A scandalous story of Pearl and its three Emmas
The history of Pearl Brewery is one of interest, intrigue and a good deal of scandal, too.Otto and Emma Koehler started brewing the famous beer in 1881, with Otto as president and manager of the parent company, San Antonio Brewing Co. Around the turn of the 20th century, 1910 or thereabouts, Emma Koehler, a.k.a. Emma No. 1 (keep reading), was injured in a car accident and bedridden, so loving husband Otto hired a nurse, also named Emma, a.k.a. Emma No 2, a young brunette with whom Otto began a dalliance. But the man had a wandering eye and set his sights on Emma No. 2’s friend, yes, also named Emma. And now there were three.Otto bought a house and deeded it to Emmas No. 2 and 3, where they lived in harmony with regular visits from old Otto while his wife was in the sickbed. Otto was known as a man with a temper, and on Nov. 12, 1914, he targeted his anger at Emma No. 3, and she shot him dead. Afterward, she is said to have told police she had no choice but to kill him. She was eventually acquitted and ran off with one of the jurors.Emma No. 1 eventually recovered and took over the brewery business, keeping it open through Prohibition by making near-beer, root beer and candy. On the day Prohibition was repealed, Emma Koehler had her trucks ready to roll, and Pearl beer was on the shelves again, making Pearl one of only five Texas breweries to survive 13 years of a “dry” America.As a tribute to the three Emmas, Hotel Emma serves the Three Emmas Cocktail — a La Babia margarita — in the hotel library every afternoon to guests at check-in. The Three Emmas Cocktail, according to library host Alex Arellano, is made from three spirits: gin, sherry wine and a Pearl rose syrup made with Pearl beer, rosewater and rosemary. Though the cocktails are gratis, one is all you need. Three could be deadly.— By Anne Braly
PEARL, Texas - This San Antonio community - known as "the Pearl" to locals - is named for the brewery that once churned out cases of the city's beloved hometown brew, Pearl Beer.
But the brewery, now a cornerstone for this village of cultural and culinary delights, wasn't always the sparkling gem it is today. Following the brewery's close in 2001, the area became rundown. Then Silver Venture developer Christopher "Kit" Goldsbury, who made his fortune by selling salsa maker Pace Food to Campbell Foods for $1.12 billion in 1994, transformed it into one of the trendiest neighborhoods in the Southwest. He had a grand culinary vision for the place, creating new, privately owned restaurants.
"His idea was to have a destination and a place where chefs just graduating from culinary school could come and open a restaurant," says Beth Smith, marketing director for Hotel Emma. "Pearl is Kit's love letter to San Antonio. His vision was to change and transform a once-neglected area and make it a culinary destination that now extends south to the King William district with its Bohemian feel and privately owned restaurants and bars on the other (south) end of the River Walk."
So Goldsbury promised $35 million to the Culinary Institute of America, headquartered in Hyde Park, New York, to help open a branch of the school in Pearl. In 2008, the CIA San Antonio opened, becoming the catalyst for Pearl's growth.
"We received tremendous support from the Pearl community," says Bernadette Lewis, marketing manager for the San Antonio school, adding that most of the money pledged by Goldsbury is earmarked for scholarships to attract Latino culinary students as part of the college's El Sueño (The Dream) initiative. The program's mission is to offer Latino students an opportunity to learn the skills needed to attain leadership positions in food service and hospitality.
In just 10 years, the school has an enrollment of 164, with students graduating from all 50 states as well as foreign countries, Peters says. Some have stayed to open their own restaurants in Pearl, making it the culinary destination Goldsbury had hoped for. With restaurants came retail establishments - shoe stores, bike shops, clothing stores, florists, jewelers - and it didn't take long for Pearl to become a favorite dining and shopping destination for the local crowd.
Then Hotel Emma opened in November 2015, and Pearl became a destination for visitors from around the world.
Eat up
There are about a dozen chef-owned and -operated restaurants spread around the 22-acre Pearl campus with an amazing fusion of cuisine. Highlights include:
-Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery. Located in the former Pearl brewhouse, the restaurant brought beer brewed in-house back to Pearl. The menu is a mix of seafood, beef and small plates.
-Supper. The restaurant at Hotel Emma is as comfortable as Sunday dinner at grandma's - only better. The approach is a seasonal, farm-to-table mix of choices from the Southwest table. You'll find quail on many menus in town, but none like the crispy smoked quail prepared by chef John Brand or his Beef Santa Maria with tomato-paprika chimichurri.
