Pabst Blue Ribbon Drops a Massive 180 Pack, Celebrating 180 Years of Brewing

Back some 180 years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jacob Best founded what is now known as the Pabst Brewing Co. When the brewery began in 1844, it had a capacity of just 18 barrels. Things have changed since then.

The brewery caught its first big break in 1893 when Pabst Best Select was awarded a coveted blue ribbon at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Yes, The World’s Fair had a beer competition. Since receiving that blue ribbon, the beer eventually changed its name to what we know it as today, Pabst Blue Ribbon.

In more contemporary times, Pabst Blue Ribbon has taken on a revival that many claim began right here in Portland during the early 2000’s. Even though the Rose City was becoming known for its strong craft beer scene, Pabst Blue Ribbon sales began picking up here at dive bars such as The Lutz. It became known as the beer of hipsters. Hey, even many craft beer afficionados enjoy a Pabst from time to time. We see many brewers drinking it at the end of the evening and we may tip back a few from time to time!

To celebrate this 180 years of brewing, Pabst is launching a massive new 180 can pack. Yep, count that, 180 12-ounce cans of pure PBR!

This isn’t the first time that Pabst’s marketing team has gone all out in its beer packaging. Back in 2019, in time for the holiday shopping season, Pabst launched is massive 99 pack. It was an eye catcher! Then Pabst went even further three years later with its 1844 pack

“These limited packs stop people in their tracks and create buzz for the brand,” stated Pabst Marketing Director, Rachel Keeton, in an email to BREWPUBLIC. “We’ve done a few different sizes (even going all the way up to an 1844-pk) and our fans get really excited about trying to find them out in the wild. For us, this was a no-brainer to celebrate a big milestone for Pabst.”

The 180 pack is big! It’s designed to be enjoyed responsibly by groups. Pabst Blue Ribbon’s 180 pack is stacked full of opportunities to celebrate and toast a beer with friends. 

The illustrated artwork on the 180 pack showcases Pabst’s long history from iconic mascot Cool Blue, the brand’s legendary namesake and ship pilot, Captain Frederick Pabst, the prohibition cheesemaking era and other legendary Pabst slogans and iconography. And for those not ready to take on 180 cans all at one time, PBR is also rolling out this special packaging on 12pks, 24pks and 30pks to celebrate this historic occasion. 

These 180 packs of PBR will be rolling out throughout the country and retail pricing will vary by market. We hope to see some of these around Portland in the coming weeks!

But it’s not just this 180 pack that Pabst will be celebrating 180 years of brewing during this summer. Its two-day music festival, Project Pabst, will make a triumphant return to where it started, here in Portland from July 27 – 28, 2024 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The Project Pabst lineup is killer! Headliners include punk legend Billy Idol, hip-hop trailblazer T-Pain, and alternative heavyweights both new and old with Big Thief and Violent Femmes. Other notable acts on the bill include Manchester Orchestra, Denzel Curry, STRFKR, Dehd, Shannon & The Clams, Soccer Mommy and many more.

“We’re really excited about Project Pabst making its return, and that’s definitely a big focus for the team this year,” stated Keeton. “We’re also continuing to partner with other festivals and bands on music events throughout the year. And we’ve got more social/digital activations around our 180th anniversary coming later this year.”

Cheers to Pabst Blue Ribbon on 180 years of brewing!