page_title: Pearl Brewing Company
section_title: Prohibition
hierarchical_section_title: Pearl Brewing Company / History / Prohibition
caption_attribution_description: The end of Prohibition, and beer begins to flow from the Pearl Brewery again. Photo is part of the Silver Ventures collection.
context_page_description: The Pearl Brewing Company was an American brewery, established in 1883 in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, USA. In 1985, Pearl's parent company purchased the Pabst Brewing Company and assumed the Pabst name. In 1999, the Pabst Brewing Company began transferring its production to Miller Brewing, on a contract basis, and closing all of its breweries. Pearl beer is still in production at Miller's Fort Worth, Texas facility, but the Pearl Brewery in San Antonio was closed in 2001. Since then, the former brewery was purchased by Silver Ventures, Inc., which has made the property the crown jewel in revitalization efforts of southern Midtown and northern Downtown San Antonio.
context_section_description: Prior to Prohibition, Texas was a hot spot for beer production.  With a strong German and European influence, small and regional breweries were found throughout the state.  San Antonio enjoyed the distinction of having two of Texas’ largest breweries: Lone Star Brewery and the San Antonio Brewing Association.  Prohibition, though, changed the face of brewing and forced almost every brewery out of business.  When the Volstead Act and Prohibition went into effect on January 16, 1920, Lone Star Brewing Company ended sales, shut the brewery doors, and dissolved the company.
  Emma Koehler vowed not to let the brewery go under.  In late 1919, the San Antonio Brewing Association changed its name to Alamo Industries (1919–1921) and began operations to comply with Prohibition laws.  Times were tough for the brewery and its employees, but the facility stayed open by continuing to produce a near beer called "La Perla", bottling soft drinks, dry cleaning, operating a small advertising sign division, running a small auto repair shop, and entering the commercial ice and creamery businesses.  Being so diverse brought in cash for the company, but it also meant Alamo Industries did not acquire expertise in any one area.  As a result, Alamo Industries reorganized their product lines.  The company changed its name to the Alamo Foods Company (1921–1933) and shifted products toward the food specialty.  The sections for auto repair, dry cleaning, and advertising were closed or sold off to third parties.
  Although no solid proof exists, rumors abound that Alamo Foods used the old brewery equipment for more than "La Perla", and that, in fact, the brewery still bottled a tiny amount of the real Pearl and Texas Pride for close friends and sale on the black market.  One thing is certain, though: when the Blaine Act ended Prohibition at midnight on September 15, 1933, within minutes, 100 trucks and 25 railroad boxcars loaded with beer rolled out of the brewery grounds.
caption: Prohibition ends at midnight and Pearl beer legally flows once more
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