VIA FLICKR/QUINN DOMBROWSKI
Raise a glass this weekend to our brewers and everyone else working in the brewing industry in St. Louis, because we’ve just been named America’s best beer city for the second year running.
St. Louis retained the “Best Beer Scene” title in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice 2019 awards, announced April 8. USA Today readers voted St. Louis No. 1 from a 20-city shortlist, compiled by a panel of 10Best editors and beer industry experts.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Richmond, Virginia, placed second and third respectively. Other cities named in the top 10 included Milwaukee, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Denver.
“We've got breweries occupying all sorts of different niches and specialties,” says Earthbound Brewing's Stuart Keating. “Something that I really like is that for the most part, every brewery is not just collaborative but very neighborhood-focused. So if you go get a beer at Civil Life, which is a mile west from our own brewery, it's a fundamentally different feel from what you get in my brewery, because we're both so rooted in the neighborhoods that we’re in. I think that's really cool, because that was the original idea behind pubs and breweries.”
USA Today noted that the beer scene in St. Louis had historically benefitted from “large German and Irish populations, plenty of water, and rail connections.” The citation acknowledged the historical influence of Anheuser-Busch alongside the city’s contemporary pioneers, such as 4 Hands, Urban Chestnut, and Schlafly. It gave a shout-out to the huge beer selections showcased by the likes of 21st Street Brewer’s Bar and Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar as well.
Keating notes that advocates like Troika Brodsky of STL Beer (formerly the St. Louis Brewers’ Guild) have also played a part in championing the local beer scene: “He's worked really hard to make it easier for local breweries to get our product in front of people from out of town, to get us marketing placement in hotels, to convince people that come to visit St. Louis that there are all these tiny little neighborhoods that all have unique characteristics."
The beer scene in St. Louis and the surrounding area has continued to grow over the past year, with newcomers to the party including Rockwell Beer Co., Twisted Roots, Wellspent Brewing Co., O’ Fallon’s Petrichor Brewing and Colinsville’s Old Herald Brewery & Distillery. Good News Brewing has just opened its second location, in Defiance, and Bluewood Brewing will be opening at 1821 Cherokee in the coming months.
Sampling the City's Offerings
Attending a beer festival is a great way of catching up on developments in the brewing world, trying new beers and comparing old favorites up close. The St. Louis Microfest is one of the first beer festivals of the season, returning for its 24th year at Forest Park on May 3–4. As always, the Microfest benefits a great local cause, Lift for Life Gym.
“We have a very small staff, and a lot of people don't realize that this festival keeps us open for about five months out of the year,” says Joe Miller of Lift for Life and St. Louis Microfest. “We don't get any city, state or government funding, and we're not a United Way–funded agency. We have to raise it ourselves. It's the community contributing to keeping the gym rolling and providing a safe haven for inner city kids.”
This year’s Microfest features around 100 participating breweries including local brewers alongside guests from Kansas City and as far as Indiana. A total of around 400 beers will be available, and a $45 ticket includes unlimited samples. A $60 VIP pass also includes a meal from Mission Taco along with access to exclusive VIP-only brews. Mission Taco, Bogart’s BBQ, The Dam, and Strange Donuts will be on hand as well.
Other attractions include a home-brewers contest, and brewers and chefs will join forces for a series of demonstrations on food and beer pairing. Topgolf will have a presence at the festival, and the entertainment is rounded out with live music, a two-mile micro-run and the Brewers’ Olympics, where brewers are invited to compete in a series of feats of strength. “They work so hard to keep their breweries open and to get their brands out there, but for an hour and a half, they compete against each other and share some kooky challenges,” Miller said.
In previous years, the Microfest has attracted as many as 8,000 revelers, but it can fluctuate based on weather. This year’s event avoids clashing with Cinco de Mayo, which falls on a Sunday, so Miller is hoping for a large turnout. In addition to supporting Lift for Life’s regular programs, Microfest also funds 40 places on the gym’s summer camp and sustains its Olympic-style weightlifting team, which has had members win national competitions and even represent the United States in the Youth Olympics.
“We have three who are ranked in the top five in the nation in their age and weight class, and one is the No. 1 youth weightlifter in the nation,” Miller said. “If these kids work hard, and show that they deserve these opportunities, we're going to continue to raise the funds to send them wherever they can to shine bright, whether it's nationally or internationally. It’s rare in the inner city that kids have resources like this, let alone a safe place to go to keep them off the street.”
Keating says the impulse to support a wider community is part of what makes the St. Louis brewing scene special. As Microfest sustains Lift for Life Gym, Earthbound’s collaboration with The Luminary on a beer for the forthcoming Counterpublic art festival will help to fund an artist residency on Cherokee Street.
“People are so passionate about St. Louis as a beer city," says Keating, "because breweries all across the region really work hard to do new things in the community and really help support all the cool stuff that's happening in town.”
