Pabst Is Sold to Russian Beverage Company

NY Times ^ | 9/18/2014 | David Gelles

[RightGeek]

A Russian beverage company said on Thursday that it was acquiring the Pabst Brewing Company, which makes the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer popular with barflies and hipsters alike and other brands like Colt 45 and Old Milwaukee.

[snip]

The buyer is Oasis Beverages, a Russian brewer and beverages distributor. Backing Oasis is TSG Consumer Partners, an American private equity firm focused on consumer goods, which will take a minority stake.

“Pabst Blue Ribbon is the quintessential American brand – it represents individualism, egalitarianism and freedom of expression – all the things that make this country great,” Eugene Kashper, the chairman of Oasis Beverages, said in a statement.

[snip]

[cva66snipe]

There's no place that I'd rather be than right here
With my Red Necks, White Socks, & Blue Ribbon Beer.

[Krosan]

Clever marketers in China managed to sell PBR for $44 a bottle. Probably the Russians are trying to replicate the same effect of it being "premium elite beer" in Russia.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/07/21/pabst-blue-ribbon-is-classy-and-expensive-in-china/

[Spktyr]

None of the outfits Inbev has bought so far are actual beer makers so you need not worry. :P

[wetphoenix]

~I wonder how much of Oasis is owned by the Kremlin?~

AFAIK, none. And I believe it is not a Russian company, but a Bobruisk, Belarus-based holding, which is originally a Belarussian juice company which owns two breweries in Ukraine, one in Russia and one in Kazakstan.

[maddog55]

PBR.. selected as America’s best in 1893 and not one award since.

[who knows what evil?]

A long-dead friend of mine used to sit down to watch the PBA Tour every Saturday on ABC without fail...a cold six-pack of Pabst ‘pounders’ by his side...no other ‘beer’ would suffice.

[McGruff]

During my misspent youth I would drink PBRs sometimes. It was a cheap beer. Anybody remember Genneesee Cream Ale? At that time Heineken was about the only foreign beer. Nowadays if you don't drink some designer beer you're uncivilized. Sold to the Russians, I thought they were vodka drinkers. Probably cheap vodka too.

[DemforBush]

YES! I was waiting for someone to make a Blue Velvet reference!

[who knows what evil?]

When I was in my late teens, I tried Colt 45 malt liquor a few times. I can still remember the taste 45 years later.

Funny...I had a similar experience about 45 years...a stripper gave me a bottle of Black Label. One swig, and out the window it went. Blech. Ghastly stuff...ghastly.

[DemforBush]

I remember Gennesee, and also “Little Kings”, another brand of Cream Ale. Little Kings was popular in my high school, because you could brag about how many beers you pounded at the last party(of course, we never mention that LK came in a 7.5 ounce bottle).

I also used to enjoy the occasional Mickey’s malt liquor. Not the greatest stuff in the world, but not bad if you kept it ice cold.

[McGruff]

Mickey’s malt liquor had a kick to it. Usually the next morning I felt like I’d been kicked in the head. Utica Club was another cheap beer for upstate New Yorkers.

[knarf]

and not too far from Pickwick ale

[who knows what evil?]

Anybody remember Genesee Cream Ale?

In the green cans? Oh, yeah...

Speaking of cans, anyone remember 'BEER' in the black and white cans? 99 cents a six at your local Price Chopper.

[wetphoenix]

I think beer was more popular than vodka in Russia for about a decade and probably still more popular. A trick was licensing and sells rules because it wasn’t considered an alcoholic beverage but a foodstuff until last year. A 10 years old could by a six-pack in a supermarket a year ago.

[mac_truck]

I remember Rolling Rock which was brewed in PA being bought by Budweiser who moved it to New Jersey...

Latrobe PA if I'm not mistaken... Arnold Palmer's hometown.

[Renegade]

If you still remember the taste you didn’t drink the whole bottle.

[Rodamala]

So much for “Red necks, white socks, and blue ribbon beer”.

[Rodamala]

Stella Artois was a decent beer.

[aomagrat]

The worst beer I ever tasted was Falstaff. I bought a six pack for 99 cents and threw 5 and a half away. Nasty!

[aomagrat]

I hope they don’t mess with Old Milwaukee Light. It’s a pretty decent tasting cheap beer.