Pabst Brewing Co.
Jacob Best establishes his brewery with capacity of only 18 barrels per batch. In the first year, Best’s brewery produced 300 barrels.

Phillip Best takes over. Daughter Maria marries Captain Pabst in 1859. Pabst sells his shipping interests and takes a partnership in the brewery in 1863.

Output was 100,000 barrels; Captain Pabst is President of the Company. Best and Company becomes the second largest brewery in the United States.

Best Select brand receives awards at world and U.S. competitions. In 1882 Pabst adds pieces of blue ribbons tied around the necks of “Best Select” beer bottles.

Pabst changes name of company to Pabst Brewing Company.

Company purchasing nearly 1 million feet of silk ribbon, which workers tied by hand around each bottle of Best Select Beer.

"Blue Ribbon" officially added to Best Select brand name and in 1899 brand name changed to Pabst Blue Ribbon. Company achieves 1 million barrels in volume, and adds red stripe on label to commemorate. Early 1900’s bring orders of over 30 million feet of silk blue ribbon.

Pabst’s cheese making business thrived. By 1930, over 8 million pounds of Pabst-ett brand had been sold. Kraft eventually buys out the Pabst cheese operations.

Pabst opens new brewery in Peoria, Illinois.

Pabst introduces packaged beer in cans.

Pabst purchases the Hoffman Beverage Company in Newark in 1946, and Los Angeles Brewing Company in 1948.

Production and sales soared in the early 1950’s. But after Fred Pabst’s retirement, sales started to slip for Pabst Brewing Company.

Several unsuccessful campaigns such as "Pabst Blue Ribbon Time" of 1956 and "Pabst Makes It Perfect" campaign of 1957 only stabilized Pabst’s sales.

Lowering prices worked in the short term. Pabst Blue Ribbon known as "The Premium Beer at a Popular Price."

Sales grow from 3.9 million barrels in 1958 to 10.5 million barrels by 1970 and then to all-time high of 18 million barrels in 1977.

Debt-free balance sheet attractive to corporate raiders. Irwin Jacobs, "The Liquidator" seeks to acquire Pabst. $11 million in legal fees incurred to fight battle.

The board sells to Paul Kalmanowitz, the benefactor of the charitable trust that owns Pabst Brewing Company to this day.