Pabst Brewing Company

The Pabst Brewing Company is an American brewery and beverage holding company based in Los Angeles.

History

Foundation

The brewery was founded under the name Empire Brewery in 1844 by German immigrant Jacob Best in Milwaukee and later renamed in Best and Company. Best ran the brewery with his sons Phillip, Charles, Jacob, Jr., and Lorenz. Six years later, Charles and Lawrence left the family business and founded the Plank Road Brewery, which later became known under the name of Miller Brewing Company. In 1853 Jacob Best retired and Phillip took over the management of the establishment. In 1859, he renamed it to Phillip Best Brewing Company.

At this time met his daughter Maria to Captain Frederick Pabst ship know who she married in 1862 and in 1863 acquired half of the shares in the brewery. A key reason for the purchase was that Pabst had just barely escaped on a boat trip to the death. Emil damage your, Best's second son, bought the other half of the shares.

Rise under Pabst and damage your

The beer production increased since the founding of the brewery of about 300 barrels per year to over 14,000. Phillip Best died in 1869. Officially founded the brewery and registration took place in 1873. At that time, more than 100,000 barrels per year have already been made ​​. In 1872 the brewery was already the second largest in the United States. 1874, the South Side Brewery, the company was incorporated.

Due to the economic fortunes of the partners Pabst and damage your company continued to grow steadily. Both were interested in applying the latest technology to produce. Ice making machines were introduced in 1880, electric light two years later. In the area of ​​marketing standards were set. The Phillip Best Brewing Company was one of the first breweries that offered public tours. After the tour, visitors were invited to the star host of the brewery attached.

Emil damage your died in 1888 during a home visit to Germany, so that the line Frederick Pabst was transferred. On March 12, 1889, the name of the company was changed to Pabst Brewing Company.

National expansion

At the World's Columbian Exposition Pabst had a pavilion, which was designed by architect Otto Strack. On this, the brewery was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence Brewing in November 1893. This award was challenged unsuccessfully by Anheuser -Busch. At this time, the characteristic blue bands were introduced. During the celebrations winner at the show was put Pabst Blue Ribbons ( eng. " ribbons " ) by the bottle necks. Finally, the well-known brand " Pabst Select" 1895 " Pabst Blue Ribbon" (aka " PBR " ) has been renamed. In the same year, the brewery reached an output of 1 million barrels. Frederick Pabst died in 1904. His son Gustav was successor.

During the period of Prohibition Pabst sold among other malt extract, non- alcoholic beverages and cheese. The cheese shop was later sold to power.

After Prohibition succeeded Pabst rapid expansion. 1934 a brewery was bought in Peoria Heights, in the 1940s, the Hoffman Beverage Company and the Los Angeles Brewing Company.

Failure and sale

In the 1950s, sales declined considerably. In 1949, Pabst was still the market leader, in 1957, only the seventh largest provider. The acquisition of the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company 1958 James C. Windham 's new president. However, the U.S. Department of Justice made ​​the acquisition undone. The production of the Blatz brewery were closed, but the beverage brands remained until 1969 when Pabst. These were subsequently purchased by the G. Heileman Brewing Company.

After several unsuccessful campaigns only brought a reduction in prices towards the end of the 1950s the company back on track. Sales increased by 3.9 million barrels to 10.5 million in 1970 and a record high of 18 million in 1977.

Despite the setback with Blatz was followed by further acquisitions: the Burgermeister brand of Hamm Brewing Company (1975 ), Lightning - Weinhard Brewing Company (1979) and the Olympia Brewing Company (1982). The acquisition of Joseph slot Brewing Company in 1981, was banned by the Department of Justice. In the same year the G. Heileman Brewing Company made ​​an offer to purchase Pabst, which was refused.

In the following years, sales began to break again and the company was sold in 1984 for $ 63 million to Paul Kalmanovitz by S & P Company. Kalmanovitz sat through drastic cost reductions. After his death in 1988, Lutz Issleib CEO and president. Under his leadership, the market share of the Pabst Brewery from 1988 to 1993 grew by more than 16 percent, but could not maintain this upward trend.

Virtual Brewery since 1996

In 1996, after previously 70 % of the workforce were laid off, the entire beer production to the G. Heileman Brewing Company, a member company of the straw Brewery Company outsourced. Thus Pabst is since 1996 a "virtual brewery ". The original Pabst Brewery was closed. The property has since been the target of investors who want to acquire the property. 2001 Pabst City was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the center is a bronze statue of Frederick Pabst.

1999 Pabst bought the straw Brewery Company and sold the production Heal Mans to the City Brewing Company. In 2001, production of the Miller Brewing Company was outsourced. At that time the headquarters was in San Antonio. In the same year opened Best Place, a restaurant and a museum about the history of the brewery, the building of the former star host.

In 2006 CEO Kevin Kotecki moved the administration according to Woodridge. 2008 Pabst began, the old brand to offer slot again.

On 26 May 2010 Pabst was bought by the investor C. Dean Metropoulos at a price of 250 million U.S. dollars. The headquarters was moved to Los Angeles.