Thirsty Thursday Eve - PBR Hard Coffee
I love all things coffee. When I saw PBR hard coffee at a nearby ABC store, I had to give it a shot, even with the unusually high price point.
I’m no stranger to coffee-alcohol fusions. I’ve had my fair share of coffee-based mixed drinks, as well as traditional beer styles with coffee included. The only one I’ve mentioned here was the Thunderstruck Coffee Porter from Highland, but there have been plenty more before and after. I’m always on the lookout for the next spin on coffee and booze. For what it’s worth, I haven’t found one yet that I didn’t like.
A few weeks back, I was cheating on my usual ABC store with another one that has a slightly larger selection. While we were perusing the aisles, my wife pointed out this curious hard coffee from Pabst Blue Ribbon. Initially, I dismissed it. PBR is supposed to be cheap, not good. And with a 4 pack of cans at roughly $10, that was way out of the normal range that I’d spend on PBR. Even for stuff I really like, that’s a hard sell. However, my wife knows of my weakness for coffee beverages, and I caved after very little convincing.
After a brief period in the fridge, I opened one up. I was notably surprised once I took the first sip. This didn’t taste like a coffee beer, nor did it taste like a cocktail with coffee in it. Matter of fact, it didn’t taste like alcohol at all. It tasted like one of those bottled Starbucks iced coffee latte things you can find at gas stations. I don’t mean if you close your eyes and stretch your imagination, you can see how they might taste similar. I mean, if you poured one of those out and filled the bottle with the PBR hard coffee, I might honestly not know the difference.
That being said, not everybody who likes coffee and/or coffee-infused alcohol will enjoy this. Anyone who has tried the Starbucks bottled drink will quickly tell you how far removed it is from standard coffee. Sure, there’s coffee flavor there, but the more obvious flavors are the cream and sugar. It’s super sweet, and heavy on the milk. It certainly isn’t for everybody.
However, if you like coffee and alcohol, or especially if you like the bottles of Starbucks, you should definitely try this. As I said, it isn’t like a coffee beer, nor is it like a coffee cocktail. This is its own unique beast, and I love it. Don’t look at it like you’re paying ten bucks for a four pack of PBR. Look at it like $2.50 a pop for some of those Starbucks drinks, plus a little booze. In that context, it’s actually a really good deal, and a lot easier to swallow. I will *definitely* be buying more of these, and I hope they stay on shelves around here permanently.
Resources:
Hallinan, B. (2019, July 26). We Tried Pabst Blue Ribbon Hard Coffee. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://www.foodandwine.com/news/pabst-blue-ribbon-hard-coffee-taste-test
Nelson, D. (2020, July 9). PBR's Hard Coffee With Alcohol and Caffeine Is Now Available Almost Everywhere in the US. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/pbr-hard-coffee-where-to-buy
O'Malley, N. (2020, March 19). I drank it so you don't have to: PBR Hard Coffee. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://www.masslive.com/food/2020/03/pbr-hard-coffee-review-i-drank-it-so-you-dont-have-to.html
Ramsay, R. (2019, September 18). Pabst Blue Ribbon Hard Coffee is going national in 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://beerstreetjournal.com/pabst-blue-ribbon-hard-coffee/
I’m no stranger to coffee-alcohol fusions. I’ve had my fair share of coffee-based mixed drinks, as well as traditional beer styles with coffee included. The only one I’ve mentioned here was the Thunderstruck Coffee Porter from Highland, but there have been plenty more before and after. I’m always on the lookout for the next spin on coffee and booze. For what it’s worth, I haven’t found one yet that I didn’t like.
A few weeks back, I was cheating on my usual ABC store with another one that has a slightly larger selection. While we were perusing the aisles, my wife pointed out this curious hard coffee from Pabst Blue Ribbon. Initially, I dismissed it. PBR is supposed to be cheap, not good. And with a 4 pack of cans at roughly $10, that was way out of the normal range that I’d spend on PBR. Even for stuff I really like, that’s a hard sell. However, my wife knows of my weakness for coffee beverages, and I caved after very little convincing.
After a brief period in the fridge, I opened one up. I was notably surprised once I took the first sip. This didn’t taste like a coffee beer, nor did it taste like a cocktail with coffee in it. Matter of fact, it didn’t taste like alcohol at all. It tasted like one of those bottled Starbucks iced coffee latte things you can find at gas stations. I don’t mean if you close your eyes and stretch your imagination, you can see how they might taste similar. I mean, if you poured one of those out and filled the bottle with the PBR hard coffee, I might honestly not know the difference.
That being said, not everybody who likes coffee and/or coffee-infused alcohol will enjoy this. Anyone who has tried the Starbucks bottled drink will quickly tell you how far removed it is from standard coffee. Sure, there’s coffee flavor there, but the more obvious flavors are the cream and sugar. It’s super sweet, and heavy on the milk. It certainly isn’t for everybody.
However, if you like coffee and alcohol, or especially if you like the bottles of Starbucks, you should definitely try this. As I said, it isn’t like a coffee beer, nor is it like a coffee cocktail. This is its own unique beast, and I love it. Don’t look at it like you’re paying ten bucks for a four pack of PBR. Look at it like $2.50 a pop for some of those Starbucks drinks, plus a little booze. In that context, it’s actually a really good deal, and a lot easier to swallow. I will *definitely* be buying more of these, and I hope they stay on shelves around here permanently.
— Pabst Blue Ribbon (@PabstBlueRibbon) September 3, 2020
Resources:
Hallinan, B. (2019, July 26). We Tried Pabst Blue Ribbon Hard Coffee. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://www.foodandwine.com/news/pabst-blue-ribbon-hard-coffee-taste-test
Nelson, D. (2020, July 9). PBR's Hard Coffee With Alcohol and Caffeine Is Now Available Almost Everywhere in the US. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/pbr-hard-coffee-where-to-buy
O'Malley, N. (2020, March 19). I drank it so you don't have to: PBR Hard Coffee. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://www.masslive.com/food/2020/03/pbr-hard-coffee-review-i-drank-it-so-you-dont-have-to.html
Ramsay, R. (2019, September 18). Pabst Blue Ribbon Hard Coffee is going national in 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://beerstreetjournal.com/pabst-blue-ribbon-hard-coffee/
Comments
Post a Comment