Wisconsin Brewing Company - Rainbow Red Ale

Rainbow Red Ale, brewed with Two-Row Pale Briess, Caramel, Aromatic and other specialty Belgian aromatic malts, lives up to its whimsical name. Todd uses Nugget and Willamette hops exclusively to give this beer a pleasant floral tones and slight bitterness. We found this festive auburn colored ale to offer subtle, fruity tones and a complex, caramel-like malt flavor. Although the color implies a heavier beer, Rainbow Red is a perfect summer drink. It's flavorful, clean and refreshing. Look for a slightly bitter end leaving you wanting more!

One day back in the fall of 1996, two brothers, Jim and David Hellman, were in their offices considering a major lifestyle change. Both were Criminal Defense attorneys at Hellman Law Office, the firm bearing their name. During their discussion, it became clear to each that the other was looking to do something different. With their family having been in the beer wholesaling business for the past 25 years, beer seemed an obvious choice. After deciding against opening a brewpub, the brothers talked about opening a small brewery instead. It seemed crazy to walk away from a successful law practice, but after analyzing the notion of opening a brewery, the two were primed and ready to rock!

With their friends in the legal profession stunned, Jim and David started closing down their practice and began looking for a building to house their brewery. The two started talking about a building in Black River Falls that they had seen several years prior. The building was a very old, yet impressive three-story building, some 17,000 square-feet in size, with a heavy-duty service elevator, loading docks and large insulated "cold rooms" in the basement. If this sounds like the perfect setting for a brewery, it should. The building at 320 Pierce Street in Black River Falls that eventually turned into the brothers' Pioneer Brewing Company is the original site of the Oderbolz Brewery that operated from 1856 until Prohibition.

Although Jim and David were responsible for getting the brewery up and running, they did not have a lot of brewing experience. To solve that problem, they brought in Todd Krueger from Port Washington Brewing Company. Their choice for brewmaster paid off well as Krueger has produced several award winning beers for Pioneer. Joining Todd at Pioneer is Bret Campion, formerly of New Belgium Brewing and Left Hand Brewing, both in Colorado. Together they produce some of the best beers in Wisconsin!

In 1998, Pioneer purchased the Wisconsin Brewing Company brands and moved production from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin back to the Black River Falls site. Today Pioneer produces Pioneer Pale Ale, Pioneer Lager and Black River Red under the Pioneer label. Badger Porter, Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, Whitetail Cream Ale, Rainbow Red Ale and Woodchuck Wheat are produced under the Wisconsin label.

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (715) 284-7553 or check out their web site at www.cuttingedge.net/~pioneer.