Courtesy Schlafly
HOTSPOT
Beer Fest Returns
HOP in the City, one of craft brewer Schlafly’s most popular events, returns Saturday, September 18, from noon–5 p.m., but the format has changed to accommodate COVID-19 safety protocols. Dubbed "Lil’ Hop," the event will still be held outdoors, rain or shine, at the Tap Room downtown, but this year it will be a free event. And instead of unlimited beer sampling, guests can purchase different sizes (12- and 7-ounce draft pours and 16-ounce cans) of the 14 festival beers, some brewed exclusively for Lil’ HOP. Inside the restaurant, the Tap Room’s full menu will be available; outside, four food trucks (Tuk Tuk Thai, Sugarfire 64 Smoke House, Balkan Treat Box, and Poptimism) will be open for business. Schlafly encourages guests and employees to be vaccinated before attending the event and asks that any unvaccinated guests wear masks when not eating or drinking. For more information, go visit the event site.
INSIDER TIP
Save the Date: December 2, 2022
We’ve never put out a “save the date” request so far in advance, but when discussing Whiskey in the Winter, the super-popular annual event featuring more than 450 whiskies, whiskey-based cocktails, and seminars, it makes sense. In 2019, it was the biggest event of its kind in the country, and 1,800 tickets sold out in 43 minutes. “It was like a 10-run first inning, amazing and unprecedented,” organizer Amit Dhawan said at the time. The event was postponed in 2020 and again this year, so interest in the just-announced December 2 event date will be stronger than ever. As in past years, four types of tickets will be available: Platinum, VIP, General Admission, and Designated Driver. Tickets will go on sale approximately six weeks prior to the event, so keep tabs on the Whiskey in the Winter website for updates.
MICRORANT
Come In/You Can’t Come In
ikopylov / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Since restaurant customers can never be sure when a dining room is open during pandemic times, it’s a welcome sight, as we saw the other day, to see no fewer than six signs—in the door, in the windows, and stuck in the ground—saying, “Dining room open. Come on in.” We scurried to the door in a light rain, only to encounter a locked door and a closed dining room. As we sped away, we noticed that the drive-thru was open…or was it?
Follow George on Twitter and Instagram, or email him at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
