*This is the eighty-second post in an on-going chronicle dubbed the Great Wisconsin Brewery Tour. Follow the journey here.*
Pigeon River Brewing Co.
1103 N Main St
Marion, WI 54950
(715) 256-7721
Visit date: 10/22/16
Quick Hits:
1) How many different beers?
4 on tap for now.
2) How long operational?
Since summer 2012.
3) Why? (here, this, etc)
Local owners and brewmaster were neighbors and part of college brewery guild.
4) Distribution?
Some kegging, some in-house bottling.
5) What sets you apart?
Small-town, community-oriented.
6) How did you get your name?
Nearby Pigeon River.
Pigeon River Brewing Co. in Marion. All photos by Joe Powell.
There’s just over 1200 people in Marion, WI, and probably half of those residents were parked in the gravel lot in front of Pigeon River Brewing Co. when we rolled in. The brewpub shares a large building with an event space, that night hosting a rollicking wedding, though you’d think you were in a standalone cabin with the rustic decor.
Mixed with the heavy woods and sleek metals were touches of farm equipment. This is an agricultural part of the state, and if the bevy of pickup trucks outside didn’t tell you that then the interior did.
Pigeon River Brewing Co. started between two neighbors, and it’s that small-town community focus that they continue to embody. A Lions Club gun raffle may seem out of place in other breweries, but not here.
Windows behind the small bar allowed us to peak in on where our flight of beers came from.
Belgium White
Subtle banana in a light-drinking wheat.
Buxom Lass Scottish Ale
A dry tongue followed by a lingering, slow burn.
Vanilla Jimmy Java Porter
Easy-going, slightly vanilla.
Wet Willy Oatmeal Stout
Your classic Oatmeal Stout; true to style and satisfying.
We may or may not have enjoyed the beer so much that at one point we contemplated crashing the wedding next door. With the good brews flowing on both sides of the entrance, I doubt we would’ve been turned away.
Oh, and did we mention that they do high-end pub grub too? Cuz they do. And it’s as fresh as the beer. Our server commented that the owners “want input from employees”; that that community-oriented ethos extends to the staff. They say it takes a village to raise a child; it seems Marion’s offspring is a successful brewpub in Pigeon River Brewing Co.
