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I get a little sentimental thinking about Missouri: If Sierra Nevada was my first craft beer kiss, it was on a trip to St. Louis where I got hitched for life. More on that below; suffice to say for now that St. Louis — even in the shadow of Anheuser-Busch — is clearly one of the country’s top craft beer destinations.
RELATED: 10 best craft breweries in the South
Having said that: Missouri is a pretty fair distance from Florida, and I have no doubt that — even more than usual — there are many, many excellent breweries whose beers I haven’t sampled yet. (I need to get my hands on something from Narrow Gauge and Crane Brewing, among others.) It’d take some doing to topple my No. 1, though.
1. Side Project Brewing
Where: 7373 Marietta Ave., St. Louis
Founded: 2013
At the Side Project Cellar, their barrel-aged and open fermentation beers are served alongside a well-selected choice of similar styles from around the world — but really, you want their beers, which are among the best made anywhere.
Over 30+ breweries have signed up to pour at #RateBeerBest festival. Grab your tickets: https://t.co/acIE7dljGj pic.twitter.com/7JV0U7U3ST
— RateBeer (@ratebeer) August 24, 2016
You generally have to travel to St. Louis to try them, but if you’re lucky they might travel to you — they were superstars at the Shelton Brothers Festival in St. Petersburg and at Hunahpu’s Day earlier this year, where their imperial stouts rivaled Hunahpu’s itself.
2. Boulevard Brewing Co.
Where: 2501 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City
Founded: 1989
In case it wasn’t obvious, you won’t catch me reflexively dumping on the big boys; often enough, they’ve gotten where they are for the best reason possible — quality. (No one dares say anything bad about Sierra Nevada around me.)
Boulevard beers are available in most of the country now, and they have to rank high among widely distributed brands. (Now there’s a question for another day: What are the best widely distributed breweries in the country?) I could live happily in a place where their Saison-Brett and Rye-on-Rye were among the best beers available.
Saison-Brett is one of @imbibe’s 5 modern saisons to try! Drink one tonight if you have one. https://t.co/kyGGa2JZdX pic.twitter.com/zORMVhfiQD
— Boulevard Brewing Co. (@Boulevard_Beer) September 1, 2016
3. Perennial Artisan Ales
Where: 8125 Michigan Ave., St. Louis
Founded: 2011
It feels weird not to have them tied for first with Side Project, which is basically a Perennial offshoot, but just to be clear, that’s a compliment to Side Project, not an insult to Perennial.
A bartender at Cigar City once told me that Abraxas was among his favorite (non-CCB) imperial stouts, and the barrel-aged version belongs on any list of the best beers, anywhere, period.
Mashing in the first batch of #Abraxas on our new brewhouse today! pic.twitter.com/FEianmeFj4
— Perennial Artisan Ales (@PerennialBeer) August 31, 2016
And though I’ve long considered CCB’s coffee treatments virtually peerless, Sump Coffee Stout at the least challenged that perception.
4. 4 Hands Brewing
Where: 1220 S 8th St., St. Louis
Founded: 2011
My goodness are these folks impressive. Year-round beers such as the Cast Iron Oatmeal Brown — a big, chewy brown ale with so much chocolatey, malty goodness that it almost borders on a stout — nail their styles and then some; seasonals such as Absence of Light milk stout are memorable. Hell, they even make a terrific blonde ale — several in fact.
The @4HandsBrewery's Absence of Light- Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout is being used in a special float @IcesSTL. pic.twitter.com/IZuEwm7fS6
— Don (@stlfoodman) March 3, 2016
5. The Schlafly Tap Room
Where: 7260 Southwest Ave., St. Louis
Founded: 1991
Let me quickly put in a good word for Mother’s Brewing Co. in Springfield and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. in St. Louis, both are outstanding.
But this one’s a little special to me. It was the first craft brewery I ever visited — around 1993-94, I think — and the first time I ever did a flight; if you’ve grown up taking craft beer for granted, you can’t comprehend how exciting that was at the time, especially for someone who’d thought that Foster’s was high-end.
(Also, the Welsh rarebit there was delicious.)
Thirsty? We have a beer (or 44) for that. Presenting your #HOPintheCity 2016 Beer List: https://t.co/wPzi1fulHo pic.twitter.com/LktqAyUPzg
— Schlafly Beer (@Schlafly) August 30, 2016
Several years ago a colleague who originally hailed from St. Louis brought some Schlafly to a party, and I nearly wept. Sorry — I’m a bit verklempt. Anyway their reputation remains high and the beer remains excellent, so it’s not purely sentiment. A little, though.
Did I miss one? Where else should we go in Missouri? Tell us about your favorite spots in the comments and be sure to follow @BeerGuySDS on Twitter.
