Pearl Street Brew Pub is cool. Since opening in November of '97, this establishment has undergone huge transformations that any city would bend over backwards to have. When the place first opened, the operation consisted of the cellar, the first two floors and no deck/patios. Today Pearl Street boasts a cellar, three functioning floors, 10,000 sq.' of decks, and they are in the process of converting the 10,000 sq.' fourth floor into a reproduction of the speakeasy that it once hosted. And to think that a media personality (at the opening celebration) gave the brewpub two years before it would close.
Earl Ketry, Managing Partner of the brewpub, told me that he has huge aspirations for the business. "I have set a goal," he said. "That by the year 2010 Pearl Street will be the largest brew pub in the world." That's a pretty bold statement, but if you have been paying attention to the growth of the establishment, the indoor square footage will be reaching 60,000 with the build-out of the fourth floor. Then, add in the patios... "We do great business when there is an event in downtown Buffalo," Earl said. "And there are a lot of events year 'round that support our business. In turn, we support Buffalo businesses. We work with McCullagh Coffee, Latina Foods and besides our in-house brewed beer, the only other beer that we carry is Labatt's. Our goal is to put downtown Buffalo on the map."
One of the things that I like about Pearl Street is their want to reinvest into their business. Patios aside, the team is about to affix an enormous tap onto gigantic brackets already mounted to the corner of the building. This tap, featuring the 'Lake Effect Man' will broadcast to the entire Inner Harbor that a brewpub is not far away (see top image). There will be a contest to name the figure on the tap in coming weeks. There are also plans to incorporate a 'Gone With The Wind'-style spiral staircase to the building's facade that will lead people up to the patios. The upper patios will feature Niagara Falls viewfinders where customers will be able to look out onto the Inner Harbor (and someday the skateplaza). The brew-masters are also in the process of introducing three new beers to the menu - Street Brawler Stout, Farting Mule Seasonal and Wild Ox Wheat. The pub now boasts seven fermenters and 28 serving vessels. There are plans to incorporate a wrap-around bar on the first floor, with built-in carving stations... Earl and his crew are busy pulling together all of these things right now.
Finally. Pearl Street Brew Pub has offered to host a massive fundraiser for the neighboring future skateplaza. The date has yet to be announced, but Jay 'Micropark' McCarthy has signed off on the event. The plan is to hold live skateboard and BMX demonstrations with accompanying bands supplying the tunes. Stay tuned for future announcements pertaining to dates and line-ups.
Pearl Street Grill and Brewery is located at 76 Pearl Street near the beautifully renovated Webb Building. The phone is 716.856.2337.
Let's hope that the neighboring parking ramp eyesores are cleaned up in the future and the owners are held accountable for presentation. Hello city codes? With all of the investments going on, it's time for the rest of the property owners to step it up... more to come on that in a future post.