Apparently the young, urban hipster is coming to realize what rednecks and frat boys have known all along – PBR is a damn good beer.
Separate reports in the Boston Herald, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal have chronicled the recent success of the blue-collar Pabst Blue Ribbon, and now you can add the Current to that list as well.
Having long been a favorite at places such as the Village Idiot (355 W. 14th St., NYC), Hogs & Heifers (859 Washington St., NYC) and other rancid dives where the only room that doesn’t reek of vomit is, ironically, the bathroom, Pabst Blue Ribbon is coming out from under the rug and emerging as quite a force to be reckoned with in the ongoing battle for "share of stomach" in the key 21 to 34 year-old demographic.
The whole phenomenon seemed to catch even the marketers of the brand off guard. As recently as 2001, Pabst was generally considered to be a defunct brand. Brewery closures left the nation’s fourth-largest beer marketer to rely solely upon contract brewing – an agreement between companies to use the facilities of one brewer to make the beer of another (for example, Miller Brewing uses its breweries to make Pabst products for the Pabst Brewing Company) – and the future of the brand was certainly in question. Yet having long maintained a loyal audience with blue-collar consumers and under-funded college kids on spring break, Pabst Blue Ribbon has steadily gained more and more acceptance among the urbane and artsy crowd, primarily through word of mouth.
Now Pabst is catching up to its own craze and trying a little guerilla marketing of its own, teaming up with popular publications like The Onion and sponsoring small-venue concerts.
I can personally vouch for the retro-appeal of PBR, since recently I was wearing this kick-ass PBR deliveryman’s vest I had picked up in the village for $15 and some yuppie walked up to me on the street and offered $100 cash for it then and there. While I realized that could have bought me nine cases of the Blue Ribbon ($10.99/case at Sparrow Wine & Liquor – 126 Washington St. or 1224 Shipyard Ln. Hoboken), the principle of the transaction was just plain wrong, and I still wear my vest with pride, weather permitting.
While PBR has led the way, other retro-brews are climbing out of their crypts and coming back to life on the local scene. Congratulations to Kate Duyn – the first Miss Rheingold crowned since 1965! Rheingold Beer, a New York metro-retro staple, has re-emerged to bring its clean taste and unparalleled drinkabilty to a new generation. Stop by the Shannon Lounge (106 First St., Hoboken) for an ice-cold Rheingold, which, as the label succinctly states, is "Good Beer." And to check out Kate Duyn and her predecessors, go to www.rheingoldbeer.com.
Ballantine Ale
, with the iconic "Three Rings" logo, still maintains a presence on the area’s store shelves ($15.99/case at Hoboken Beer and Soda Outlet, 559 Newark St., Hoboken).And as an upstate boy I was beside myself when I found a 30-pack of Genesee Cream Ale on sale at Buy-Rite Liquors (400 Newark St., Hoboken) for $12.99.
I asked Peter LaFrance, author of Beer Basics and Cooking and Eating with Beer, to explain the recent appeal of the retro beers to younger consumers.
"They’re inoffensive beers that aren’t trendy imports and aren’t micros, and they’re priced lower," he said, highlighting the subtlety with which they are marketed and the most basic appeal any product can have. The in-your-face marketing of most beers may be taking its toll on their target audience. There are no "catfights," catchphrases, or "twins" with these brands – just beer. Plus the "more expensive = better" equation that rang true during the dot-com boom a few years ago may not be so attractive now that young drinkers aren’t making the money hand over fist.
LaFrance went on to add a much simpler point: "They also taste great ice cold."
You can’t really argue with that. Grab a case of PBR, Rheingold, Ballantine or Genesee, pack it in a cooler of ice for your next barbeque and you’ll see.
And now that I know how chic PBR is, there’s no way I’m selling my vest – so don’t even ask. q
If you know how I can effectively waste $50 in the Metro-area, please write to:
"Hal Wastes His Wages"
c/o Current
1400 Washington St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030
or email c_halleron@yahoo.com