the pawn of beers

•••

So we recently had a big party. My friend offered to pick up the beer. He brought back the usual bottled varieties - and a case of Pabst. Pabst! Pabst is what the drunk in my old hometown neighborhood used to spill all over himself before he passed out in the alley.

Who the heck was going to drink Pabst? So I hid it out on the porch as a backup, late party replacement. I certainly didn't want it to feature prominently in the cooler.

But apparently, Pabst is a staple of twentysomething hipsters*, as is anything working class that their parents in snoburbia have rejected. (Next: Bud.)

•••

* It may be over. Real hipsters would not be caught dead drinking something that the johnny-come-lately hipster masses have discovered. Real hipsters also never call themselves hipsters.

 

Comments

[MattF]

I'm a Schlitzer, myself.

[Queen of the Weezils]

Call me crazy, but I drink beer that *tastes good*. That eliminates Pabst for sure.

[Doris]

The jingle used to be on television all the time--"What'll you have? Pabst Blue Ribbon.
What'll you have? Pabst Blue Ribbon. What'll you have? Pabst Blue Ribbon. Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer! Smoother, smoother, smoother flavor. Zest & sparkle millions savor. Taste that smoother, smoother flavor. Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer!"

[nognus]

You never mention if people drank the PBR or not...

[lydia]

A few diehards did, at around 1 a.m. when the rest was gone. But we still have some - do you want it? A friend of ours was excited to drink it when he stopped by. Reminded him of high school...

[mistah charley, ph.d.]

Back when I frequently drank beer, I read that Schlitz was the best-tasting "popular price"(i.e. low-rung, formerly advertised) brand - in Consumer Reports or the beer equivalent. Certainly it was as good as Bud, although Double-X was probably tastier.

Now I get high on the real thing - a clean windshield, a shoe shine, and a full tank of gasoline. Since gas prices are up, I'm breaking even, despite saving money on beer.

[Lady Grey]

Um, hello, those who are now 30-something hipsters drank PBR as 20-something hipsters, and probably still do amongst their friends.

[Milwaukee's Best]

At least it wasn't Milwaukee's Best!

[David H.]

When I was living in Israel, Budweiser first became available there, and was instantly popular because it was American. I had to patiently explain that I didn't want to drink it because in America it was cheap beer.