I’ve been to St Louis a lot of times and not just for the Cardinals or the Arch. I was petrified the first time to learn it ranked #1 highest criminality in the US but with time I have learned where not to go… and in fairness it leaves a lot of very nice blocks to explore safely.
It probably grew a lot over the last 5 years, but I feel like every time I go there’s another brewery to discover. In the past I would mostly go to Pappy’s and the like to chill with a St Louis BBQ after a long day work!
My favorite beer in St Louis is Budweiser. Man don’t get me started. The freshest Bud you can have on earth, from the tank. Don’t just tell me it’s light and you prefer IIPA or a Cask Ale,…Bud in St Louis is like Guinness in Dublin and a Weissbier in Munich…. I usually make a stop at the Budweiser Beer garden to have a Bud. At that stage I feel more American than American. I also like to try their Underdog specials which are experimental brews in development at the pilot brewery couple hundred yards down the bar. The place is awesome. The different tours offered are all true experiences. I mean you can cheer the Clydesdales, see incredible landmarks, the brewhouse is from a different world… so don’t underestimate the opportunity if you ever come to St Louis.
On my way to the hotel I also like to stroll in Soulard and pass by Bid Daddy’s! But if I’m up for some exploration,… then there are some very nice places to spend the night. Here are some of my best experiences in St Louis…
My go to place is Urban Chestnut Brewing Company (UCBC). Florient is an old colleague. He left us like 5 years ago or so to create very successfully his own brewery midtown. He has outgrown his initial brewpub and built a new facility in the Grove. Beautiful set up, huge semi-industrial space (tons of space to grow) and nice German food to complement his portfolio which translate his origin.
If this is not enough to entertain you, there’s a bonus location across the street. UCBC built the URB (For Urban Research Brewery). For a couple bucks you can sample test beers and answer a quick survey online, hopefully helping them design their next innovation. You can have a pizza at the same time in a more underdog type atmosphere. If by all mean you can be there in Oktoberfest time, then you’re up for ton’s of pretzel celebrations.
Schlafly Bottleworks. From the street you can see the fermentation tanks shining through the window. Seems to always have concert, or maybe I’m just lucky. I like to see their homebrewing units in the lobby (which I understand they use regularly for workshops with beer fans) and their experimental board. You are kindly asked to sample it and put your thoughts and tasting notes on the wall.
Also for each of their brews, they have a small flyer which provides interesting descriptions to know a bit more about what you taste.
2nd shift Brewing is one of my most recent discovery. It was definitely a notch above my budget, but I fell of my chair. 2 rows of barrels and fouders separate the bar form the brewhouse from where loud punk music was being played. A cat was walking on the tables. The setting is semi-finished, stylish, wood and metal with a hippie feeling. Back to the beers… excellent.
Earthbound Brewery. I have no idea why…,maybe I was in a high criminality area, but the place was dramatically empty. Beautiful bar, suspended second floor all made with polished wood. You won’t see the brewhouse which is in the basement. Well maybe you will if you’re nice. I was intrigued by unusual beer propositions (Eucalyptus Mint IPA, Braggot,…). Maybe not the most memorable beers but very interesting ideas. The bartender was very cool sharing stories and running cool music.
Perennial is a memorable experience. We arrived pretty late, finishing a long day training followed by many Buds in the Beer garden. There were only few people, but we were just on time for the daily ritual which I would summarize as: everybody receive a free glass of beer, we all listen to a song (there must be something with that song that I have missed), we sing if we can and then altogether we cheer and we empty our glass. So be it. At least I felt welcome. The beer was really nice, just regret it disappeared so fast. We had some more of their rare brews playing darts. Finally the boss came back from nowhere and offered a tour of his brewery….It was a succession of unexpected… just how I like it. I won’t comment on the brewery, but the beers and the bar were solid!
If you have a very early flight – as I had recently – let me suggest spending the night close to the airport. I got you covered with a brewpub called Narrow Gauge. They make some of the most rated Cloudy New England IPA of the US. Check on Untappd… we’re going to hear from them I’m sure. Cloudy and Juicy and Hoppy.
I only talk about places I visited….so these are my down selections from all the places I visited in St Louis (in a reasonable distance from my hotel by the Arch). It’s probably not everything great in St Louis and I’m sure I’ll discover more like Side Project but they’re always closed during the week….!
In between brewpubs if you look for cool places to eat and cool things to see: Mission Taco Joint, Bogart’s Smokehouse, Mollys, Soulard overall is full if nice spots, Pappy’s smokehouse, Citygarden Sculpture Park, the Arch (make it to the top), Laclede’s landing. Now if you want the big sport screens…to look at 5 different games at the same time, the Ballpark village in front of the Busch stadium is your place.
