St. Louis Breweries

shadrach · PostJan 16, 2020#7762020-01-16T19:29+00:00

I went to Trailhead when they first opened about 20 years ago. And again about six. I found their beers were thin tasting with a high alcohol content or very 'alcohol' tasting, hence thinness. Not sure of the proper beer terminalogy.

I just wished Schlafly (or anyone else in the city) made a Brown Ale comparable to Civil Life's American and English Brown, getting pretty tired of the 'Sour/IPA/Hefe-only' beer options at most places. Looking a you Rockwell.....

eee123 · PostJan 16, 2020#7772020-01-16T19:59+00:00

Sours are great, though the the quick kettle sours are kind of all the same with different syrupy flavors added. So there are probably too many of those.

The preponderance of hops has always and will apparently always continue to drive me nuts. It seems as if 65% of all beers are pale ales/IPAs. And it doesn't matter the season.

When it's 12 degrees outside and I've just walked to Chaifetz Arena, I don't want hops. I want something fuller and roastier. But you can forget that at any type of stadium/arena. Gotta go to a beer bar or certain breweries to avoid the "all beers must be hoppy all the time."

Perennial's release today is a different type of IPA with a different type of hops. There's way, way too much of that screwing around with every hop known to man.

And that's why I love Scratch down in Ava, Illinois. They can make a ton of interesting beers without hops.

STLEnginerd · PostJan 16, 2020#7782020-01-16T21:01+00:00

shadrach wrote: ↑
Jan 16, 2020
I went to Trailhead when they first opened about 20 years ago. And again about six. I found their beers were thin tasting with a high alcohol content or very 'alcohol' tasting, hence thinness. Not sure of the proper beer terminalogy.

I just wished Schlafly (or anyone else in the city) made a Brown Ale comparable to Civil Life's American and English Brown, getting pretty tired of the 'Sour/IPA/Hefe-only' beer options at most places. Looking a you Rockwell.....

I think the term is "mouth-feel". I never liked saying it though. Must be my puritanical upbringing.

And I agree, that was my impression last time i went. To thin.

chaifetz10 · PostJan 16, 2020#7792020-01-16T21:32+00:00

Honestly, I didn't have a beer. My in laws did though, and weren't impressed. They made the statement that Urban Chestnut was much better.

beer city · PostJan 16, 2020#7802020-01-16T22:07+00:00

Malt forward beers seem to be rare among the current offerings of craft brewers, though Civil Life session beers like The Angel and The Sword are awesome when you can find it. I do like the fact that everyone seems to be trying to do a Pils though. Had a Six Mile Bridge Southern German Lager recently and it was pretty good, and of course UCB has been pretty consistently good on their heritage styles.

As for Trailhead, they had a good run, the owner was looking to sell which is a good opportunity for Schlafly without having to invest in new build out or equipment.

Bart Harley Jarvis · PostJan 17, 2020#7812020-01-17T15:36+00:00

chaifetz10 wrote: ↑
Jan 16, 2020
Urban Chestnut was much better.

This is just generally a true statement, regardless of context.

sc4mayor · PostFeb 05, 2020#7822020-02-05T20:36+00:00

Sad to hear about Wellspent closing.

Good news about Wellspent!

Wellspent Brewing to reopen with new owner, same brewer
https://www.stltoday.com/business/local ... f58e8.html

NateM___ · PostFeb 15, 2020#7832020-02-15T22:33+00:00

Wellspent's re-opening seems to be going extremely well. 20+ people in line to buy beer and the place is packed.

PlatinumBlues · PostFeb 16, 2020#7842020-02-16T10:54+00:00

If I were a true beer drinker I would patronize these brew pubs however my bladder doesn’t hold beer all that well so I avoid as much as possible. I hope they survive and become a staple within the community

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Black02AltimaSE · PostFeb 17, 2020#7852020-02-17T14:58+00:00

I was there as well and the biggest change in their favor is that they included some easier drinking beers in their menu. They had two lagers and a porter mixed in with the styles they specialized in during their last incarnation (sour/tart beers like Saisons, Berliner Weisses, etc). Based on the number of people I saw drinking the lagers, I think that will make them a bit more viable. I had a wild Biere de Garde that was very good and made me happy they are back.

pattimagee · PostFeb 17, 2020#7862020-02-17T21:16+00:00

jshank83 · PostFeb 17, 2020#7872020-02-17T22:52+00:00

pattimagee wrote: ↑
Feb 17, 2020

Is this where I get mad and say it is in Maplewood and not STL?

But seriously. Good for them.

beer city · PostFeb 17, 2020#7882020-02-17T23:01+00:00

pattimagee wrote: ↑
Feb 17, 2020

Great people, great beer - Good for them

vpr611 · PostFeb 18, 2020#7892020-02-18T14:27+00:00

Narrow Gauge to expand in North County.

Restaurant Changes Top Florissant Council Agenda
Cugino’s Plans Brewpub, New Tasting Room For Narrow Gauge Brewing
Source: The Independent News via Facebook
By Carol Arnett

The Florissant City Council has a very busy agenda and held three public hearings at their first February meeting. The first hearing was about a request by Florissant Brewing, doing business as Narrow Gauge Brewing, to open a Brewpub at N. Highway 67. Gabe McKee, the architect on the project, spoke to the council. The site was most recently a pool store, it was noted.

The business would include a brewery and tasting room, as well as offices for the business. The business currently operates out of Cugino’s restaurant. This will allow them to have their own space.

“All of their production will move into this building,” McKee said. There will also be a tasting room.
Heather Hardesty, one of the owners of Narrow Gauge, also spoke. The workers will be there from 8 a.m. -5 p.m., she said. The tasting room will be closed on Monday, and open from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Sunday.

