The Pig's Eye brands were developed and introduce in 1992 by Minnesota Brewing Company.  In 1991, Minnesota Brewing Company re-opened the old Schmidt Brewery ... on the west side of St. Paul. As part of their initial marketing program, they held a contest to name the soon to be re-opened brewery and their inaugural beer brand.  The most suggested name was "Pig's Eye", which was the name of the first settler of St. Paul, MN (Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant) and the original name of the city itself.  The advertising agency in charge of the program disregarded popular opinion, and opted for the second choice  - "Landmark".

The brewery re-opened in the fall of 1991 as the Landmark Brewery, and launched its new brands - Landmark & Landmark Light.  The beers were not well received by the public; so much so, that the decision was made to quickly develop the "Pig's Eye" brands as a replacement for the sinking flagship Landmark brand .  Pig's Eye Pilsner and Pig's Eye Lean Light were introduced in June of 1992, and enjoyed immediate acceptance.  Over time, additional varieties were introduced - Red Amber Ale, Ice, Dark and NA.  At the sales peak, the Pig's Eye brands were available in all/part of 49 states.

The Pig's Eye Brands remained the Flagship brands of the brewery until the fall of 1996.  At that time, the brewery decided to emphasize other proprietary brands.  As the  marketing support shifted to other brands, distribution of the Pig's Eye brands pulled back to 5 states - MN, ND, SD, IA & WI, where they remained until the closing of the brewery.

Minnesota Brewing Company, due to a number of financial & production related issues, closed in June of 2002.  Most of its assets,
including the Pig's Eye Brands, were sold off.  The brewery buildings now sit empty, and as of this writing (May 2008), a developer is planning to convert the buildings into condos and retail space.