The Pearl Brewery was originally a brewery purchased by an investment group in 1883 as part of the Lone Star Brewing Company which was later named the San Antonio Brewing Company. Pearl beer's name came from a brewmaster who thought the foamy bubbles in a freshly poured glass of the brew resembled sparkling pearls.

 

A new brewhouse was constructed in 1894, and the building became a symbolic feature of San Antonio industry. In 1977, Pearl was sold to General Brewing of San Francisco, which in 1985 also acquired the Pabst breweries and united his holdings under the name Pabst Brewing Company. Years later, the new millennium did not bring a change in luck for Pearl or Pabst as a whole. Pabst closed all their breweries and ended their own beer production. After 118 years of brewing along the San Antonio River, the doors to the Pearl Brewery closed in 2001.

 

Silver Ventures, a San Antonio-based investment firm, purchased the 23-acre brewery site with extensive plans to create a mixed-use development that would include restaurants, shops, and eventually, a boutique hotel. Many restaurants and businesses opened over the coming years including the Culinary Institute of America, a year-round farmers market, a food hall, and an amphitheater. Finally in 2015 the boutique hotel, Hotel Emma, opened and since then two multi-story residence buildings have also been built.