Hello friends and neighbors!

When things got weird in 2020, we got to work!

Over the last year we installed a brand new canning line. With an automated de-palletizer by Ska Fab and state-of-the-art sleever for a high quality label look and feel matched up with a top-of-the-line Angelus filler/seamer. We invited the public in to participate in our very first can run! By the end of the day we were knee-deep in beer cans and foam but we had a blast!

We also completed installation of a new 100 barrel hot liquor tank which required a crane and a huge hole in the side of our building on the second floor. This new tank replaces a smaller one and will help us continue growing our production.

As far as turning out new products, 2020 was one of our most productive years yet!

Working side-by-side with the incredibly talented ladies of On Three Print + Design, we created fancy new label artwork for several of our favorite brands and rolled them out in cans:

DTB Brown Ale (12oz & 16oz six packs)
Linalool IPA (12oz and 16oz cans)
Me, Myself & IPA (16oz four packs)
Pearl Street Pale Ale (12oz six-packs)
Lederhosen Oktoberfest Lager (12oz four packs)
Shitty Lyte Beer (12oz and 16oz six packs)
Tambois Raspberry Frambois (12oz four packs)

New Products

We have developed and released new products this year, too! Some we were working on as far back as 2019:

V/O Haze Vanilla Orange IPA (16oz 4-packs)
Supreme Fatty Juicy IPA (16oz four packs)

Turisimo Winery and Fermentations

In 2020 we also formed Turisimo Winery and Fermentations, a beverage creation company which specializes in collaborations with other local producers and uses the brewery’s production and packaging capabilities. Turisimo collaborated with friends at Hoch Organic Orchards of La Crescent, Minnesota to bring to market some of their amazing, hand made ciders:

Purple Reign Semi-sweet Raspberry Cider (12oz Four Packs)
Cidre Nouveau British Style Dry Cider (12oz four packs)
Honey Honey Semi-Sweet Cider with Honey (12oz four packs)

Turisimo also dove into the Hard Seltzer market in 2020 with a line called H2 Uh-Oh! The first two thirst-quenchers are available in 12oz six-packs:

Cucumber-Lime
Black Cherry Strawberry

Turisimo is also working with local vineyards and making wine from locally grown fruit! Currently available on tap in the Tasting Room are:

Marquette off-dry red
Frontenac Gris light blush
Red Cherry Red made with Door County cherries

I am hoping many of these experimental projects blossom into something more! Keep your eyes open for a new line of canned wines coming this year.

Winter SNOW Ball

After all the unknowns in 2020, this Winter Ball is a very special day for those of us at Pearl Street. We layed off 12 people in March and had no idea what was in store for us after that. I’ve watched breweries all over the country close up shop this year. We worked hard and got creative to survive and on February 13th we are not only celebrating 22 years of Pearl Street Brewery, but we are celebrating survival. Even after getting all this stuff done here over the last year, we still made time to create some new and exciting beers for the Winter Ball. Every year we release five new beers and this year is no exception.

On Saturday, February 13th, Pearl Street Brewery will be celebrating our 22nd Annual Winter Ball outside, in front of the brewery. The outdoor event will include live music, bonfire, food sales, and the release of five new and exciting Pearl Street creations as well as offerings from Turisimo (Tur-E-see-mo) Winery.

For the first time ever, we will offer house-made wines at their Winter Ball. Over 2020, we diversified ourselves into a winery! Wines and hard seltzers made at the brewery are made under the name Turisimo Winery and Fermentations.

Since 1999, Pearl Street Brewery, which was then located in the basement of the Bodega in downtown La Crosse, has had it’s annual anniversary celebration in many different forms and at many different locations. The very first Winter Ball in 1999, took place at the Bodega. It has also been held at Bluebird Campground, Westby Rod & Gun Club, El Coco Loco (closed), twice at the Jorgenson Farm and many times at the brewery.

Precautions being taken include contactless check-in, limiting capacity, sanitizing stations, and single use drinkware. Admittance to the Winter Snow Ball is $10 per person and ticket sales are capped for social distancing.

Sincerely, Joe, Tami, and Sprout!