Saturday

Hey Ya'll

Pig time once again. Boy did we have a great day today. The cats got Ray up early this morning, (about 5:00 am) meowing that they were hungry. Ray finally got up around 6:30 and fed them. He was smart and started a pot of coffee too. We all got up around 8 and ray said “let's go to farmers market this morning”. So the four of us did. Since Ray worked at the old Pearl Brewery this week, and after I did some online research, we decided we wanted to see some of the new stuff down at Pearl.

When the brewery closed in 2001, the property was sold to a company called Silver Ventures. They wanted the property to transform it into new business's and restaurants. Their plan for the old brew house is to change it into a hotel/office building/condo's. After what I had seen today, I must say that Silver Ventures is staying true to their word of keeping as much of the historic architecture and style as possible. They have converted several of the outlying building of the property into new business's. San Antonio is blessed to have this complex of different shops like, Bike World, The Twig book store, three restaurants a beauty school, The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio and others. They have events that are geared toward local flavor in foods and art. Every Saturday, they have a farmers market where local growers bring in their organic home grown fruits & vegetables.

We get there a little after nine this morning and immediately found the breakfast taco vendor. It was a good thing too cause everybody was real hungry this morning. Some eggs and sausage on a tortilla with some good hot sauce and we were all set. We barely got to check out any of the vendors when ray spotted the maintenance man, Chuck, we dealt with while working on the brewhouse. He was talking to another gentleman when Ray & I walked up. Turned out the gentleman Chunk was talking to was Gus. Gus was a machinist and used to work at the brewery when it was open. Well of course ol' Ray hit it off with Gus and began to talk about the good old days while the girls stood off to the side waiting. When Ray told Gus about his own brewing, Gus took a real interest and we were informed of how good the beer used to be back before Pabst bought the brewery. Gus cracked a joke about teaching us how to water down our beer. A little trick taught to him by the owner of Pabst. (Dirty BASTARDS) It was apparent to us that this gentleman, Gus, was a man of honor and integrity. He is one who must always be true to the brew and create a living drink as pure and clean and refreshing as possible. Corporate beer is just so wrong.

After I saw Stacey & Ericka tapping their toes waiting on us we had to say goodbye to our friends, but not without a promise that we will be back to talk with them some more. Wow, what knowledge those men have. Ray & I must tap that vast vat of beer know how to learn.

We walked around the vendors and found fresh baked bread of so many different flavors. My favorite was the cranberry & rosemary flavored bread. We tried different sauces, jellies, bread and goat cheeses. And we loaded up on almost everything we tried. Wow, what the local flavors fresh taste like and how they can give your taste buds an orgasm. We headed home and finished up a few projects around the house. When we were done, Ray cracked open us a couple of Blue Moon Belgium Wheat beers and put some steaks on the grill. We had put some Smoky Texas Pepper sauce on our steaks and brother let me tell you it was GOOD!!! We had some grilled onions and garlic cloves on top with a fresh spinach salad and bake potatoes. We heated up some of the bread we bought and really had a great dinner. We topped everything off with a upside down pineapple cake for desert.

I have about 23 minutes before the garlic hits my backside and I will have to go outside for a while. Hey, if any of you out there want to come to SA, let us know, we would be more than happy to take you on a tour of downtown.

Ride Hard or Stay Home

Pig

Pearl Brewery

Hey Gang,

Pig here, thanks for joining us here today. I've got something that might interest you. Today my Big Daddy Ray started working on a soil investigation job down at the old Pearl Brewery here in San Antonio. I know that to some of you out there an old brewery may not be as important as what the left wings are up to, or maybe what the politicians have been doing in Washington trying to screw us all over one more time. Of course, an old brewery still may not be as important as what breasts the TSA are feeling up. BTW since work has been so slow, I applied for a job with the TSA. I was turned down be cause I don't have any thumbs. Really bummed me out cause I was looking forward to testing the firmness of some boobies.

The old brewery is one of 2 historic brewery's in San Antonio. The demise of the Pearl brewery happened back in June of 2001. The old buildings left behind are filled with a legacy of old tales. If the walls could talk, what a story they could tell. Nested on the north side of downtown SA and still part of the SA skyline, the buildings continue to serve us as reminder of much simpler times.

I for one, had only consumed Pearl beer one time in my life. I remember when the Big Daddy & Stacey took me to a NIOSA event years back. (they walked me around on a leash, people kept petting my head calling me cute. It was so embarrassing) I, being the pig that I am, consumed mass quantities of Pearl. It was the only beer served at NIOSA, it flowed free and I really indulged myself. It wasn't until I decided I wanted to try some of the local flavors of food when trouble started. I consumed a large order of calf fries. Not long after the last fry dropped into my tum tum, I was informed just what calf fries really are. (fried bull balls) I blew the stew in a massive spray of chunks and beer. With each contraction of my stomach muscles placed a taste of that crap in my mouth which caused me to continue over and over until I passed out from the pain. Never again did I ever drink another drop of Pearl. Oh wait a minute, I was suppose to be talking about the old brewery & simpler times. Sorry about that.

