Page 37 - Journal of Antiques and Collectibles June 2019
P. 37
law in the brewing business despite having no million in current dollars). His sons Gustav and Fred Jr.—both edu-
brewing background. He did, however, come to cated at military academies and trained as brewers at Arnold
the partnership with capital, using his insurance Schwarz’s United States Brewers’ Academy in New York—were
proceeds to purchase a 50 percent interest in put in charge of the business as president and vice president,
the company. respectively. His boys were more than well prepared for
Under the guidance of Phillip Best, what was to be the family’s next challenge – surviving
“the Captain” learned the brewing Prohibition. The goal was to preserve the brand, company,
business and served as an equal partner and their blue ribbon beer for future generations.
in the operation until his father-in-law
retired in 1866. Best sold his remaining How Pabst Got Its Blue Ribbon
stake in the business to his other According to brand lore, Pabst got its famous “blue
son-in-law, Emil Schandein, a former ribbon” after its Best Select beer won a competition at
traveling salesman who emigrated the World’s Fair of 1893. Breweriana historians now tell
from Germany in 1856 and married a different story.
Best’s other daughter Lisette Schandein The World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 (also
died in July of 1888 while on holiday known as the Chicago World’s Fair) put Chicago and the
in Germany, leaving Pabst in complete American Midwest on the map as a hub of international
control of their brewing empire and the trade and commerce. Forty-six nations participated, and
Company’s extensive real estate portfolio. A over the six months of the Fair, 27 million people visited —
year later, on March 12, 1889, Frederick half the U.S. population at the time. While transportation and
Pabst officially changed the company’s name to architectural innovations were in no short supply, the world’s fair
Pabst Brewing Company, as it remains today, and also exhibited for the first time: cutting-edge clothing (the zipper);
initiated a period of rapid commercial growth food (Juicy Fruit gum, Crackerjacks, Shredded Wheat); and beverage
marked by an appreciation for and investment in 1863 Philip Best Lager Beer Empire products – including beer. Many exhibitors entered competitions to
new technologies and the power of marketing. Brewery U.S. Civil War token gain attention for their brands. Brewers like Anheuser-Busch and
By the turn of the century, the German-born Pabst competed for “best beer,” with Pabst declaring its beer the “blue
Pabst was one of the most successful brewers in the United States, ribbon” winner; however, research shows that the scoring of the contest and the
one of the largest property owners in Milwaukee, and a leading outcome wasn’t so clear.
community figure. Pabst was invested in the promise of the World’s Fair to raise the visibility of his
Captain Pabst died in 1903, leaving his children and his eldest company and its Best Select beer. The company hired Milwaukee architect Otto
granddaughter one million dollars in company stock (over $30
Strack to design a trade pavilion in the Fair’s Agricultural Building to display its
product and dazzle its guests. Strack erected a thirteen square foot model of the Pabst
Brewing Company’s building atop an elaborate platform supported by gnomes within
the pavilion’s interior. It was reported at the time that “the model, washed in gold, is
said to have cost Captain Pabst $100,000 and was highly regarded at the fair for its
beauty of presentation.” The entire structure was constructed of tan terra cotta
emblazoned with symbols of the brewing industry, with the exterior bathed in gold leaf
and crowned by a magnificent art glass dome. After the fair, Captain Pabst had the
entire structure dismantled, crated, sent to his Milwaukee residence, and rebuilt as a
private conservatory.
While alcohol was not openly served at the fair, Anheuser-Busch, Pabst, and others
had exhibition booths and competed for the best beer award. The fair organizers,
1893 Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer booklet at the Columbian Exposition
Vintage Pabst signage, c. 1940s
concerned with maintaining peace among exhibitors, didn’t want to encourage
competitiveness and decided that rather than competing against one another, would
instead be judged against a list of criteria—including purity, color, and flavor—and
assigned a score between zero and 100, according to Illinois historian Neil Gale. “Any
beer that scored 80 or higher would receive a bronze St. Gaudens Medal and a
certificate of excellence.” Pabst, however, interpreted this to mean that the brewer with
the highest score was the “blue ribbon winner,” and seized the marketing moment to
declare his beer as such – despite the lack of official verification and the fact that no
grand prize or blue ribbon was officially awarded. To celebrate and capitalize on his
“win,” Capt. Frederick Pabst ordered his Milwaukee brewery be draped in blue
ribbons and gave his workers the day off. Thus kicked off more than a century’s worth
of blue ribbon branding, advertising, and licensed items, which continues to this day.
