Top Pours - 2018

CHEERS TO ST. LOUIS’

TOP POURS Our experts, with help from readers, select the best of area wineries, breweries and distilleries

P H O T O : H I L L A R Y L E V I N / P O S T- D I S PAT C H

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[top pours • wineries]

The Augusta Winery hosts a variety of entertainment in its Wine and Beer Garden.

If you’re drinking something right now, stop and raise your glass. It’s time to salute the Top Pours in St. Louis. • The food and drink experts at Go! Magazine have been hard at work researching to determine the best offerings from area wineries, breweries and distilleries. Tough job — we know. • We started by selecting the top nominees (between four and six) in 40 categories. Then, readers cast votes online to decide the winners. • Cheers to them — and cheers to you, who hopefully will find a few new favorites on our inaugural Top Pours list. BY GO! MAGAZINE STAFF

Hedman Vineyards • Anders and Gerd Hedman moved from Stockholm, Sweden, more than 20 years ago and brought the taste of Sweden to Southern Illinois and the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. The menu at Hedman is filled with Swedish and European flavors. A traditional sampler has pickled herring, boiled eggs, lingonberries, creamed caviar and meatballs.

Entrees include Swedish meatballs, wiener schnitzel, cedar plank salmon and artichoke chicken. (peachbarn. com) BY NORMA KLINGSICK

with their mothers in the surrounding pasture near Centralia. (crookedcreekwinery. com) NK

at Bretz Wildlife Lodge & Winery

Other nominees • Cats at Adam Puchta Winery • Cave at Cave Vineyard & Distillery • Swans at Defiance Ridge Vineyards • Taxidermic animals

Crooked Creek Winery Giddy Up • The winery has embraced the horse theme in everything from its stylized logo to the names of its wine.

Giddy Up is a semisweet blend with four varieties

Best name for a wine Cedar Plank Salmon at Hedman’s Peach Barn Cafe in Alto Pass, Ill.

• We included only wineries that are in the St. Louis metro area or are located along or near one of these wine trails: Ste. Genevieve, Augusta, Hermann, Shawnee or Carlyle Lake. A winery is a place that makes its own wine and/or grows its own grapes.

Some of the residents at Crooked Creek Winery

Other nominees • Balducci Vineyards • Blue Sky Vineyard • Chandler Hill Vineyards • Chaumette Vineyards & Winery • Weingarten Vineyard

Best winery attraction Horses at Crooked Creek Winery • Taste the wine, and stay for the horses and peaceful setting at Crooked Creek Winery, which is home to almost two dozen performance horses.

Come in the late spring, and you are likely to see a few colts grazing

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• We included only breweries and distilleries in the St. Louis metro area (St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Franklin County, Jefferson County, Lincoln County, Warren County and Washington County in Missouri and Bond County, Calhoun County, Clinton County, Jersey County, Macoupin County, Madison County, Monroe County and St. Clair County in Illinois).

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of grapes — vignoles, seyval blanc, vidal blanc and chardonel. The winery suggests pairing it with a grilled Brie sandwich or anything wrapped in bacon.

Yes, please. (crookedcreekwinery.com) NK Other nominees • Hidden Lake Winery Bucks Gone Wild • Jo-Al Winery Sexy Redhead • Owl Creek Vineyard ChardonOwl • Twelve Oaks Vineyard Flight of the Red Baron

• We did not designate wines by particular vintages, though we do acknowledge that the grapes and the wines change from year to year. We chose to do this mainly because this isn’t a juried wine competition.

This is so our readers can find a wine they like, perhaps based on our humble recommendations.

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P H O T O S : N O R M A K L I N G S I C K / P O S T- D I S PAT C H

Best food served at a winery

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[top pours • wineries] Best winery for a wedding Blue Sky Vineyard • Many couples have said “I do” at Blue Sky Vineyard in Makanda, Ill., and it’s easy to see why.

The charming Tuscaninspired architecture and the rolling hills and vineyard surrounding it make a perfect backdrop for a wedding. (blueskyvineyard. com) NK Other nominees • Alto Vineyards • Cedar Lake Cellars • Chaumette Vineyards & Winery • Weingarten Vineyard

Best view at a winery

Best wine trail Carlyle Lake • It’s the newest wine trail in the area, but its beautiful rural setting and good wine have already made the Carlyle Lake Wine Trail a favorite for many. The trail, named for the popular lake in the area, was officially established just last year and includes five wineries: Bretz Wildlife Lodge & Winery, Crooked Creek Winery, Hidden Lake Winery, Roundhouse Wine Co. and Twelve Oaks Vineyard. “There’s a lot of quality wine being made by this group of wineries, and we are working together to keep improving so that we can represent our area of Illinois,” said Doug Palm, the president of the new wine trail and owner of Twelve Oaks. (carlylelakewinetrail. com) NK

local wineries. Twelve Oaks Vineyard, a small family-owned vineyard in Carlyle, has a Norton that can compete with larger wineries in the area. The full-bodied red wine has hints of raspberry and a smooth oak finish. (twelveoaksvineyard. com) NK Other nominees • Holy Grail Winery Norton Reserve • Mount Pleasant Estates Norton • Noboleis Vineyards Norton • Stone Hill Winery Norton • Wild Sun Winery Norton

