Image via Danwei

(UPDATED: July 23, 2010)

In America it’s called PBR and is the blue-collar/hipster beverage of choice. In China it’s called Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 and will run you $44 a bottle. Pretty steep for a beer whose biggest draw in the U.S. is the fact that it’s, uh, really cheap.

In China, where the lager has been branded as a “world-famous spirit” and bottled in a much more alluring way, Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 actually looks quite enticing. The advertising campaign for the beer even likens it to “Scotch whisky, French brandy, Bordeaux wine,” as they are all matured in wooden casks.

Another marked difference notable from the ad? There is a champagne flute-like glass accompanying the ostentatious bottle, which presumably is what you are to consume your beer from. Classy! In the U.S., PBR is typically consumed straight from the can. Which may or may not be still cloaked in the paper bag from the store.

But no matter how nicely it’s dressed up, it’s still the same old stuff. And as a rule, $44 a bottle is about $42 more than any sane person should be paying for PBR. (The New Yorker via Gawker)

UPDATE: Turns out, it’s not the same brew! Despite being from the same company and having the same name, the beer is actually different from America’s Pabst Blue Ribbon. Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 is a special brew that’s only sold in China.

What a relief. For a minute we thought $44 for a bottle of beer was a rip-off.