2 min read- PBR and Grillo’s have teamed up to release a limited-edition Pickle Beer.
- The new 4.7 percent ABV beer starts rolling out nationwide on May 4 while supplies last.
- Online reactions range from “This is nuts” to labeling it “the sip of the summer.”
PBR reminds me of exactly one era of my life where affordability mattered more than taste, and my beer standards were low enough that just being cold did a lot of the heavy lifting. A true low-to-mid-20s beer, I would say. And yet Pabst Blue Ribbon remains one of the top-selling beers in the country, which means people have clearly remained loyal.
Now, in what feels like a very 2026 move, it’s heading into pickle territory.
PBR and Grillo’s have teamed up for a limited-edition Pickle Beer, which basically turns dropping a pickle spear into a cheap beer into a full canned moment.
The new brew clocks in at 4.7 percent ABV and is meant to balance PBR’s lager base with the kind of bright, dill-heavy tang people already associate with Grillo’s. So if you’ve ever looked at your beer and thought, “What if this tasted more like the inside of a pickle tub?” then congratulations, your wish has been granted.
“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,” said Rachel Keeton, Pabst Sr. Brand Director. “We’re taking that ritual and making it official with Grillo’s. It’s exactly as good as it sounds.”
And the internet, naturally, has thoughts about this collab, too.
“This is nuts,” one person wrote. Another commented, “Now I can chase my pickle back with a pickle beer.” “Of course, after I quit drinking. This is epic,” one person said, while someone else joked, “Post crushing 30 of these I’ll definitely be in a pickle.” A few others sounded ready to stock up immediately, writing, “I’ll take a full truckload, please. 🥒” with the ultimate question of will this be “the sip of the summer????”
While pickle-flavored anything tends to split people directly down the middle, this has all the makings of a warm-weather novelty hit.
The beer will start hitting retailers nationwide on May 4, while supplies last, at Walmart, Albertsons, Safeway, Publix, Food Lion, Total Wine & More, GoPuff, and KwikTrip, among others.
I can’t say this is the beer for me now, but had this landed during the years when PBR and questionable decisions went hand in hand, I would’ve absolutely been insufferable about it.