http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/ ... aily6.htmlEx-Anheuser-Busch employees to open microbrewery
St. Louis Business Journal - by Kelsey Volkmann
Two former Anheuser-Busch employees are launching their own microbrewery on Washington Avenue in St. Louis’ Midtown Alley neighborhood.
Brewmaster Florian Kuplent and sales and marketing executive David Wolfe plan to open Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. in late 2010. The company said it would brew and distribute its draught and bottled beers to local restaurants, bars, grocery and liquor stores and other retail establishments in the St. Louis area.
Urban Chestnut Brewery - 3229 Washington
Urban Chestnut Brewery - 3229 Washington
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The AB-InBev merger was the best thing to happen to beer (and beer lovers) in St. Louis
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Great news! More the merrier. The renewal of our brewing heritage only solidifies our city as the beer capital of the U.S. (although Milwaukee will dispute that). I always thought that the merger would scatter potential entrepreneurs throughout the area, once INBEV let go all of the talent. My true hope was that it would spawn many microbreweries. Finally!
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As would Portland and Seattle, among other places.DOGTOWNB&R wrote:Great news! More the merrier. The renewal of our brewing heritage only solidifies our city as the beer capital of the U.S. (although Milwaukee will dispute that).
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Anyone know how our number of microbreweries actually stacks up with other cities?
We stack up very well for our size, with the exception of a few - Portland, Seattle, San Diego. I'm often shocked at just how many microbreweries are here in St. Louis.
Far more than Boston, NYC, LA, SFO, Chicago, etc.
Far more than Boston, NYC, LA, SFO, Chicago, etc.
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From Wikipedia:
In 2008, Portland had 30 microbreweries located within the city limits, more than any city in the world and greater than one-third of the state total. Many of Portland's 46 microbrew outlets have won nationwide and international acclaim.
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I am looking at things from a 'big picture' perspective. In my opinion, with AB still brewing and churning out tons of beer, our amazing beer brewing history and all of the microbreweries, St. Louis ( in my humble opinion) rises above any other U.S. city, when it comes to beer, even Portland.
When speaking of Microbrewing only, they may have a beef.
When speaking of Microbrewing only, they may have a beef.
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I agree. And how cool would it be if we eventually have a plethora of microbreweries like Portland and, oh by the way, there's also the behemoth over on Pestalozzi.DOGTOWNB&R wrote:I am looking at things from a 'big picture' perspective. In my opinion, with AB still brewing and churning out tons of beer, our amazing beer brewing history and all of the microbreweries, St. Louis ( in my humble opinion) rises above any other U.S. city, when it comes to beer, even Portland.
When speaking of Microbrewing only, they may have a beef.
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^And the historic breweries are being utilized for brewing! 
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With Civil Life and Urban Chestnut on their way, St Louis may soon have a claim beyond Pestalozzi. I have a hard time imagining that those two places will be anything but top notch micro brewers.
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Jake Hafner's new brewery (he previously owned 33 in Lafayette Square) slated to go into an old industrial building in Tower Grove South.Moorlander wrote:What's this Civil Life place?
http://thresholdstl.com/st-louis-develo ... rove-south
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Jake Hafner of 33 opening a brewery on Holt near Morganford and Chippewa.Moorlander wrote:What's this Civil Life place?
http://urbanstl.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... fe#p176228
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The microbrewery scene here is becoming quite crowded, but I agree, the more the merrier!
/still missing Mattingly Brewing Company though
/still missing Mattingly Brewing Company though
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From the PD:
Here's their website: http://urbanchestnut.com/homeUrban Chestnut Brewing Co. is about a month away from having its fermenting tanks and other major equipment installed. Founders Florian Kuplent and David Wolfe say they're aiming to have their Midtown Alley brewery and tasting room at 3229 Washington Avenue open by late December.
I stopped by last night, and I could tell that the guys were itching to get things started. Both spoke enthusiastically about their plans for the space, which will include a bar area with Urban Chestnut's beers on tap, a small prep kitchen for basic fare, and a lab for Kuplent to do quality-control and develop yeast strains.
The actual brewing will take up the most space inside the renovated 1920s garage. Brewmaster Kuplent won't say yet what style he'll make first when the fermenting tanks arrive, but you can read more here about the Reverence and Revolution beer series he and Wolfe have in mind. For updates on an opening date and beer details, keep an eye on Hip Hops and on Urban Chestnut's website.
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Drove by the other day and was intrigued. Looks cool. I'm looking forward to tasting another good local brew! 
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I drove by after the SLU game. Still a ways to go on the buildout, but this place is huge!pillpusher2007 wrote:Drove by the other day and was intrigued. Looks cool. I'm looking forward to tasting another good local brew!
Opening today, from their newsletter...
