros are concerned, it probably still is.

Serving type: can

09-05-2008 06:03:22 | More by Stinkypuss

avalon07

South Carolina

2.15/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A: Had this on-tap, at Mellow Mushroom Avondale, poured into a pint glass. Had a pale yellow color and a clear consistency. There was a thin foamy head that quickly dissipated. No real lacing to speak of.

S: Not a whole lot of smell, but a slightly sweet quality was apparent.

T: Tasted of light malt, light hops, and some lemon (or some kind of citrus. Mainly, this is just a thin, watery, tasteless macro brew with no real character to it.

M: An average amount of carbonation with a surprisingly dry and lively finish. Light-bodied.

O: I tried this beer simply because I'd never had one before. It is simply undrinkable and inexplicably popular.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2012 14:45:15 | More by avalon07

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -25%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours a pale yellow with a highly carbonated white head. In the nose is European hops and slightly skunky. It tastes of a smooth sweetness and a small bitter end. Smooth, dry end, and no aftertaste. I think it might be the hoppiest of the big 5. Refreshing and I alway sing in my head every time I drink this "The beer that made Milwaukee famous, made a fool out of me!"

Serving type: can

07-23-2007 11:06:16 | More by OWSLEY069

ZAP

Minnesota

2.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Note: I've kind of gotten away from the macros the last few years but am trying to add ratings for them for time to time..

Now....On to this Beer...PBR is a better beer than most people give it credit for being. This was my dad's beer back in the 70's. The first thing that impressed me when I sat down to grade it was the aroma..For a basic American Lager the smell is inviting. About the perfect body/character for its style...Not a lot of maltiness(nowhere close to High Life)..a bit of a dry finish...a tich of hops evident but not as heavy as Strohs..jvery smooth though and creamy on the back of the tounge...just a basic solid version of an American Lager. I plan on doing a blind taste test between this and High Life (the only other Macro I have around the house )...I like High Life better but believe it or not PBR is one of the better American lagers out there in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2002 00:28:38 | More by ZAP

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I picked a six pack up at the new Giant beer section in east york. Enjoyed from a willybecker chilled.

The color is very pale golden apropos for the style with thick white cap which holds well with tiny bead and little lace. Nose is mostly sweet with a slight hint of grain and perhaps a tinge of spice if you try to find more when swirling. The feel is good with some spice and grain sweetness with malt body farily gentle and carbonation moderately high with clean finish.

This is a very standard yet pleasant American pale lager with slight adjunct sweetness but not so overboard that it infiltrates the taste completely it has a tinge of hop to balance the grain and slight yeast tinge in the taste. The finish is very clean and a crisp experience if every I had one. This is very good for the style and the overall value is high since this is the 2nd cheapest beer available at this location yet still is worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 14:12:59 | More by Slatetank

cokes

Wisconsin

2.53/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Sampled at a concert. It was a matter of finance.
Staw yellow bodied. Served in a plastic cup, so it was hard to actually view, though I doubt too many people give a shit as to how PBR stacks up in the appearance dept.
Nose is free of adjuncts. Free of malts and free of hops as well. Tiniest bit of unknown sweetness and maybe a hint of grain. Hard to smell anything over the potent maryjane the surrounding patrons were indulging in. (Ratdog concert...aka Bob Weir from the Dead).
The taste is, to be kind, clean. To be less than kind, virtually non-existent. Very small malt-esque sweetness. A little grassy, with impotent hops towards the finish. Scores points for being free of anything offensive.
Light bodied, but does not fall apart in the mouth. Several of these had no impact on sobriety. But much of that damage was already done.
I'll take this over most other macros.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2002 22:44:32 | More by cokes

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Best by May 23, 2011.

Straw gold pour with a small head of foam, initial lacing is okay.

Corny and grainy smell, some sweet notes but not much in the way of bitterness.

Corn is in the flavour with grain, mild sweetness, milder bitterness. Nothing offensive and surely quaffable. This is the first time I've had PBR in bottles in years. I think I prefer it in cans..

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 17:42:26 | More by Bitterbill

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

kylehay2004

Florida

2.63/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

No head or lacing with this one. Clear golden body. Neither interesting or exciting. Aroma is mild and mosty smells of fresh picked sweet corn. Some light malt. Flavor is more on the malt side and less on the sweet corn side. Light body and medium to high carbonation. Refreshing and very drinkable but not a good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2012 02:31:02 | More by kylehay2004

francisweizen

Australia

2/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Not Good! I was excited to find this beer in a six pack of tall boys for only about $5 as it has been highly touted as one of the better macros here on BA. Well, I don't know if I got some old cans, but this stuff almost made me 'lose my cookies'. This poured out a transluscent yellow-like colour with a fluffy head that dissipated very quickly. It smelled very sugary, like sweet malts. I could not find hops in the aroma. The taste was more of the same, overly sweet and with not enough of a hop prescence and too sweet of a malt precence. The drinkability suffers as well because this has a very thin mouthfeel.
Not my favorite beer, but than again maybe I just can't drink macros anymore...
Cheers!,
F.