-The Granary "Cue & Brew. Esquire magazine called the barbecue at The Granary "the future of barbecue," and rightly so. The restaurant raises the bar for 'cue, with amazing things coming out of the smoker, such as Tuesday's special - a giant smoked pastrami rib that's been brined for three days then smoked for hours on end.
-Bakery Lorraine. Macarons in France cannot compare to those served at this playful bakery. Every confection is handmade and stunningly delicious. The fruit tarts are a thing of amazement.
-Cured. There's an art to curing meats, and if there were a Louvre for food, the case of smoked meats at Cured would be installed next to the "Mona Lisa." It's the first thing to greet you as you walk through the door - beautiful hams, sausages, salamis. It's a carnivore's dream. Cured was nominated for Bon Appetit's America's Best New Restaurants in 2014.
-La Gloria. Chef Johnny Hernandez gives a nod to the street vendors, taquerias and kitchens of Mexico with dishes such as pulpo (marinated octopus) tostados or tacos al pastor.
-The Bottling Department. This is a food "incubator" where new chefs can get their feet wet or established chefs can introduce new concepts. There are currently five vendors with foods ranging from doughnuts to burgers to ramen noodles.
Where to stay
This one's easy: Hotel Emma. Not only is it the only hotel in Pearl, once you walk through the doors, you'll realize this is the place you want to stay. It's a jaw-dropping example of the repurposing of many of the items from the brewery in a decor best described as industrial chic. Columns in public rooms and guest rooms have been left in as much of their original condition as possible - in many cases, that means chipping paint and plaster. Many original floors were saved, but since the ceilings of the brewery were so high, floors had to be built to house the guest rooms. But even the new floors were given an old touch with sealed concrete that looks old. And each guest room is different.
"It's definitely not cookie-cutter," Smith says.
The lobby ceiling is more than 20 feet high. Keep looking up and around to see pipes for plumbing, windows with huge fans that once offered ventilation and other bits and pieces of the original engine room in which you are standing. On the floor, you'll see a big red engine that used to keep the beer cool. On an opposite wall, ammonia tanks, also used for cooling, guard the entryway to the expansive Sternewirth Bar, where you can sit in cutaway tanks that once held beer or in front of the fireplace on a cool Texas day. The bar's high ceiling allows for a balcony with extra seating where you can watch the goings-on in the bar below.
Smith explains that back in the heydays of the brewery, the best employees were honored with membership in the Sternewirth "club." "Being named a Sternewirth was a privilege that allowed the employee to drink beer on the job - just as long as he didn't get drunk," Smith says.
There is a library with books from the collection of author Sherry Kafka Wagner, as well as tomes on the chemistry of beer-making left over from the hotel's days as a brewery.
The library is also the place where the Three Emmas cocktails are served every day to hotel guests, and it's where coffee and pastries are served each morning.
The hotel offers everything you need, and it's this attention to detail that has earned Hotel Emma Five-Star Diamond status from AAA, making it only the second property in Texas to do so. The hotel is also an I Prefer property and the only one in the Lone Star State to receive its Legend Award. Neither honor is easily achieved, particularly for a hotel only in its third year. It requires a dedication to service, food, activities and an attention to detail, such as the turn-down service at night. It is unparalleled, with carafes of water, macarons from Bakery Lorraine, eye masks and ear plugs left on your pillow, among the gifts left for a good night's sleep.
Go play
Pearl is a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with cars allowed only around its perimeter. It's old-school here, with lots of brick-lined pathways and eye-catching architecture. There is ample free parking for day visitors as well as overnight guests at Hotel Emma.
On hot, humid Texas afternoons, the plaza in front of the Bottling Department food hall has a fountain that's packed with kids playing in its spray. There are picnic tables, so load up on food from the food hall and enjoy an afternoon of family fun.
Bikes are available for rent from Bike World or at the Swell Cycle bike rack near Hotel Emma. Hotel guests get free use of bikes. While Pearl may not be the best place to ride bikes because of all the activities, there are bike routes you can find online at http://sanantonio.bcycle.com (no i in bcycle) that allow you to explore the San Antonio River Walk or just take a leisurely ride around nearby Breckinridge Park.
For a more sedate activity, visit Hotel Emma for its regular library readings or culinary demonstrations in the kitchen off the hotel lobby. Learn how to make yogurt, sauerkraut - any number of foods. Or attend a tasting to learn about tequila. Check the hotel website for a list of events under the calendar icon at www.thehotelemma.com.
Saturday and Sunday are the days for the Farmers Market at Pearl. The market features foods from local farms, art from area artisans and food from vendors within a 150-mile radius of San Antonio. The market is a favorite for locals, but you may want to pick up a piece of Texas to bring home.
Email Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.