We know Pabst Blue Ribbon as PBR, the beer of choice for people with thick mustaches and plaid shirts...whether they're at a rodeo or a hipster bar. But here's something you might NOT know.

Pabst Blue Ribbon has that name because it actually DID win a blue ribbon.  At the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Pabst Best Select was awarded a blue ribbon for the best beer.  And the company decided to change its name in honor.

At least that's how the company tells it.  Some historians think that EVERY beer at the exposition got a participation ribbon, and Pabst just decided to run with it for marketing.

(Mental Floss)

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