A sneak peek at HopCat, opening Saturday in the Delmar Loop

The Delmar Loop is getting another great watering hole: HopCat–St. Louis.

“This will fill a need for craft beer left when Cicero’s closed last year,” says general manager Michael Hartman.

This Saturday, the regional chain will open the doors to its 16th location at 6315 Delmar, in the former Sole & Blues space across from the Tivoli Theater. Total seating is 260, including 80 seats on the patio outside. The grand opening will showcase 80 Missouri-made craft beers. Around 40 local brews will remain on the menu afterward.

“When we opened in Grand Rapids 10 years ago, one of our main goals was to really highlight local,” marketing director Chris Knape says of the regional chain, which Beer Advocate and RateBeer.com have ranked among the top beer bars on the planet. “We want to encourage the culture of ‘Let’s try the little guy.’”

To that end, each location features a beer program that scouts for innovative brews, builds relationships with breweries and distributors, and keeps its finger on the pulse of trends. Right now, for instance, lighter beers—lagers, pilsners, kolsches—are particularly in demand, says Knape. “The smaller breweries are producing those beers with a lot more depth than people are used to with macro beer varieties.” Of course, Missouri's beer scene offers far more options—limited runs, sours, barrel-aged beers—and HopCat aims to have something for everyone on its beer list (80 on tap, plus bottles and cans, including gluten-frees and alcohol-free beers).

But it’s not all about the booze. Food also plays a large role, with such dishes as a "Juicy Lucy"-style half-pound  burger on a brioche bun and Detroit-style deep-dish pizza. Last year, Food Network ranked HopCat's beer-battered Crack Fries among the "Top 10 Fries in America." On Saturday, HopCat is offering complimentary fries—and a VIP voucher for a free order every week for a year to the first 200 people through the door.

The brewpub plans to begin serving Saturday and Sunday brunch in the weeks to come. And although the menu is in line with the other HopCat locations, the St. Louis iteration will also host monthly beer dinners, allowing chefs to get creative.