The facts show that Capt. Pabst came to the World’s Fair with his Blue Ribbon
marketing campaign already in his back pocket. In 1892, a year before the World’s
Pabst pavilion 1893 Fair, the company purchased nearly one million feet of silk ribbon, and workers were
July 2019 35
brewing background. He did, however, come to cated at military academies and trained as brewers at Arnold
the partnership with capital, using his insurance Schwarz’s United States Brewers’ Academy in New York—were
proceeds to purchase a 50 percent interest in put in charge of the business as president and vice president,
the company. respectively. His boys were more than well prepared for
Under the guidance of Phillip Best, what was to be the family’s next challenge – surviving
“the Captain” learned the brewing Prohibition. The goal was to preserve the brand, company,
business and served as an equal partner and their blue ribbon beer for future generations.
in the operation until his father-in-law
retired in 1866. Best sold his remaining How Pabst Got Its Blue Ribbon
stake in the business to his other According to brand lore, Pabst got its famous “blue
son-in-law, Emil Schandein, a former ribbon” after its Best Select beer won a competition at
traveling salesman who emigrated the World’s Fair of 1893. Breweriana historians now tell
from Germany in 1856 and married a different story.
Best’s other daughter Lisette Schandein The World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 (also
died in July of 1888 while on holiday known as the Chicago World’s Fair) put Chicago and the
in Germany, leaving Pabst in complete American Midwest on the map as a hub of international
control of their brewing empire and the trade and commerce. Forty-six nations participated, and
Company’s extensive real estate portfolio. A over the six months of the Fair, 27 million people visited —
year later, on March 12, 1889, Frederick half the U.S. population at the time. While transportation and
Pabst officially changed the company’s name to architectural innovations were in no short supply, the world’s fair
Pabst Brewing Company, as it remains today, and also exhibited for the first time: cutting-edge clothing (the zipper);
initiated a period of rapid commercial growth food (Juicy Fruit gum, Crackerjacks, Shredded Wheat); and beverage
marked by an appreciation for and investment in 1863 Philip Best Lager Beer Empire products – including beer. Many exhibitors entered competitions to
new technologies and the power of marketing. Brewery U.S. Civil War token gain attention for their brands. Brewers like Anheuser-Busch and
By the turn of the century, the German-born Pabst competed for “best beer,” with Pabst declaring its beer the “blue
Pabst was one of the most successful brewers in the United States, ribbon” winner; however, research shows that the scoring of the contest and the
one of the largest property owners in Milwaukee, and a leading outcome wasn’t so clear.
community figure. Pabst was invested in the promise of the World’s Fair to raise the visibility of his
Captain Pabst died in 1903, leaving his children and his eldest company and its Best Select beer. The company hired Milwaukee architect Otto
granddaughter one million dollars in company stock (over $30
Strack to design a trade pavilion in the Fair’s Agricultural Building to display its
product and dazzle its guests. Strack erected a thirteen square foot model of the Pabst
Brewing Company’s building atop an elaborate platform supported by gnomes within
the pavilion’s interior. It was reported at the time that “the model, washed in gold, is
said to have cost Captain Pabst $100,000 and was highly regarded at the fair for its
beauty of presentation.” The entire structure was constructed of tan terra cotta
emblazoned with symbols of the brewing industry, with the exterior bathed in gold leaf
and crowned by a magnificent art glass dome. After the fair, Captain Pabst had the
entire structure dismantled, crated, sent to his Milwaukee residence, and rebuilt as a
private conservatory.
While alcohol was not openly served at the fair, Anheuser-Busch, Pabst, and others
had exhibition booths and competed for the best beer award. The fair organizers,
1893 Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer booklet at the Columbian Exposition
Vintage Pabst signage, c. 1940s
concerned with maintaining peace among exhibitors, didn’t want to encourage
competitiveness and decided that rather than competing against one another, would
instead be judged against a list of criteria—including purity, color, and flavor—and
assigned a score between zero and 100, according to Illinois historian Neil Gale. “Any
beer that scored 80 or higher would receive a bronze St. Gaudens Medal and a
certificate of excellence.” Pabst, however, interpreted this to mean that the brewer with
the highest score was the “blue ribbon winner,” and seized the marketing moment to
declare his beer as such – despite the lack of official verification and the fact that no
grand prize or blue ribbon was officially awarded. To celebrate and capitalize on his
“win,” Capt. Frederick Pabst ordered his Milwaukee brewery be draped in blue
ribbons and gave his workers the day off. Thus kicked off more than a century’s worth
of blue ribbon branding, advertising, and licensed items, which continues to this day.
The facts show that Capt. Pabst came to the World’s Fair with his Blue Ribbon
marketing campaign already in his back pocket. In 1892, a year before the World’s
Pabst pavilion 1893 Fair, the company purchased nearly one million feet of silk ribbon, and workers were
July 2019 35
