Pabst Blue Ribbon

Beer: Pabst Blue Ribbon aka PBR

Style: Pale Lager

Brewing location: Los Angeles, CA

Originating country: USA

Alcohol by Volume: 4.74% 

Ingredients: Corn syrup, water, yeast, hops, only an infusion of barley

Format tested: 24 oz can purchased in Los Angeles, CA

Beeradvocate rating: 69/100

Ratebeer rating: 2/100

Test kit: E-Z Gluten

Miscellaneous 

• In 1844, German immigrant Jacob Best and his sons establish the Empire Brewery in Milwaukee, WI and produce 300 barrels of Best Select lager in their first year. 
• Originally called Best Select, and then Pabst Select, the current name came from the blue ribbons that were tied around the bottle neck, a practice that ran from 1882 until 1916.
• The beer experienced a sales revival in the early 2000s after a two decade-long slump, largely due to its increasing popularity among urban hipsters.

Test results photo

Test result

Negative at 20 parts per million (ppm), meaning it is less than 20 ppm gluten. Though standards vary from country to country, according to the FDA, "in order to use the term 'gluten free' on its label a food must meet all the requirements of the definition, including that the food must contain less than 20 ppm gluten". It is said that products with a gluten content below 20 ppm are suitable for people with celiac disease.

My experience drinking PBR

I am not sure where I fall in the gluten tolerance spectrum. I definitely know what it feels like to be “glutened” i.e. gluten exposure, but I have not deliberately pushed my gluten consumption limits with any food or beer. I am not a hipster; neither am I an American over 60 years of age, so I don't really drink PBR on a regular basis. I drank this 24 oz can in about 45 minutes and did not feel any kind of gluten reaction.