

The brewery's best-seller was a lager, Best Select, which began public sales in 1875. Then, with the fire in Chicago a couple of years later wiping out the Chicago brewing industry, the company was in a position to grow with less competition to worry about. Melms' brewery was sold to Best and Company after Melms' death, which greatly expanded capacity for the company. Melms in 1869 due to an infection from a needle, and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Two factors helped position the company for significant growth the untimely death of Milwaukee brewing competitor C.T. Lisette Schandein took over as vice-president of the company through 1894 after her husband's death. This move made Frederick Pabst president, and Emil Schandein vice-president. In 1866, Best's other daughter, Lisette, married Emil Schandein, to whom Best sold the remaining half of the business. Later, in 1863, Frederick Pabst, a steamship captain and son-in-law of Phillip Best, bought 50% of Phillip Best, and assumed the role of vice president. They started the brewery on Chestnut Street Hill in Milwaukee with a capacity of 18 barrels (2.9 m 3). Phillip took control of the company in 1860. and his sons Phillip, Charles, Jacob Jr., and Lorenz. The original brewery was founded in 1844 as The Empire Brewery, later Best and Company, by brewer Jacob Best. Prior reports suggested the price agreed upon was around $700 million. Blue Ribbon is a partnership between Russian-American beer entrepreneur Eugene Kashper and TSG Consumer Partners, a San Francisco–based private equity firm.

On November 13, 2014, Pabst announced that it had completed its sale to Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings, LLC. Pabst is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor, and retail versions of beers from McSorley's Old Ale House and Southampton Publick House (of Southampton, New York). The company is also responsible for the brewing of Ice Man Malt Liquor, St. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company,Ībout half of the beer produced under Pabst's ownership is Pabst Blue Ribbon brand, with the other half their other owned brands. It is currently a holding company which contracts the brewing of over two dozen brands of beer and malt liquor: these include its own flagship Pabst Blue Ribbon, as well as brands from now defunct breweries including: The Pabst Brewing Company ( / ˈ p æ p s t/) is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and was, by 1889, named after Frederick Pabst.
