LOS ANGELES -- Pabst Brewing Co., the beer company known for rescuing old brands from obscurity, is branching out, joining the ranks of both import and craft beers.
Asian Splash
The Los Angeles-based company has taken over U.S. rights to the Tsingtao brand and gained exclusive distrbution rights with the Small Town Brewery in Wauconda, Ill., a company spokesperson confirmed to CSP Daily News with no additional comment.
Tsingtao Beer is the leading imported Chinese beer in the United States and is brewed and bottled by the Tsingtao Brewery in China. The beer has been imported to the United States by Constellation Brands Inc. since it bought the Barton Beers/Monarch Import Co. Pabst will takeover U.S. distribution of Tsingtao on July 1.
Tsingtao is the second best-selling ber in the world, according to a 2014 report. However, the brew owns a small share of the beer market in the United States, not ranking among the top 10 imports in the U.S.
A Quirky Craft
Meanwhile, the distribution agreement with Small Town Brewery, started by Tim Kovacs, signals Pabst’s entry into craft beer, specifically, root beer.
The 2-year-old Wauconda, Ill., brewer’s primary products are hard root beers under the brand Not Your Father’s Root Beer. Its year-round brew is an “ale with the taste of spices” and 5.9% alcohol available in 6-packs of 12-oz. bottled. Two limited-edition brews include a 22-oz. “bomber” with 10.7% alcohol and a second 22-oz. bomber with a whopping 19.5% alcohol.
Other brews include two draft-only options: Chocolate Porter and Grandma’s Apple Pie Beer.
Los Angeles-based Pabst Brewing Co.’s other beer brands include Pabst Blue Ribbon, Schlitz, Old Milwaukee and Old Style, among others.
Pabst is the third-largest beer brewer in the United States behind Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors, according to the Brewers Association.
Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings LLC, Los Angeles, purchased Pabst Brewing Co. in November. Blue Ribbon is a partnership between American beer entrepreneur Eugene Kashper and San Francisco-based TSG Consumer Partners LLC, a leading investor in growth consumer brands.
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