Pabst Blue Ribbon Black Beer
Another rare find at the Chinese Grocery store - Pabst Blue Ribbon! But this isn't your normal PBR, this is Pabst Blue Ribbon Black Beer. Claiming to be "The Original Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer," it's in a black can with gold lettering and barely stands out from the other bright beer cans on the shelf.
I was excited to try out the newest (or oldest?) variety of PBR, but I had to put it in the fridge to chill first. It is indeed black, with a tan foam. Not very heavily carbonated, and not heavy at all. It's got a little bit of a darker flavor than regular PBR, but a little sour and nothing like a stout. It's not great as far as beers go, but it is drinkable if you're accustomed to drinking Chinese beers (a.k.a. you have lowered standards). It's got around 4.5% alcohol according to the label.
The can says 蓝带黑啤 (lan2 dai4 hei1 pi2), which means Blue Ribbon Black Beer. It also has at the bottom an official-looking long company name at the bottom of the can, and it does even say 蓝带啤酒 （lan2 dai4 pi2 jiu3) in the small print, but that's weird to have two different company names. I can't find it on the Pabst China website either, so it looks like we're dealing with a fake here.
It even has the Pabst seal on the can
Can any readers confirm or deny whether this is actually sold/endorsed by Pabst Blue Ribbon?
4 Comments
Check here for confirmation of Pabst production in China: http://www.blueribbon-beer.com
I heard about this from an old timer.
The last time he had it was in the sixties.
He said that it is a seasonal beer made at the end of the year when they cleaned out their vats.
He hasn't seen it in years and is jonesin' for more.
I don't know if it's for real or not but I drink PBR like tap water and would love to try some of that dark beer.
Just discovered this in a newly-opened supermarket in Jinding, Guangdong province.
Thanks to DJ Hack above for the Pabst link, showing this is a genuine product - for what that's worth.
I admit to finding Pabst China's standard Blue Ribbon Beer very hard to get on with. Half a bottle and I'm ready to throw in the towel. It's just not palatable to me.
This Black, on the other hand, equates to a mass-produced dark beer from my native NZ. Its no boutique brew, but way more flavourful than the straw couloured maiden's water that passes for beer in these parts.
My suggestion, in winter at least, is to leave it out of the fridge for a while. It has enough flavour to be drunk just-above chilled.