Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR)
I've been drinking PBR since I've been drinking beer. I've drank it from tin cans, aluminum cans, glass longneck bottles, and kegs. The only one I can't recommend is the tin cans, and they don't make those anymore anyway. Where I grew up in the midwest, PBR was available everywhere. Every place that sold beer had six and twelve-packs of PBR cans, and every bar had it in kegs and/or bottles and/or cans. I drank many a pitcher of Pabst with friends over the years, and one of its best qualities is that it has always tasted the same. A nice strong, grainy American lager flavor. That flavor has virutally disappeared from American beers; replaced by the watered-down taste of the various versions of Budweiser, along with every light beer. Schlitz (owned by PBR) has recently come out with what is supposed to be its 60's formula at a much higher price, but you can still get the old formula Pabst for the regular price. It has never changed, and it's probably the best remaining example of a premium American beer. I prefer bottled beer myself, and seldom bother with a glass. When you open a bottle of Pabst you are rewarded with a grainy, alcoholic aroma, not in any way overpowering, though. The taste that follows is clean and sharp, again with a grainy flavor that always occurs in a good American-style lager. I judge this beer as an American lager. I prefer Bocks myself, but you can't really compare Bocks to lagers or to wheat beers, and so on. And as an American lager, Pabst Blue Ribbon is as good as any.