The Castanea
Today is a very exciting day for Urban Chestnut Brewing Company. As you’re probably well aware, we’ve been brewing in some test batches
over the past couple of weeks. And while some of the beers are still a work in progress, they're pretty much ready to be racked. So, while
we've deliberated on when to open our doors to the public, it is our eagerness to share our beers coupled with the fact that it's Florian's
birthday today, that have prevailed and we are waiting no longer. Thus, with no further adieu, we are pleased to announce that we will be
opening our taste room at 5pm today!
If you’re curious as to what we deliberated about and how it went… well:
Point 1- We don’t have either of our two flagships, Winged Nut and Zwickel, available (we’ve still got some more tweaking to do on both), but
we do have 5 of our other “little works in progress” ready for you to check out.
Point 2- Our simple food menu of meats, cheeses, etc is a little less simple than we originally planned. Thus, we won’t be offering it in its
entirety for about a week or so. But what’s wrong with some sausages, pretzels, chips, and such for the first few nights, eh?!
‘Open Now’ vs. ‘Wait’(the brewmaster’s birthday is worth two points)
Point 4- The “middle name” issue is unresolved…it’s still just ‘Florian Kuplent’ (for now). Happy Birthday Florian!
Point 5- We stated the following in our last newsletter of UCBC’s 2011 Resolutions, “UCBC will do our best to open our taste room doors by the
end of January. We can’t guarantee it, but we’re going to bust our ‘arses’ to make it happen. After all, January is too frickin early to break a New
Year’s resolution.” So in order to feel better ourselves we’re sticking with this resolution.
Point 6 – “We’re not ready yet…there’s still a ton to do…there are only five of us!” Response: “So?!”
There were a few other arguments in the ‘Open Now’ vs. ‘Wait’ debate, but the outcome was pretty much a no-brainer and so here we are
awaiting your arrival with open growlers and shiny new (old actually) taps on our bar. We hope to see you soon…5 o’clock maybe?
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company ~ UCBC
Newsletter Edition Number 3- January 26, 2011
The Castanea
Today is a very exciting day for Urban Chestnut Brewing Company. As you’re probably well aware, we’ve been brewing in some test batches
over the past couple of weeks. And while some of the beers are still a work in progress, they're pretty much ready to be racked. So, while
we've deliberated on when to open our doors to the public, it is our eagerness to share our beers coupled with the fact that it's Florian's
birthday today, that have prevailed and we are waiting no longer. Thus, with no further adieu, we are pleased to announce that we will be
opening our taste room at 5pm today!
If you’re curious as to what we deliberated about and how it went… well:
Point 1- We don’t have either of our two flagships, Winged Nut and Zwickel, available (we’ve still got some more tweaking to do on both), but
we do have 5 of our other “little works in progress” ready for you to check out.
Point 2- Our simple food menu of meats, cheeses, etc is a little less simple than we originally planned. Thus, we won’t be offering it in its
entirety for about a week or so. But what’s wrong with some sausages, pretzels, chips, and such for the first few nights, eh?!
‘Open Now’ vs. ‘Wait’(the brewmaster’s birthday is worth two points)
Point 4- The “middle name” issue is unresolved…it’s still just ‘Florian Kuplent’ (for now). Happy Birthday Florian!
Point 5- We stated the following in our last newsletter of UCBC’s 2011 Resolutions, “UCBC will do our best to open our taste room doors by the
end of January. We can’t guarantee it, but we’re going to bust our ‘arses’ to make it happen. After all, January is too frickin early to break a New
Year’s resolution.” So in order to feel better ourselves we’re sticking with this resolution.
Point 6 – “We’re not ready yet…there’s still a ton to do…there are only five of us!” Response: “So?!”
There were a few other arguments in the ‘Open Now’ vs. ‘Wait’ debate, but the outcome was pretty much a no-brainer and so here we are
awaiting your arrival with open growlers and shiny new (old actually) taps on our bar. We hope to see you soon…5 o’clock maybe?
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company ~ UCBC
Newsletter Edition Number 3- January 26, 2011
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Hooray!!!!
But Point #1 makes no sense:
But Point #1 makes no sense:
They don't have the 2 flagship brews available because they aren't completed (aka, they are works in progress), but they will be serving 5 other beers which are "works in progress" (aka, they aren't completed).Point 1- We don’t have either of our two flagships, Winged Nut and Zwickel, available (we’ve still got some more tweaking to do on both), but
we do have 5 of our other “little works in progress” ready for you to check out.
Heading over tonight. Will let you know. Friends went last night and LOVED it. Said the beer was spot on. But then again, they are beer nerds and have been waiting very patiently to get in and drink.
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Went last night for a few. Good crowd, good beer. Florian was there, but I didn't get a chance to talk to him.
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Briefly, the place looks beautiful and the beer was fantastic. What a fantastic addition to the scene. Should be interesting to see if some of the less competent microbrewers step up their game; go under; or if quality of beer matters to patrons.
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The hopfen is awesome! I like the cool European mugs and the growlers are imported from Germany and have the resealable caps, unlike the other places in town with the disposable cap that doesn't hold the freshness for more than 48 hrs. This place is awesome!