“That’s subject to change,” she added, saying they wanted to see how business went without food. They will have a capacity of 221, including workers, McKee said. He said that would probably go down, as they determined how much space the brewing equipment would take.

Councilman Joseph Eagan asked if guests would be able to bring their own food. Hardesty said that they would allow it.
No one spoke in opposition to the plan and the council held a first reading on the bill that would approve it.

Pretty sure this rules out their expansion into the city at this time.

GoHarvOrGoHome · PostFeb 18, 2020#7902020-02-18T14:56+00:00

While I will be selfishly bummed that they won't be coming to the city, it is great that they are staying in NoCo. I will happily drive the distance for their tasty liquids

PostFeb 19, 2020#7912020-02-19T02:59+00:00

Side Project just named the second best brewery in the WORLD by RateBeer.com. For those unaware this is one of the more respected annual lists in the beer community. This is a huge deal. No other STL breweries made the top 100

https://www.ratebeer.com/ratebeerbest/2 ... rs-top-100

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DogtownBnR · PostMar 27, 2020#7922020-03-27T14:12+00:00

Does anybody know if Billy Busch is building a brewery on his property or not? That is a major topic on his reality show. They make is seem as if it is full
steam ahead. Recent interviews also make is sound like the brewery is still being built. I can't find anything definitive that tells us whether or not the project is still on. I'm not sure when the show was filmed, but they sure promote Kraftig a lot on the show. They drink a lot of it on camera, place on the counter
during family summits and wear the shirts and gear. Wonder if he makes some form of Kraftig at his brewery, assuming it happens. When he shuttered
Kraftig suddenly, he said he may just build a distillery. All strange to me!

jshank83 · PostMar 27, 2020#7932020-03-27T15:44+00:00

DogtownBnR wrote: ↑
Mar 27, 2020
Does anybody know if Billy Busch is building a brewery on his property or not? That is a major topic on his reality show. They make is seem as if it is full
steam ahead. Recent interviews also make is sound like the brewery is still being built. I can't find anything definitive that tells us whether or not the project is still on. I'm not sure when the show was filmed, but they sure promote Kraftig a lot on the show. They drink a lot of it on camera, place on the counter
during family summits and wear the shirts and gear. Wonder if he makes some form of Kraftig at his brewery, assuming it happens. When he shuttered
Kraftig suddenly, he said he may just build a distillery. All strange to me!

The show was filmed before the pulled they plug on Kraftig, at least what they have shown so far. They pulled the plug I think in July and the show seems to be filmed late spring/early summer.

So it is kind of funny so much of the show is filmed around something that isn't going to happen anymore.

DogtownBnR · PostMar 27, 2020#7942020-03-27T18:58+00:00

I was thinking that, but in the most recent episodes they are wearing jackets and you can see the leaves changing. I assume that it is Fall 2019.

They are still talking as if everything is going forward in the fall 2019 episodes. They are also promoting Kraftig with the gear and product placement.

Strange!

jshank83 · PostMar 27, 2020#7952020-03-27T20:12+00:00

DogtownBnR wrote: ↑
Mar 27, 2020
I was thinking that, but in the most recent episodes they are wearing jackets and you can see the leaves changing. I assume that it is Fall 2019.

They are still talking as if everything is going forward in the fall 2019 episodes. They are also promoting Kraftig with the gear and product placement.

Strange!

Hmm. I haven’t watched the newest one yet. Maybe they just did it to save face? Or I wonder if there was a chance this was filmed in 2018? If they are still in the planning phase on the show wouldn’t it have already been under construction this past summer?

gone corporate · PostMar 27, 2020#7962020-03-27T20:43+00:00

Good news!
Saint Louis has been voted the Nation's Best Beer Scene by USA Today and 10Best.
We've won for the third year in a row!

Bad news...
KSDK is reporting that the COVID-19 pandemic is costing STL restaurants, bars, and breweries $4.5 million a day

dbInSouthCity · PostMar 28, 2020#7972020-03-28T02:42+00:00

I expect about 2-4 of local breweries not to make it out on the other side of coronavirus. The micro brewery business was already headed for trouble and this just buried a lot of them

sc4mayor · PostAug 14, 2020#7982020-08-14T18:08+00:00

Updates from the BJ on Narrow Gauge's expansion in Florissant:
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... 3#cxrecs_s

It’s served them well; the brewery has helped make Florissant a must stop in a tour of St. Louis’ best breweries. But owners Jeff and Heather Hardesty have long had their sights on pushing out more beer through a space of their own. That day is coming soon. The Hardestys in February acquired a vacant retail storefront just 400 feet up the road from Cugino’s that will more than double their production capacity once they move sometime in early 2021.

The former Pool King store at 1545 N. Hwy. 67 will give Narrow Gauge 3,800 square feet of production space, including a warehouse and walk-in cooler, a 2,800-square-foot tasting room and 1,600 square feet of office space. In addition to growing production space, the move could also open the door to something Narrow Gauge was unable to do from the Cugino’s basement: pursue broader distribution.

“Ideally we’d like to have a little bit of distribution out there,” said Jeff Hardesty. “It’s fun to go to a restaurant you like and they have your beer on tap.

moorlander · PostMay 05, 2021#7992021-05-05T16:11+00:00

Don’t be surprised if Billy Busch gets back in the local brewing business with a new concept. I’ve heard some rumors recently.

Bart Harley Jarvis · PostMay 05, 2021#8002021-05-05T20:17+00:00

moorlander wrote: ↑
May 05, 2021
Don’t be surprised if Billy Busch gets back in the local brewing business with a new concept. I’ve heard some rumors recently.

What happened to Kraftig?

St. Louis Breweries

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