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Earthbound Brewing's present storefront at 2710 Cherokee.
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It's a teeny, tiny shotgun space.
Earthbound Brewing, the region’s tiniest brew house and tasting room, moves forward today with a major expansion to the old Cherokee Brewery stock house, located just down the block at 2724 Cherokee. Cherokee Brewery operated from 1866 until sometime in the early 1900s.
For Earthbound owners, the move has a sweet synchronicity and cements ties to the Cherokee neighborhood and its history. The increase to 8000 square foot space represents a significant change form the 1000 square foot hallway Earthbound currently occupies. The move signifies how far the little-brewery-that-could has progressed since they opened in November of 2014.
In just under a year, owners Stuart Keating, Jeff Siddons, and Rebecca Schranz (right) established a reputation for small batch beers that could be classified as ‘weird’ if they weren’t so drinkable. Keating, a former home brewer, unearths flavors and mines unusual ingredients through meticulous historical research on brews. With ingredients like oak leaves, no hops (Dead Druid King) and Mahlab cherry pits from the island of St. Lucie (Mahlab Winter Warmer) it’s easy to see how Keating and crew earned their reputation for weirdness.
“We wanted to start very small, so we could get to know our customers and focus on making a large number of very experimental beers” Stuart Keating says. He’s head brewer and president. “Fortunately, St. Louis’ fantastic beer-drinking community has responded very well to what we are doing, and we’re pleased to increase our size and capacity so that we can get bigger and weirder.”
Like the best sleuths, he plays his ideas off his two intrepid partners-in-adventure. Rebecca Schranz, known for her cool head and for her grasp of pesky business details, the expansion as an opportunity to serve more customers.
“The Cherokee Brewing Company was known for its biergarten, reportedly the largest in Saint Louis,” Schranz says. “We’ll be tearing out the parking lot next to the brewery and turning it into beautiful green space where people can hang out and enjoy the usually acceptable St Louis weather.” The taproom will be sized to host 263 people, a significant increase over the current facility’s 32 seats.
Jeff Siddons, a real-life MacGyver whose inventive problem solving established the city’s first brew tanks in a closet, will put his talents to the test as Earthbound upgrades its brewing equipment and capacity. Cocktails and food will also be available in the new space.
“A seven-barrel brew house gives us the flexibility to continue producing unique beers like the Rosemary Juniper Pale Ale and Dead Druid King while canning seasonal favorites like the Thai Basil IPA and Slam Dunkel,” Siddons says. “Also, we’re going to sell really good hotdogs made with our beer, so even if you can get cans of Earthbound at your favorite bottle shop you still have a reason to come say hello.”
The three amigos plan to begin brewing and bottling in the old Cherokee Brewery Company stock house in January of 2016. The new taproom is scheduled to open in June 2016. The current location will remain operational until then.
“We’re doing most of the build-out ourselves and we’re committed to maintaining the look and feel of the current taproom in our new location” Keating says. “It’ll just be slightly wider than ten feet.”
Earthbound Brewing
2710 Cherokee
314-769-9576
Hours:
Wed - Fri: 4:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Sat: Noon - 1:30 a.m.
Sun: Noon - 8 p.m.
Facebook: Earthbound Brewing
Twitter: @EarthboundBeer
Instagram: @earthboundbeer
