(Hannah Barnett / LinkedIn)

For years, Pabst Blue Ribbon has occupied a lane unlike almost any other American beer brand.

Once a mainstream lager that seemed destined to fade away, PBR unexpectedly reinvented itself in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the unofficial beer of artists, musicians, college students, and the proudly slacker crowd. Long before craft beer emergence, PBR built a devoted following by embracing its blue-collar roots and affordable price rather than chasing premium status. Its deliberately unpolished image became part of its appeal, making it one of the most recognizable beer brands in America without ever pretending to be something it wasn’t.

Now the company is bringing in someone whose career has been built on the opposite side of the beer business.

Pabst Brewing Company has named longtime craft beer marketer Hannah Barnett as its new Brand Director. Based in Los Angeles, she’ll oversee marketing for Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pabst Light, and the brewery’s future innovation projects.

Barnett arrives with more than a decade of experience in the beverage alcohol industry, most recently serving as Brand Director at Firestone Walker Brewing Company, where she led marketing for the successful Mind Haze IPA family. Before that, she held brand leadership roles at 10 Barrel Brewing and Golden Road Brewing, giving her a resume that’s firmly rooted in the  craft beer world.

And that makes the move particularly interesting.

Firestone Walker has spent decades cultivating a reputation as one of America’s most respected independent craft breweries, known for hop-forward IPAs, barrel-aged beers, and brewing innovation. Pabst Blue Ribbon, meanwhile, has succeeded by doing almost the opposite. Rather than chasing beer geeks, it has leaned into an almost dive bar authenticity, while maintaining its identity as an uncomplicated American lager.

The lines between craft beer and legacy beer brands have blurred considerably in recent years, however. The Us beer industry is slowing and companies are looking for leaders who know how to build communities around beers with strong identities.

Barnett appears ready to hit the ground running. In a LinkedIn post announcing her new position, she said one of her first priorities will be building out Pabst’s marketing team by recruiting new Brand Manager and Associate Brand Manager positions.

Her arrival also comes as Pabst continues to look beyond its flagship lager. While PBR remains the company’s iconic brand, the brewery has spent recent years expanding its portfolio with new products and innovation projects aimed at keeping pace with changing consumer tastes.