Grillo's Pickles X PBR Dares To Ask If Vinegar Improves Bad Beer

If you haven't heard of Grillo's Pickles by now, you're either living in a cave, or perhaps are too numb from everything being infused with dill pickle to even bother to notice. Well, beyond Mike's Hot Honey, it seems that the second most collaborative-friendly company in the entire universe is Grillo's Pickles. Maybe you have heard of — or were perhaps lucky to have had a taste of — its pickling of a V8 Bloody Mary Mix, a Two Robbers Hard Seltzer, Utz Potato Chips, Boulder Canyon Chips, Hippeas Puffs, a Heluva Good! Dip, a PopUp Bagels Schmear, honeygrow Shawarma Stir-Fry, or last summer's cool Grillo collab menu at Sonic. Based on that lengthy list alone, it seems like there's nothing left to juice up ... until Pabst Blue Ribbon partnered with Grillo's to make a new pickle beer.

In a statement, Rachel Keeton, Pabst Sr. Brand Director noted, "I don't think the founder of Pabst saw this one coming. But somewhere along the line, someone put a pickle in a beer and never looked back." Mark Luker, Grillo's Chief Commercial Officer, added, "This collaboration delivers a crisp, refreshing blend of both brands. We're excited for beer and pickle lovers to try it!"

Ever since it was announced, the vinegary buzz has been building up for the PBR x Grillo's Pickle Beer for almost a month, and now that it's finally hitting shelves, is this something to cheers or something to jeer? The Takeout took out some cans to find out where the truth lies. Now all can be revealed in this big dill of a Sip & Say.

My fancy had been tickled the moment I had heard the official announcement of PBR x Grillo's Pickle Beer, as it's a Venn Diagram intersect, on paper, I can totally get on board with. Upon its release, I acquired a 6-pack from GoPuff, who delivered it right to my door. The beers arrived at room temp, and I proceeded to let them chill in a fridge for hours on end. The beer was sampled from the can and a glass, by myself, and another adult. I also poured another round to make a frozen popsicle of this concoction.

While I noted the opinions of my drinking partner, who is also a pickle person, this review is a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions. It also takes into account my previous experiences with Pabst Blue Ribbon and Grillo's Pickles products, odd beer flavor combos, pickles and lagers in general, as well as my current experience with this new collaborative beer. The ultimate criteria considered for this review were flavor, smell, pickleness, aftertaste, originality, uniqueness, and overall, whether it's a beer worth drinking.

A can of regular old Pabst usually stands out on a shelf with its splashy red stripe, and of course that famous blue ribbon it displays like a proud mom. Cracking open the can, I leaned in for a whiff, and right off the bat, what I was smelling seemed more at home in a briny pickle barrel than a beer one. That's what I was hoping to smell. My Mrs. on the other hand, didn't have the kindest compassion, noting that "It smelled like New Orleans' Bourbon Street at 7 in the morning."

I took a simple sip from the can's opening. The flavor seemed to alternate between that of pickle juice and the malty lager of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Sipping from a can is obviously par for the course for a beer like this, but for better tasting results, I went ahead and poured this into a glass. While I held out hope the liquid would be green, instead, the color resembled a morning trip to the bathroom, where you realize you're probably very dehydrated.

In the glass, the beer's flavor opened up a bit more, as it was devoid of the tinny taste that a can pitches in. Still, the beer and brine didn't seem to fully blend together for a cohesive beverage. While I wouldn't say I grew to love this beer, the more I sipped at it, the more at least I got used to it. I guess the good news here was that I didn't immediately call it quits on this drink, like I did after trying those weird Pepsi Prebiotic colas months back.

Not many people do this, but I occasionally like taking sips of the beautifully yellowish-green brine that resides in a pickle jar. A dill pickle has an undeniable great flavor, but the real action is that magic vinegary concoction that these former cucumbers coldly stew out in. I wish that more of that pickle juice snap was present in this collab, as essentially what the mouth receives here is a PBR beer forced to dance with Grillo's, and the two flavors are stepping all over each other's feet.

This Pickle Beer is not a failure, and it is oddly drinkable, but it's ultimately just a curiosity we will probably soon forget about after Grillo's signs up next to relish the likes of French's Mustard or a Snickers bar. I wouldn't be surprised if either of those came to fruition. As for Pabst, I look forward to more playful products using its hipster approved suds, like that tasty Campbell's Chunky Beer Cheese with Potatoes & Chorizo Soup it released last year. While Pabst once released a lemon seltzer before, also infused with THC no less, it could be fun for it to do a line of shandy drinks, mixing things up with some sugary lemonade.

Before calling it a day, it was time to try my homemade PBR x Grillo's Pickle Beer hopsicle/beersicle. I just did this with Busch Light Apple lager, and the revelatory results had me thinking there could be a whole product line of adult treats like this in the freezer aisle. However, one lick of this boozy Pickle Beer pop, and I knew it wasn't bound for frozen glory.

PBR x Grillo's Pickle Beer is available starting May 4, 2026, and will hang around shelves for an unspecified limited time only, while supplies last. It is a lager containing 4.7% ABV and is only available in 12-ounce cans sold in 6-packs. Based on the expiration date printed on the bottom of the can, the beer should remain good for four or so months.

PBR x Grillo's Pickle Beer can be found at nationwide brick and mortar shops, as well as online for local delivery, at retailers such Walmart, Albertsons, Safeway, Publix, Food Lion, Total Wine & More, GoPuff, and KwikTrip. Prices will vary by retailer, but I've seen the 6-pack retail in the neighborhood of $6.99. You must be 21-years of age to both purchase, and consume this beverage. Please drink responsibility.