Watch a reporter try Pabst Blue Ribbon Pickle Beer
PBR x Grillo’s Pickle Beer is a limited edition lager that is a collaboration between Pabst Blue Ribbon and Grillo’s Pickles.
Pickle lovers, who have been attracting a lot of attention lately, should definitely give this a try. There are dill pickle-flavored Oreo cookies, pickle-flavored liquid IV hydration drinks, and smoothies.
But now you can also drink pickle beer.
Beer lovers have long been adding pickles to their beer or pouring pickle juice over it. Some people call a lager with pickles a “South Dakota Martini.”
Pabst Blue Ribbon and Grillo’s Pickles have teamed up to officially launch limited edition PBR x Grillo’s Pickles beer, available now. The 4.7% ABV lager has a “bright, zesty profile that balances the maltiness of PBR’s classic lager with the crisp, dill-like punch that is unmistakably Grillo,” the companies said in a news release.
“I don’t think the founders of Pabst ever saw this coming. But somewhere, someone put pickles in their beer and never looked back,” Rachel Keaton, Pabst’s senior brand director, said in a news release. “We’re taking that ritual and making it official at Grillo’s, and it’s exactly as great as it sounds.”
Where can I get PBR x Grillo’s Pickle Beer?
The beer is available at retailers nationwide (Albertsons, Food Lion, KwikTrip, Publix, Safeway, Walmart, Total Wine, etc.) and through GoPuff delivery while supplies last.
For those looking for pickle beer, the Pabst Blue Ribbon website has a pickle beer finder. The beer is described on its website as “bright, refreshing, and unapologetically dill-forward,” and you can also find merchandise like baseball caps, shirts, and hoodies.
“We’ve been working on this collaboration for quite some time, and we’re excited to see it come to fruition,” said Mark Rooker, Grillo’s chief commercial officer. “PBR is a great partner and this collaboration offers a refreshing and refreshing blend of both brands. We look forward to beer and pickle lovers trying it.”
The online reaction to the appearance of this beer is that many people are interested in trying it.
“Pickle lovers are going insane with this collaboration 😂,” @tastebud posted on Instagram. “Grillo’s Pickle and Pabst Blue Ribbon have launched this wild pickle beer, and somehow…it actually works.”
A Reddit user posted: “I just picked one up…it’s so loud. I don’t know if I want another one today, but no cramps! Definitely not.”
The beer is also gaining more attention on the racetrack, as Front Row Motorsports driver Noah Gragson drove a Pickle Beer Ford Mustang Dark Horse to a ninth-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Links 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26.
“Pickle beer is not a fad”
Pabst isn’t the first brewery to capitalize on pickle flavors.
Urban Artifact Pickle Beer was introduced by the Cincinnati brewery in 2015. Brewed by Pilot Brewing Projects in Chicago and Milwaukee, Donna’s Pickle Beer hit the market in 2023.
“Pickle beer is not a passing fad. It’s going from strength to strength over the years,” said Doug Veliky, who runs Substack Beer Crunchers and Instagram @beeraficionado. He added that pickle beers “could even end up working like Busch Light Apple if they stay in this limited release format and don’t get too over the top.”
Anheuser-Busch’s popular brand could expand into pickle beers, as he and several beer news outlets have suggested. According to MyBeerBuzz, Busch Light Apple will be available for a limited time with Busch Light Pickle Beer, and Busch Light Orange and Lemon versions are also in the works.
Records from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau show that Anheuser-Busch Co. received approval for label applications for Busch Light Pickle Beer, Orange Beer and Lemon Beer on April 6, beverage culture news website Vine Pair reported.
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, or email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
