Hey China, it's only PBR

I'm conflicted–on the one hand, I'm offended by this reference to PBR (being marketed in China as a top-shelf brew) as "bottom of the barrel." On the other hand, I like the idea of people paying $40 a bottle for PBR, even if they are in China and don't know any better. Behold, the power of marketing! (Hat tip: Ashley Bowles).

A headline to send grandpa to spinning in his grave

My dear departed grandpa drank neither as often nor with such variety as I, but he did maintain a mini-fridge stocked with Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Nostalgia, then, probably drives to some degree my appreciation for this brew–it's an honest beer, unpretentious, made for men who work for a living. But I also think it's a good beer; to me, it tastes good, and I'd choose it over most of today's domestic pilsners in a heartbeat.

Imagine my surprise, then, to learn that it is also the hipster's beer of choice these days. Apparently, hipsters in hip locales (like Portland, OR) have decided in a recession that PBR is, well, hip. I assume this is because they're trying to be ironic, or eschew the mainstream, or somethign stupid; I assume it's NOT because they have discriminating tastes and decided this was the best beer available in their price range. Anyway, good for PBR, though they should beware: the kids love it because nobody else is drinking it. Once everybody starts drinking it, they'll hate it, and then everyone else will STOP drinking it, and the whole vicious cycle begins anew.