Ray had brought me along to hang out and shoot some pictures while he worked the job. I had a lot of fun just walking around and seeing the old buildings. There was an old guy there, Sam, who works as the grounds keeper. He let me in several locked doors and was able to give me a little history on the place. When I got home, I did a little research online and learned a little bit more.

The first brew house was built and opened in 1881 under the name of J.B. Behloredsky brewery. It was built on the east side of the San Antonio river. To have good beer, one must start with good water. (If you looked at the water in the SA river today you wouldn't think that.) The brewery was purchased in 1883 by a group of SA business men and ran it as The San Antonio Brewery Company. In 1887 they began to produce the Pearl beer from a recipe acquired in Germany. The new brew was introduced on July 4^th. The name Pearl was given to the beer by the German brewmaster who create the recipe because he thought the bubbles in a fresh poured glass of beer looked like pearls (called Perlen). In 1894 the new brick brew house was built. The iconic mansard-roofed tower has been a beloved San Antonio landmark ever since. By 1916 the Pearl brewery grew to the point where they had the capacity to produce 110,000 barrels of beer per year. Now that's what I call a brewery.

 

When prohibition began in 1920 the brewery survived the next 13 years by making near-beer, soda water, dairy products and ice. On September 15, 1933 at 12:01 am, 6000 people gathered at the brewery to watch 100 truck and 25 boxcars loaded with Pearl beer rumble out of the brewery to deliver beer.

In 1952 the company changed the corporation name to The Pearl Brewery to define the name closer to the beer. In 1961 The Pearl brewery acquired the Goetz brewery of St. Joesph MO. They began to produce Pearl there in St. Joesph which allowed the company to sells its beer in 45 states. In 1995 the S&P company of Mill Valley CA. purchased the Pearl brewery and changed the name to Pabst Blue Ribbon. In 1998 Pearl bought up the Stroh brewing company who owned the Lone Star label. In essence Pearl had returned Lone Star back home to San Antonio. In 2001 S&P closed the Pearl brewery and began to have the Miller Brewing company in Fort Worth to brew their beers. The headquarters remained open in San Antonio until 2006 when it was moved to Chicago.

Since 2002, the old brewery has been taken apart piece by piece and sold off. Most of the piping, electrical and tanks have been taken out. Given the age of everything, I would bet there was a lot of old asbestos used as pipe insulation too. There are still a few pieces of outdated equipment left behind, but pretty much all is left is the shell of the old buildings. It is dangerous to walk around in the building, there are trip hazards everywhere with the pipes cut out through the walls and floors.

As I walked around, I never felt any dread or feelings of ghosts around me although it is a little bit spooky in there. No, instead of dread, I could sense the feeling of pride and true American workmanship of the people who built the place and of those who made beer. Just

think of all those wonderful gallons of beer that were made there that made so many people happy. I was told that Pearl made over 30 different kinds of beers through the years for other brewers along with Pearl & Pearl light.

I did get rather thirsty for a cold one when I seen four holding tanks that once held 600 gallons of beer at a time. I was in heaven being in that place. I hope when the property is finished being transformed into a hotel and office complex that they keep as much of the original architecture and style as possible. The owners are hoping that everything will be done within the next three years. I would love to stay and chat but there is a cold beer with my name on it awaiting for me.

Ride Hard Or Stay Home

Pig

MLK Day

MLK Day

Hello all of you little pig pokers out there. Yeah I know that it has been awhile since I have blogged. Take a chill pill.  Sorry if you guys have missed me. I haven't had much time to blog since dealing with issues at home. Although I have been doing some studying lately. Since I have been keeping up with everyone else blogs and the news I have realized that I needed to update myself on our nations constitution and the bill of rights. I have also started to study up on the history and the reasons our founding father did what they did to birth a new nation. I would suggest and encourage every American to do the same.

Once again our nation celebrates MLK Day. Hey kudos to Bungalow Bill for posting the full text of the “I have a dream” speech. Years ago I never would have read a single word of the speech let alone listen to a recording of it. I guess as I get older I learn more and more about freedom and tolerance of others. After I finished reading it I have to ask the question “Is this what they paid for”?

As I sat down for lunch today at a popular BBQ joint here in San Antonio I looked around the dining room and I reflected on those words. I saw moms with their kids and I also seen a few dads enjoying lunch with their kids. I was proud to see parents taking time to spend with their children. But what struck me the most was the table next to me. There was a mother who was Oriental, her son was about 12 yrs old and a young daughter about 6 or 7. She had a play mate with her, a young white girl about the same age. They all talking, laughing and having a good time. Being of the age to be able to remember back to the late sixties and the seventies the thought of a young white child being with a family of another race was unheard of.

My point is I have seen first hand how much we have advanced in our relations with each other. I have also seen that we still have a long way to go. Racism and bigotry will never go away. It is part of our human nature. We, as a nation, will continue to work to improve and that is the best we can do. We will never be perfect we know that and that is what makes us as a nation better than anyone else out there.

Stay cool out there, hey will someone please drop me a line

Pig