Pabst Blue Ribbon Wants to Wake You Up With ‘Hard Coffee’

The best part of waking up is PBR in your cup.

Everybody talks about hangover cures, but no one ever leans into what you really need to make one: Lots of caffeine and just a little more alcohol. 

Kidding! Still, when we learned that Pabst Blue Ribbon is selling a new product called “Hard Coffee,” classic solutions to that morning-after malaise did come to mind.

Because according to Pabst, Hard Coffee is exactly what it sounds like — a little restorative caffeine mixed with the hair of the dog. In their words:

Pabst Blue Ribbon’s Hard Coffee will be among the first of its kind in the industry, a fun and deliciously unique drink made using Arabica and Robusta coffee beans and rich, creamy American milk. It’s great tasting vanilla infused premium iced coffee with a 5% ABV kick.

So, you’ve got a pretty standard ABV for beer plus the maybe 100 to 150 mgs of caffeine found in a typical cup of coffee. 

Pabst Blue Ribbon brand manager John Newhouse says that since they have “always been a brand that pushes boundaries and celebrates those who experiment and try new things,” they see Hard Coffee as “an opportunity for us to pioneer a delicious and fun new drink, and give America something unique.”

It’s hard to consider the combination of coffee and beer and not wonder just how the hell that’s supposed to work flavor-wise; the two don’t seem all that compatible. 

A report from On Milwaukee indicates skeptics may have a pleasant surprise in store: Early reviews say it is “creamy, sweet and light,” and even tastes like the old-fashioned, kid-friendly chocolate drink, Yoo-Hoo.

Hard Coffee began selling in test markets on July 1. If it’s really that tasty, it just might be everywhere, soon.