Serving type: can

02-27-2003 06:22:44 | More by francisweizen

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.7/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

I swear the can just hissed at me when I opened it! Pours an ultra clear yellow color with a loud fizzy white head that fades quickly into nothingness. Surprisingly leaves some decent looking lace in its wake.

Smells like adjuncts baby! Not quite canned corn, more like a freshly boiled ear of corn with some sweet corn syrup and freshly sliced tomatoes. Not unpleasant, but the smell of PBR is the least attractive attribute.

The taste is...well...quite good actually. The hops are noticeable and the beer goes down extremely smooth. It is light tasting and the adjuncts are most certainly there, but shit, I'd take this over any BMC any day. For what it is, macro adjunct lager, it's one of my favorites. I could pound a good number of these.

Serving type: can

02-14-2009 07:13:23 | More by twiggamortis420

bark

Sweden

3.25/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Labled as ”Export” at 4.5 % ABV. Brewed in Milwaukee.

The colour is straw yellow (4 EBC), the liquid is clear. The four finger head is white and airy. It sinks rather quickly leaving no lacing.

The smell is a bit sweet with artificial bitter hints. Quite a lot of French loaf.

The taste is surprisingly light. Some hints of almonds and marzipan. Perhaps some alcohol and a very delicate sweetness. Low body. The aftertaste is mild, almost nonexistent. I get some fragile bitterness and a hint of marzipan when I really force my taste buds.

The carbonation is strong; the bubbles large and sharp. The liquid is surprisingly smooth given how light this beer is.

Well. It isn’t much flavour here, but on the other hand there are on off-flavours either.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 19:43:04 | More by bark

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into an Imperial Pint. No date.

A - Clear effervescent yellow with a cloud-white, and thick head. Very little retention and no lacing at all.

S - Sweet malts, corn, and a dryness. Not a whole lot going on here.

T - Sweet and lightly malty with less adjunct flavor than one might expect. Low levels of corn and a bit of huskiness.

M - Creamy and smooth actually. A little bite. Light to light-medium in body.

D - One of my favorite cheap beers, it's not half bad and it certainly is an easy drinker. Probably the first time I've ever had it outside a can.

Serving type: can

06-16-2009 14:47:00 | More by BeerFMAndy

FosterJM

California

2.5/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

213th review on BA
Can to pint

App- See through yellow with a nice foamy 2 finger head. Wasn't expecting that. Never poured this into a glass when I had over a decade ago as a teenager

Smell- Not much going on. You can slightly detect a corn by product in there with some pilsner malt.

Taste- An American Staple. Downplay your ingredients to take away the flavor so its more acceptable to the masses. A corn flavor with some malt undernotes.

Mouth- Thin, Watery and crisp. Normal AAL feel.

Drink- Well its better than Bud Light.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2011 05:03:51 | More by FosterJM

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.23/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

24 ounce can, best by date of April 25, 2011 printed on the bottom of the can. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a clear light gold color with an inch and a half frothy white head. Head retention and lacing are both OK. Aroma is mostly sweet and grainy malt, and a bit of corn and grassy hops. Taste is pretty much like the aroma, except that I don't pick up any hop flavors. No offensive aromas or flavors that I notice. Mouthfeel/body is light, it's thin and a bit watery. It's also well carbonated. Drinkability is good, it goes down pretty easy. For the style, it's a decent brew. I've certainly tried much worse! Not bad for $1.49 a can.

Serving type: can

03-05-2011 00:36:00 | More by bluejacket74

StonedTrippin

Colorado

2.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

for a cheapo, i dont hate a pbr. its become the beer of choice for the indie/hipster crowd, which i guess is a turnoff, but the beer isnt awful. it pours clear and yellow and soda-like, watery for sure, but not ugly like a coors light. it smells like a can of crap beer honestly, some aluminum, some stale malt, and that patented adjunct malt stink. the flavor isnt bad, because it doesnt taste like anything. really, scarecely a trace of anything that would make this a beer, hops? no. yeast? nope. i could be drinking a carbonated water beverage here. however, its lightness lends to its drinkablility, and probably its incredibly low price. i know bars where these cost just a buck, and most of a time its no more than two bucks. its certainly a decent budget beer, but it takes about a 12er to catch a buzz. oh well, thought id chuck in my two cents on this one while im having one.

