There are certain things Oregonians expect to see in grocery store coolers as summer approaches. Craft IPAs with mountain themes, fruit-flavored hard seltzers, local ciders and enough hazy ales to make a lumberjack dizzy. What many shoppers probably did not expect to discover this year was a pickle-flavored beer quietly sitting beside the traditional lagers.
Yet somehow, against all odds and perhaps against common sense itself, pickle beer has officially landed in Oregon.
Pabst Blue Ribbon, or “PBR” as many folks from Wisconsin and the Midwest have called it for generations, has teamed up with Grillo’s Pickles to release a limited-edition dill pickle flavored lager that is now appearing in stores across the country, including locations throughout Oregon and Southern Oregon.
Yes, it is real.
No, somebody was not drunk during the product meeting.
And yes, people are actually buying it.
The new release, officially called PBR x Grillo’s Pickle Beer, comes in six-packs of 12-ounce cans and contains 4.7 percent alcohol. The beer was reportedly inspired by the longtime dive bar tradition of dropping a pickle spear directly into a cold lager, something that sounds questionable until enough people admit they have already tried it.
According to the companies behind the collaboration, the beer blends the familiar taste of Pabst Blue Ribbon with a tangy dill pickle finish designed to mimic the salty, briny flavor pickle lovers crave. The result is something that many consumers describe as oddly refreshing, while others are still trying to emotionally process the idea of drinking what essentially sounds like carbonated pickle juice with a buzz attached to it.
The limited-edition beer has already generated nationwide attention, largely because the internet collectively cannot decide whether this is genius marketing or a cry for help from the beverage industry.
Still, novelty drinks continue to dominate summer trends, and companies have increasingly leaned into bizarre flavor combinations that spark curiosity and social media reactions. Whether it is bacon soda, ranch dressing ice cream or now pickle beer, Americans continue proving there is apparently no flavor boundary left uncrossed.
For Oregon residents curious enough to try the unusual creation, the beer is reportedly showing up at select Safeway, Albertsons, Walmart and other participating retailers while supplies last. Some locations in Southern Oregon are expected to receive limited shipments, meaning adventurous shoppers may need to keep an eye on store shelves before the product disappears.
And while the flavor itself may divide households, barbecue parties and possibly entire friendships, there is little doubt the release has accomplished exactly what PBR hoped it would do: get people talking.
Some consumers swear it pairs perfectly with burgers, hot dogs and summer cookouts. Others may prefer to simply stare at the can from a safe distance and wonder where society took a wrong turn.
Either way, the pickle beer craze has officially reached Oregon, and for at least one strange summer, beer drinkers now face a decision nobody saw coming.
To sip the pickle, or not to sip the pickle.
That is apparently the question now.