Cheap Beer Enthusiasts Might Have to Pour One Out for PBR

PBR may be in trouble

Pabst Blue Ribbon, the budget beer that is the favored beverage in many a dive bar, could soon become a relic of the past. This is because, according to the Associated Press, MillerCoors, the brewing giant that produces PBR, wants to charge more for its services. The current partnership agreement between the brands ends in 2020, and lawyers for Pabst say MillerCoors is using the price increase as a way to dissolve the marriage and potentially compete against PBR in the market for low-cost suds. Pabst has filed a $400 million lawsuit against MillerCoors in an attempt to stop the action. The case went to trial Monday and is scheduled to run through November 30.

Should Pabst lose, it may not have a brewing partner to produce its famously cheap swill, which would likely bring about the end of the brand. “It really is an existential issue for Pabst because it has no real alternatives,” attorney Adam Paris said in a previous hearing for the lawsuit.

Does Tide want to get you drunk on detergent?

No, but it’s hard to fault anyone for making that assumption based on the company’s new packaging. Tide has unveiled what is supposedly an environmentally friendly box for its detergent, and, as Vox notes, it looks exactly like a box of wine. All of the jokesters on Twitter have already declared this to be the perfect beverage pairing for a meal of Tide Pods.

Amazon and Whole Foods will deliver on Thanksgiving

For the procrastinators out there, Amazon has announced it will offer same day Whole Foods deliveries on Thanksgiving for Prime customers. Through November 22, Whole Foods is offering discounts on organic and antibiotic-free turkeys, with even better deals for Prime customers, while supplies last.

And in other food news ...

• Nick Offerman is here to provide some essential listening just in time for the holiday-travel season: a podcast about Mark Twain’s favorite foods. [New York Times]
• Lexington, Kentucky’s Chevy Chase Inn is fed up with the exorbitant prices attached to Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, so the bar is hosting a Thanksgiving event where it will sell bottles of the elusive brown liquor at cost. [Facebook]
• In a tight labor market, restaurants are fighting retailers for workers and offering new perks. [Bloomberg]
• Here is a deep dive into the ways the restaurant industry is attempting to combat mental illness, an issue that has been put under a brighter spotlight in the wake of chef-turned-television host Anthony Bourdain’s suicide. [Wall Street Journal]
• Heartless Kansas City health inspectors poured bleach on food meant for homeless people because volunteers didn’t have the right permits. [Washington Post]
• Finally, give your favorite meathead a jerky advent calendar this holiday season. [Esquire]