Once Again, Charleston’s Own Recovery Room Is No. 1 Seller of PBR Cans in the World

In 2015 King Street dive Recovery Room sold more Pabst Blue Ribbon 12-ouncers than any other establishment in the world, and it appears the bar will continue to take home that title in 2021. Owner Chris “Boston” DiMattia confirmed to Eater that Rec Room is the highest seller of cans of PBR for the 2020 calendar year.

Because of the pandemic, DiMattia says that Rec Room only sold half the amount of PBR cans that it did in the previous year. Customers continued to purchase cases to go, which helped, but he says that the 11 p.m. curfew really hurt business, since many of his clientele is food and beverage workers, and they don’t get off work until after the cutoff time.

City Paper has an extensive article from 2013 on why/how DiMattia goes through so much PBR, including his take on the brew:

“This is beer. It is what it is,” DiMattia says. “They’re not gonna give you an ad with a bunch of hot chicks dancing on a beach. You’re not gonna get laid drinking this beer, but you’re gonna get drunk ... you know, if you have about 15 of them.”

Congrats, Charleston — you once again chug a ridiculous amount of cheap, hipster beer cans.

• How (And Why) the Humble Recovery Room Became the Nation’s No. 2 PBR Seller [CP]