Pabst Labs is the Los Angeles cannabis company that puts the Pabst Blue Ribbon name on a THC seltzer. PBR High Seltzer is a non-alcoholic, carbonated drink sold only in California's licensed market under state license DCC 10003262. Four varieties make up the 2026 lineup: Daytime Guava, Midnight Berries, Lemon and Strawberry Kiwi.
The cans still move. Headset ranked Pabst Labs No. 6 in California beverages for August 2026 and tracked it in 484 licensed dispensaries across the state.
Former PBR staff and a borrowed blue ribbon
Cannabis beverage specialists and former Pabst Brewing Company employees set up Pabst Labs and secured the rights to make cannabis drinks under the Pabst Blue Ribbon name, according to its October 2020 distribution announcement with Nabis. Food Dive reported that month that no money changed hands in the licensing deal and that Pabst Brewing held no stake in Pabst Labs.
The brewer keeps its distance on paper. The Pabst Labs site states that Pabst Brewing Company does not manufacture, cultivate, distribute or sell any cannabis products. Seamus Gallagher, then senior brand manager for Pabst Blue Ribbon, explained the split to Food Dive in 2020: "Until the legal landscape changes, we can't produce this in-house."
One lemon can in October 2020
PBR High Seltzer launched in California in October 2020 with a single lemon variety, sold through select dispensaries and direct-to-consumer delivery. Suggested retail ran $24 for a four-pack and $120 for a 24-pack, Beverage Industry reported. Vertosa, an infusion technology company, custom-designed the infusion for the drink.
Food Dive called Pabst one of the first alcoholic beverage companies to allow its brand name on a cannabis drink. Molson Coors, AB InBev and Canopy Growth were all working on cannabis beverages at the time. Mark Faicol was the Pabst Labs brand manager at launch.
Nabis on distribution, Tinley's on the root beer
Getting cans onto shelves took a partner. On October 14, 2020, Nabis announced an exclusive deal to distribute the seltzer across California through 2021. The release named the real bottleneck: the cannabis supply chain lacked much of the equipment needed to store and move beverages. "We are honored to power Pabst Lab's entrance into the cannabis market," Nabis president Jun S. Lee said.
The second product borrowed another Pabst name. On May 3, 2021, Pabst Labs and Tinley Beverage Company announced a cannabis-infused, non-alcoholic Not Your Father's Root Beer in glass bottles for licensed California dispensaries. Tinley's made it at its Long Beach facility. Chuck Barlick of Pabst Labs said the plant was "ideally equipped to produce our glass bottled products."
The original Not Your Father's Root Beer, which Pabst Brewing distributes nationally as an alcoholic beer, ranked among the top-selling craft beers in the United States in 2015, according to IRI figures cited in the release. The Pabst Labs site still lists the cannabis version next to the seltzers.
From Mango to Midnight Berries
The lineup has turned over more than once. Brewbound reported in May 2021 that Pabst Labs had expanded the lemon seltzer into more versions and planned Strawberry Kiwi, Raspberry and Mango for that summer. The cans sold in select California dispensaries and through delivery orders placed on the Pabst Labs website.
By September 2022, Cannabis Now listed Lemon, Passion Fruit Pineapple, Strawberry Kiwi and Mango Blood Orange in 12-ounce slim cans made with California-grown cannabis. The 2026 menu keeps Lemon and Strawberry Kiwi and adds Daytime Guava and Midnight Berries. Each can lists at $5 on the Pabst Labs site.
Beer names on California cannabis cans
Pabst Labs isn't alone in the licensing model. Lagunitas Hi-Fi Sessions runs a similar split. Lagunitas calls its hoppy sparkling water its own creation, while AbsoluteXtracts handles the cannabis, and the brewery states that it does not cultivate, manufacture, distribute or sell any cannabis product.
Both setups keep the beer and the cannabis in separate companies. For PBR, that means the brewer's trademark on the can and a licensed Los Angeles cannabis company behind it.
Where PBR High Seltzer sells in 2026
The Find It button on pabstlabs.com sends buyers to Eaze delivery. Headset's September 6, 2026 snapshot put Pabst Labs in 484 California dispensaries, with more than $100,000 in August 2026 sales and 99.53% of it in beverages. The rank slipped two spots year over year, from No. 4 to No. 6, and the average item sold for $6.85.
The team also runs a text and email list for local Los Angeles events, where it shows up with cans and swag.
For adults 21 and over.