Serving type: can

09-12-2012 02:02:37 | More by StonedTrippin

Brent

Kentucky

2/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pretty tart at the beginning and then vanishes, other than a lingering alcohol bitterness, which is the primary flavoring agent. PBR was the first beer I had, back in the stone age, and I drank a good bit of it in those days. Ah, the folly of youth.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2001 23:21:10 | More by Brent

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

355ml can poured into pint glass mar27 2011

A clear straw yellow with decent carbonation feeding a short lived finger of lace that leaves no lace

S sweet corny malt and not much else

T mimics the smell, not much going on but at least its not offensive

M slightly slick fairly thin and far from flat

O just you average brew, not much going on but easy enough to drink

a dirt cheap single what more can I say

Serving type: can

03-28-2011 05:19:43 | More by wordemupg

blackie

Virginia

2.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a: boring pale golden color with a white head that shows decent retention

s: Metallic aromas over bland pale malts. More of the grain comes out and the metal fades a bit after the beer has been opened awhile. Lightly sweet with a slight, nobleish hop aroma.

m: carbonation around the high side of medium, with a light body

t: Macrotypical pale malt flavors up front. I do get some actual hop flavor, which is nice. Mild bitterness with various grain in the finish. There's a clean, crisp character on the tongue. Still, has a bad aftertaste that builds after awhile.

d: easy I guess

Serving type: can

09-25-2007 01:05:28 | More by blackie

alexgash

Connecticut

2.3/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Time to start hitting into the leftovers from the party we threw last friday. I remember seeing crushed Pabst Blue Ribbon cans at a 17000 foot pass in Tibet. In fact, PBR was definitely the most popular American beer in China (when I was there last summer). Anyways, poured a wispy straw color with a thin, cobweb-y head. Smelled of chex cereal, kinda sweet, with metallic hops. Stronger aromas than expected (not necessarily a good thing). Taste is, not surprisingly, of sweet cereal malts (maybe I should start drinking this for breakfast), fading unspectacularly into a rusty, mildly bitter finish. Not as watery as some macros, and pretty smooth going down, especially good for celebrating the installation of a new transmission on your camaro or 79 ford truck.

Serving type: can

09-22-2003 17:46:11 | More by alexgash

GClarkage

California

3.23/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

07/25/09- Had on tap at Windy City Pizza in San Mateo, CA.

Presentation- Via the tap into a pint glass. $2.25 every day..

Appearance- Pale golden color. Looks a bit watery. Had a solid 3/4 inch head which fades quickly. Leaves slight spots of fading lace behind.

Smell- Light notes of corn with a bready note carrying the beer.

Taste- Corn comes through, but not as much as in most macros. Heavy bready malt flavor. Hops..not really, but good flavor considering.

Mouthfeel- Pretty clean and crisp. Solid medium carbonation level.

Drinkability- Has always been my go to macro when I have one...the only one I stock on a semi-regular basis in my own home. Drinkable any day.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2009 19:42:14 | More by GClarkage

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +37.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz can, best by Jan 2011, into a Duvel tulip. Why not?

A: Crystal clear straw-colored body with an inch of coarse white head. Average retention and some spotty lace. Pretty good for the style.

S: It's actually got quite a clean, pleasant intensity in its straightforward corny/malty graininess. The sweetness of malts and adjuncts is balanced by some grassy hops.

T: Follows the nose precisely, with a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness, followed up by a vaguely toasty, vanilla finish; I've never bothered to analyze the flavors of PBR, but now that I am, I'm impressed at how well it pulls off the cleanness and inoffensiveness of a classic fizzy yellow beer. Rating purely to style, this is almost perfect.

M: Medium-bodied and highly carbonated, with very sharp, tongue-pricking effervescence. Lively, but a little irritating with its harshness.

D: Well-balanced, but actually too flavorful to be as drinkable as some examples of the style.

Notes: I don't know how many PBRs I had during college, but this is the first time I swirled and sniffed it out of a tulip (much to my wife's bemusement). Much to my surprise, the intensification of flavor actually didn't intensify my disgust (as it had for every other AAL I've reviewed). PBR is the real deal, and just became my official favorite cheap beer. If only hipsters didn't think it were cool...

Cheers!

Serving type: can

11-22-2010 00:55:24 | More by woosterbill

tdm168

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale gold with 1/2" of dense, foamy head. Good retention. The smell has notes of grains, pale malts, straw, and earthy, grassy hops. The taste is straw and grains with grassy hops. There's a slight bitterness, but overall well balanced. The mouthfeel is light, smooth, and crisp.

Of all the adjunct lagers this one probably comes closest to actually duplicating a pilsner.

Serving type: can

10-01-2011 22:43:54 | More by tdm168

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.5/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz can

L - I drank this straight from the can but we all know it's a fizzy yellow beer with a short-lived white head when poured in a glass.

S - sweet, grainy aroma.

T - sweet and grainy.

F - light and refreshing, easy to drink and it goes down really smooth when ice cold.

O - better than a lot of other beers in the style.

Serving type: can

06-03-2011 17:18:37 | More by JoeyBeerBelly