St. Louis Breweries
Saint Louis Has the Best Beer!
While staying at Lehmann House Bed and Breakfast you get the chance to visit many of the over 50 local independent breweries.
In many ways, the craft beer culture of St. Louis rivals Chicago. After the sell out of Anhueser Busch to Inbev, a Belgium based company, St. Louis swiftly evolved into a bona fide craft beer destination.
Most of this development has been accomplished within a span of only four years. In that time frame, nearly a dozen new breweries got on their feet established within the St. Louis City limits. Today, the city’s brewing community is composed of a remarkably diverse blend of hardcore traditionalists, irreverent American punks and mad scientists experimenting in the latest beer trends and they’re all quite close to Lehmann House. The city has embraced craft brewing, and it continues to grow.
So, with so much to see and taste, where should visitors make sure to experience while they’re in town? Below are our favorite and essential breweries, bars and booze-centric sites in Paste’s Craft Beer Guide to St. Louis.
Schlafly Taproom/Bottleworks
I’m combining Schlafly’s Brewpub (the Taproom) and production facility (the Bottleworks) into one to simplify. The first of the St. Louis craft breweries, since 1991, Schlafly blazed the trail and proved the city had a taste for something besides Budweiser. It's known for its classic beers like Schlafly Oatmeal Stout and their outstanding pumpkin ale. The Bottleworks in Maplewood, MO, just 10 minutes away, has the overall brewery tour. The Taproom features a few more experimental releases and a fantastic in-house restaurant. But really, you can’t go wrong either way.
Square One Brewery & Distillery
Founded in 2006, Lafayette Square's own Square One Brewery, just two blocks away, helped pave the way for the micro-brewery boom. They produce solid versions of most major beer styles, along with an in-house range of micro-distilled spirits. And you won't go hungry! Square One delivers the complete meal experience. Although other places may offer small menus, focusing on their brewing duties, Square One, on the other hand, combines bonafide fine dining with a neighborhood brewpub atmosphere. Their menu is varied and impressive, And every entree on the menu comes with a printed beer suggestion.
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company
Urban Chestnut divides up its beer portfolio into the “reverence” and “revolution” series, focusing on traditional and experimental styles respectively. Every beer stands out. Best everyday lager in St. Louis? Their Zwickel. Best hefeweizen? Urban Chestnut Schnikelfritz. The list goes on. No exageration--they are one of the best brewers of German craft beer styles in the U.S. today.
4-Hands Brewing Co.
My husband's favorite, 4-Hands, brews its beer only a mile from Lehmann House and a half a mile from Busch Stadium. They are known for brewing several unique fruit-flavored saisons with ingredients that include prunes and pears. Stop by the tasting room before or after a Cardinals game and enjoy their signature beer, Divided Sky Rye IPA with a bit of rarebit, chicken wings and some smoked duck. It’s a great example of the current St. Louis beer renaissance.
Perennial Artisan Ales
Perennial is perhaps the most “modern” of the breweries in town, with its focus on barrel aging and experimental beer collaborations. Their signature beers are all Belgians, with a chamomile saison, dry-hopped Belgian pale ale and a lightly tart farmhouse ale brewed with brettanomyces bacteria. They simply don’t make anything you’d likely run into at your neighborhood brewpub or liquor store, Other releases include a black walnut dunkelweisse, an “imperial Mexican chocolate stout” and a brown ale made with maple-roasted squash. Their facility has a second brewery within it, Side Project Brewing, as a nano-beer project using the same equipment. How geeky is that?
Civil Life Brewing Company
The master brewers at Civil Life specialize in session beers (reasonable alcohol by volume) like a terrific American brown ale and traditional British bitter. They write about each beer they produce in great detail on their website with the notion that these days, people don't know enough about what goes in to making a tasty pint.
The Best Beer Bars
Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar
A good choice for a more upscale night on the town, it's a dark and romantic setting with one of the city’s biggest and best overall draft selections, more than 50. Only a few blocks from the center of downtown St. Louis, it’s a trendy place and popular date location where you can impress your date with your wonderful taste in beer, wine and charcuterie. The beer list is well-balanced: Plenty of St. Louis locals, joined by regional American craft brewers and a handful of classic Belgians. It’s a classy place to enjoy American craft beer.
International Tap House
There are two ITAP locations in St. Louis, offering a fairly similar experience: No-frills access to craft beer with a knowledgeable staff and a casual atmosphere focused on beer and sociability. Less fancy than Bridge, they offer 40 taps and a huge array of bottles, which mostly run toward American craft beer styles, with a prevalence for St. Louis-area selections.
Bailey’s Range
Bailey’s Range is quite unique. From the outside, it looks like a nostalgic “burger and shake” diner with its Technicolor decorations. But it’s also a restaurant/bar absolutely dedicated to local St. Louis craft beer. It's the only beer they stock. Bailey’s Range has dedicated a full 30 taps to the latest and greatest in St. Louis-area craft brewing. They even make alcoholic floats and shakes. What more could you possibly need?
Honorable mentions:
Flying Saucer, and
33 Wine Shop & Tasting
Bar--here in Lafayette
Square.