Teh One Who Knocks
05-17-2013, 11:07 AM
By Corky Siemaszko / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
http://i.imgur.com/8esmvCcl.jpg
A cheap glass of beer is fast becoming an endangered species in New York City - and you can blame Pabst Blue Ribbon-swilling hipsters for that.
They are the reason why "sub-premium" beer prices in the city have climbed 9.4% in the last seven months, say Restaurant Sciences, which tracks food and beverage sales nationwide.
"I believe the single biggest driver in sub-premium beer price increases is indeed specifically PBR," said Chuck Ellis, who heads the research company. "It has become quite fashionable."
Ellis reached that conclusion after his researchers tracked beer prices at 500 bars and restaurants across the city.
They found that while the prices of expensive premium beers that the snobs favor also jumped, they did so at half the rate of beers like PBR.
"Traditionally lower-priced beers such as Pabst Blue Ribbon have seen sizeable double-digit price increases in both restaurants and bars & nightclubs," researchers reported.
Pabst, which had its heyday back in the 60s when it was marketed as "The Premium Beer at Popular Price," is "still an outstanding value for beer drinkers," Ellis said.
Translation: it's cheap.
Sam Rio, bartender at Pete's Candy Store in Williamsburg, said that's the only reason to drink PBR.
"Personally, I think it tastes like s---," said Rio, who sells it for $3 a can. "It's been that price for as long as I've been here, which is about seven years."
PBR sells for $2 a can at the popular Welcome to the Johnson's bar on the Lower East Side.
"I like it because it's not for rich people," said one worker who then slammed down the phone.
That, in essence, may be the appeal of a beer that was once dismissed as low-rent when Americans began shelling out more dough for exotic foreign brews and craft beers.
It's also no accident that PBR is hip.
Before the recession began and the economy tanked, Pabst launched a word-of-mouth campaign that made the declining brand an "ironic" choice for younger drinkers, Crain's Chicago Business reported way back in 2009.
PBR was suddenly cool again - and sales were hot.
http://i.imgur.com/8esmvCcl.jpg
A cheap glass of beer is fast becoming an endangered species in New York City - and you can blame Pabst Blue Ribbon-swilling hipsters for that.
They are the reason why "sub-premium" beer prices in the city have climbed 9.4% in the last seven months, say Restaurant Sciences, which tracks food and beverage sales nationwide.
"I believe the single biggest driver in sub-premium beer price increases is indeed specifically PBR," said Chuck Ellis, who heads the research company. "It has become quite fashionable."
Ellis reached that conclusion after his researchers tracked beer prices at 500 bars and restaurants across the city.
They found that while the prices of expensive premium beers that the snobs favor also jumped, they did so at half the rate of beers like PBR.
"Traditionally lower-priced beers such as Pabst Blue Ribbon have seen sizeable double-digit price increases in both restaurants and bars & nightclubs," researchers reported.
Pabst, which had its heyday back in the 60s when it was marketed as "The Premium Beer at Popular Price," is "still an outstanding value for beer drinkers," Ellis said.
Translation: it's cheap.
Sam Rio, bartender at Pete's Candy Store in Williamsburg, said that's the only reason to drink PBR.
"Personally, I think it tastes like s---," said Rio, who sells it for $3 a can. "It's been that price for as long as I've been here, which is about seven years."
PBR sells for $2 a can at the popular Welcome to the Johnson's bar on the Lower East Side.
"I like it because it's not for rich people," said one worker who then slammed down the phone.
That, in essence, may be the appeal of a beer that was once dismissed as low-rent when Americans began shelling out more dough for exotic foreign brews and craft beers.
It's also no accident that PBR is hip.
Before the recession began and the economy tanked, Pabst launched a word-of-mouth campaign that made the declining brand an "ironic" choice for younger drinkers, Crain's Chicago Business reported way back in 2009.
PBR was suddenly cool again - and sales were hot.