Old Milwaukee

Tasting Notes

The aroma is faint — light grain, a touch of cooked corn, and not much else. Flavor follows suit with mild sweetness from adjunct grain, minimal hop bitterness, and a clean, neutral character that doesn't ask much of the drinker. The body is light and watery, carbonation doing most of the structural work. The finish is short and dry, leaving little behind.

About the Brewery

Pabst Brewing Company is headquartered in Los Angeles but rooted historically in Milwaukee, where it was founded in the 19th century and became one of the dominant American lager producers of the 20th century. Today Pabst operates as a brand-management company, contracting out production rather than running its own breweries. Its portfolio is a roster of legacy American lager brands — PBR, Schlitz, Lone Star, Old Style — kept alive largely on nostalgia and price-point appeal.

Food Pairings

This style pairs well with salty, greasy pub food like french fries or onion rings because the carbonation cuts through fat without competing with flavor. A basic hot dog or ballpark-style bratwurst works because the beer's neutrality lets the sausage seasoning lead. Spicy foods like buffalo wings find a reasonable match here since the light body tones down heat without adding complexity that would clash. Pizza with a straightforward tomato-and-cheese profile is a natural companion for the same reason.

Style Guide

American Adjunct Lager is a light-bodied, low-bitterness lager brewed with a significant proportion of non-barley adjuncts — typically corn or rice — alongside barley malt, which lightens both flavor and production cost. The style emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as large American breweries industrialized and optimized for mass-market appeal, and it came to define mainstream American beer through most of the 20th century. It differs from a standard European lager in its deliberately reduced malt character and near-absent hop presence, prioritizing drinkability and neutrality over flavor complexity.