The former Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery Hospitality Room in Peoria Heights – the legendary 33 Room – is open for private parties and preparing to turn on the taps to the public, likely by the turn of the new year if not before.
Owned and operated by partners Kip Rodier, 54, and Dustin Crawford, 37, the 33 Room is located inside the old Pabst Building, 4541 N. Prospect Road.
Crawford has a bartending background and is something of an expert mixologist who has stored no end of cocktail recipes in his head, while Rodier is a retired Caterpillar engineer and collector of all things Pabst who provided much of the memorabilia on display in what is a part bar/part Pabst museum.
That “perfect match” found something of a soulmate in Robbie Mathisen, co- owner of Pour BROS. Craft Taproom and the marketing and creative design firm Grindstone Group in the Heights. Mathisen did the early concept and restoration work and intended to be involved with the bar himself, but got so busy with other business ventures that he handed it off to friends Rodier and Crawford.
The bar itself is a trip down memory lane, a homage to the place that first opened in March, 1949, remained a popular destination until the plant closed in early 1982, and still retains a decided 1950s vibe to it.
“We can’t keep this place a secret for too long,” said Rodier, who pulled from his collection, along with Skylar Edwards, Jim Searle and Mathisen, to decorate the place and give it its distinctively retro feel. “It speaks for itself.”
Indeed, the history alone is likely to be a draw. “It’s fascinating how they ended up here,” following Prohibition in the early years of the Great Depression, said Rodier, who hopes to give monthly talks at the bar on that subject and more, such as the inspiration for the name. Where did the 33 Room name originate? From the “33 separate brews from 33 separate kettles to make a single glass of Blue Ribbon,” of course. The place also was open in its first phase – 1949 to 1982 – for precisely 33 years.
Ultimately, Pabst would employ more than 700 people in Peoria Heights and become one of the largest volume breweries in the nation.
Some of those former employees have already been in for tours. A few, bitter over the closing, hadn’t sipped on a PBR in decades. “I think the pain of the closing has kind of subsided,” said Rodier, who has witnessed the renaissance of PBR on college campuses across the country and now thinks the general population is ready for that, as well.
Between the history of the building and the modern upgrades, “we couldn’t ask for anything more,” said Rodier, noting that the 33 Room intends to use the original walk-in cooler. “We’ve got it almost exactly the way it looked in 1949.”
The bar will have standard PBR on tap, along with one of the specialty brews the Milwaukee-based operation makes – such as hard coffees and teas – and a few locally crafted beers. Canned beer of many labels also will be available, and Crawford will be doing his magic on the cocktail front, perhaps even with the whiskey Pabst makes. Food will not be served, at least at first, though patrons may bring their own.
“If you drive by and see the open sign, come on in,” said Rodier.
Otherwise, the room rental fee is $250 on Fridays and Saturdays, $175 on Thursdays and Sundays. The room also can be made available for weekday business rentals and for Sunday brunch.
The location can accommodate up to 40 people, more in the warmer months with outdoor seating. If all goes well, the 33 Room would like to expand down the road. A grand opening is planned in March 2022 to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the place.
The bar will be open from 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays.
Crawford and Rodier lease the space from Kim Blickenstaff’s KDB Group, which owns the historic building. The Peoria Heights Village Board granted the business a liquor license just this week, with the two owners waiting on state approval, which is expected soon. Those interested in renting the space for a private gathering or who wish more information in general can get a hold of the owners at the33room@gmail.com, or reach out to them on Facebook.
“We are thrilled to have this space filled and this history preserved,” said KDB Group CEO Greg Birkland. “Pabst helped define the Heights, and this is a promising start on a second chapter for that legendary brand here, in the community that embraced it.”
“I think it’s the perfect spot. With all the development going on in the Heights, I wouldn’t want to do this anyplace else,” said Rodier.
“We’re still building history here,” said Crawford.