Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
PABST BREWING COMPANY
PABST BREWING COMPANY. In 1848 Jacob Best established his brewery which had a daily capacity of eighteen barrels. In the first year, the brewery produced 300 barrels. Phillip Best took over in the 1850s. His daughter married Captain Pabst who sold his interest in shipping and became a partner in 1863. With an output of 100,000 barrels annually, the company became the second largest brewery in the United States. In the 1880s the Best Select brand receives national and international awards. The name of the company was changed in 1889 to Pabst Brewing Company. In 1892 the company purchased one million feet of blue ribbon--pieces of which were hand-tied around the necks of Best Select Beer. In 1889 the beer was renamed Pabst Blue Ribbon. Sales hit an all-time high of 18 million barrels in 1977. (1)
The Milwaukee brewing company opened a large cold storage warehouse in Dubuque in November, 1893. The building with a capacity of 800 to 900 barrels made Dubuque the company's distribution center for the nearby states. (2)
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Source:
1. Pabst Brewing Company website: http://pabstbrewingco.com/timeline/
2. "Pabst Locates Here," Dubuque Daily Herald, November 25, 1893, p. 4