Construction on the building began in 2017 and it incorporates many salvaged and re-purposed pieces. The ceiling "quilt" is made of flour sack and quilting fabric from the owners' grandmothers. Trim in the taproom was salvaged from the barn on the Neuzil family farm. The taproom bar-top and several tables display odd objects from years of travel and sentimentality. The old doors come from the Saint Francis de Sales rectory in Ossian. Church pews are from Saint Mary's in Waucoma and Saint Aloysius in Calmar. The retail counter was once a dentist reception desk in Postville. An antique cigar humidor purchased in Colorado now displays art for sale. White barn wood accents above the dance floor came from the Kuboushek family dairy farm, and two pine trees that once stood on site have found new life as the event center bar-top and front.
We give our beer and cider Iowa town names for several reasons. Our whole concept is centered on the idea of "home". We chose to return to northeast Iowa because it is where our roots are, and where we wanted to stay after moving around for so many years. It just seemed natural to honor the places we love by naming our products after them. We want you to feel at home here in our space and we hope you return again and again to be with your PIVO family!
Our Story
Owners Craig and Sara both grew up on Century Farms near Spillville. Craig's career as an Air Force communications officer had them living all over the US and Europe: Charleston, South Carolina; Frankfurt, Germany; Enid, Oklahoma; Arlington, Virginia (Pentagon and White House); Omaha, Nebraska; Lisbon, Portugal; Afghanistan/Iowa; and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Craig retired after twenty-one years of service, and symbolism from his first career is reflected in the star and pentagon of the logo for his second career. Now, both Craig and Sara have returned to their roots in the Driftless Region to start this thriving business.
PIVO beers and ciders are named after Iowa towns to honor the places our customers love to call home. We want you to feel at home in our space and we hope you return again and again to be with your PIVO family! PIVO is the Czech word for beer, which honors owner Craig's Bohemian heritage and their long history of brewing exceptional beer. You can pronounce it PIV-oh (live give), maybe PEEV-oh (like eve), but never PIE-voh (like pie).
Your destination for events
The PIVO Event Center
4500 square feet space seats 350-400 people comfortably with room for a buffet line, gift table, and more
Choose up to 11 PIVO offerings and up to six guest cans or bottles - beverages all priced by the serving
Large kitchen & attached garage for use by you and any licensed caterer you choose, with dedicated keypad entry
Fully air-conditioned, heated, and handicap accessible
Tables, chairs, tablecloths, a large wood dance floor, stage risers, microphones, and two large display screens included and we set them up for you
Large outdoor courtyard and 100 parking spaces
Just remove the things you brought in, we do the cleaning
Buck & Chuck in the Taproom
Buck & Chuck, two mounted deer heads in the taproom, show off our GABF medals and tell each other terrible jokes. Craig got both of these whitetail deer with a shotgun. Chuck is a 16-point atypical deer harvested just south of Calmar and was an Iowa Trophy Buck with a 179.5 Boone & Crockett official score. Buck is a 10-point whitetail harvested along the Turkey River, south of Spillville. The flag was a gift from family friends and has only 48 stars.