There's no shortage of new breweries popping up across St. Louis. As SLM's December cover story highlighted, there are at least a dozen in the works or recently opened, including Urban Chestnut's new research brewery in The Grove. Here are five of the most highly anticipated new brews, listed in order of their projected opening dates—with the first opening this weekend.
Shared by Side Project Brewing
7458 Manchester, Maplewood, opening this Sunday
Cory and Karen King began Side Project Brewing as just that: a side project. Cory was brewing for Perennial Artisan Ales, utilizing the brewery to create his critically lauded wood-aged beers, when he developed his new brewery idea.
PHOTO BY WESLEY LAW
All beers produced by Side Project will be wood-aged, but not all beer styles are cut out for wood-aging. Enter Shared. To help with brewing at Side Project and Shared, the Kings hired Karen's brother, former Goose Island brewer Brian Ivers, in November.
“I wanted to start making beers that weren't Side Project: IPAs, pilsners, porters...,” says Cory. “And we wanted to facilitate a place for Brian to progress in a way that would benefit that desire.” The Kings hope to share ideas among the entire staff and allow creativity to flourish, not become “factory workers.”
You’ll have your first opportunity to try a Shared beer—a 13 percent Imperial stout named Vibes—when they open the doors this Sunday.
Two Plumbers Brewery + Arcade
2236 First Capitol, St. Charles, opening early 2017
As the old saying goes, “Love what you do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Two Plumbers Brewery + Arcade creators Robert Schowengerdt and John Simon clearly took this saying to heart when creating their arcade-themed brewery, which will feature “American craft beer with an English tilt” due to their love of drinking imports.
Considering video games and beer are a natural fit, the two hope to create a place with a relaxing vibe. “We want to be the place you go to ignore the stresses of the day," says Schowengerdt. "Have a beer, play a game, and chill.”
They also want the brewery to be a hub for creativity. “One thing we haven’t been as vocal about is our love of the maker community,” says Schowengerdt. “We consider ourselves serial skill collectors and we enjoy working with makers of all types. We have some plans to bring a little of that into the space by hosting some DIY classes and workshops.”
Third Wheel Brewing
4008 N. Service, St. Peters, opening April 2017
While the region's original craft breweries mostly gravitated to the city, many new breweries have turned their focus to the surrounding metro area. Third Wheel Brewing will soon provide St. Peters with something it's sorely lacking: a brewpub.
“We want a very casual, laid-back atmosphere,” say co-owner Brad Wheeling, “kind of like you are heading to a friend's house to hang out in the living room.”
Don’t expect the same old beers at Third Wheel, though. Head brewer Abbey Spencer brings a twist to each recipe that she creates. “When we open, we know we will have a [Belgian-style] Wit with a little rosemary, Berliner Weisse served with or without syrup, and a double IPA with lactose,” says Wheeling.
As for the name? “The truck in the logo is real," he says. "That's Trixie. You'll be seeing her at festivals all across town this summer.”
Rockwell Beer Company
1320 S. Vandeventer, South City, opening summer 2017
“We want
people to have a transformative experience when they come to the brewery,” says Rockwell Beer Company co-owner Andy Hille.
A former brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales, Hille has quickly gained a reputation for doing not only unique beers but also unique events. For the past few weeks and through December 28, Hille and crew are hosting the Club Rockwell series, showcasing Rockwell's product lines: one featuring traditional-styles (porters, IPAs, pale ales) and another focusing on more experimental beers (with mixed-fermentation and barrel-aging).
The brewery will be located in a building that once housed an industrial equipment supply company. “We liked the idea of combining the industrial look of the building with organic components like a living wall and lush plant life on our patio,” says Hille. “For the first quarter of 2017, we will be laying low in our cocoon. After that we make it through that, you're going to see a big, weird, beautiful butterfly.”
Senn Bierwerks
7793 Olive, University City, opening late 2017
Brewing is a family business for Dustin and Kristen Chalfant. Dustin’s great-great-great-great uncle Frank Senn Sr. opened a brewery in St. Louis in 1877 that remained in business until prohibition. As the former head brewer at Morgan Street Brewery, Dustin is quite familiar with brewing as well.
To continue the family tradition, the Chalfants plan to open their own brewery, Senn Bierwerks, alongside James Hellmuth, a former Morgan Street and Schlafly employee.
The University City brewery will feature a 20-barrel brewhouse and tasting room. “Being the sole brewery in University City, we hope that people of all walks of life will feel the comfort of their living room when they walk through the doors,” says Kristen.
As for the beer, Dustin and James will feature new takes on classic styles. “We played around with a cream ale and double IPA," says Kirsten. "We aren't going to focus on any one style of beer, but will have something for all beer drinkers to enjoy.”
Mike Sweeney is a certified cicerone and operations manager for 2nd Shift Brewing. He’s also the creator of St. Louis Craft Beer Week and STLHops.com.