Other nominees • Augusta • Hermann • Route du Vin (Ste. Genevieve) • Shawnee

Best Norton Twelve Oaks Vineyard Norton • Wines made with Norton, the official state grape of Missouri, can be found at many

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Montelle Winery near Augusta has a commanding view of the Missouri River Valley.

Montelle Winery • With sweeping views of America’s first viticultural area off an expansive, tiered deck, Montelle has long been known as a great spot for soaking in the scenery while feeling like you are in a treehouse.

Be sure to come back in the fall, when the bursts of color are simply stunning. (montelle. com) BY AMY BERTRAND Other nominees • Blue Sky Vineyard • Cedar Lake Cellars • OakGlenn Winery • Wild Sun Winery

Best selection at a winery Blue Sky Vineyard • When it comes to variety and quality, Blue Sky Vineyard has a lot to offer. Like dry wines?

Try the cabernet franc, Montage or the rosé.

Prefer sweet? The Rocky Comfort White with hints of pineapple and pear might be just right.

Blue Sky’s sangria is also a popular choice.

Bottles of Seyval (white sangria) and Papa’s Rosa (red sangria) include the recipe, so you can even make it at home. (blueskyvineyard. com) NK Other nominees • Adam Puchta Winery • Mount Pleasant Estates • Stone Hill Winery • Wild Sun Winery

Best winery for an overnight stay Hidden Lake Winery • The 10 cabins at Hidden Lake Winery, located in rural Aviston, are perfect for a secluded getaway.

The winery is just a quick stroll from your front door. New owners Steve and Angela Gorazd, who bought the winery just over a year ago, have been busy making changes to the wine, menu and the grounds. (hiddenlakewinery. com) NK Other nominees • Blue Sky Vineyard • Chaumette Vineyards & Winery • Hermannhof Winery • The Winery at Shale Lake

Best entertainment at a winery Augusta Winery • From the talented Whiskey Raccoons to the cool-cat Lenny Frisch, the music at Augusta Winery sets the tone for a good time. Even better is its Friday Night Live

summer concert series.

From 6 to 9 p.m. in the wine and beer garden, enjoy wine cocktails with Pinckney Bend spirits, food specials and music from a variety of artists.

On July 27, hear the East Central College Choral Association. Aug. 10, it’s an eight- to 10-piece jazz ensemble. And there’s an ’80s party Aug. 24. (augustawinery.com) AB Other nominees • Balducci Vineyards • Blumenhof Vineyards & Winery • Chandler Hill Vineyards • Mount Pleasant Estates • Wild Sun Winery

Best store at a winery Stone Hill Winery • With perhaps the biggest winery shop around, the one at Stone Hill goes beyond the bins and bins of wines, which are in abundance, including specialty Cardinals, Blues and Royals bottles.

The winery also sells wine bags, fun wine holders (a statue of a baseball player with an inverted bottle as the “bat”), coasters, locally made foods, wine stain remover, aerators, openers and much more. (stonehillwinery.com) AB Other nominees • Cave Vineyard & Distillery • Crown Valley Winery • Hedman Vineyards • Hermannhof Winery

TASTE FOR YOURSELF From 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 9, explore the Magic House while sampling from some of the breweries, wineries, and distilleries in our Top Pours list. There also will be food samples, live music, items from local vendors and more.

Tickets are $30 ($50 for VIP) and include a commemorative tasting glass, parking and cash bar. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Old Newsboys. stltoday.com/ourevents

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P H O T O S : N O R M A K L I N G S I C K / P O S T- D I S PAT C H ( B L U E S K Y ) ; T O M U H L E N B R O C K ( M O N T E L L E )

The Tuscaninspired Blue Sky Vineyard makes a beautiful backdrop for a wedding.

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[top pours • wineries] Other nominees • Augusta Winery • Charleville Vineyard & Winery • Stone Hill Winery • Villa Antonio Winery

French oak barrels.

The final product — an oaky but crisp white wine — is a blend from both the oak barrel and stainless steel. (crookedcreekwinery. com) NK

Best seyval blanc

Twelve Oaks Chambourcin • Chambourcin, like Norton, is another signature grape for the area. At Twelve Oaks, the chambourcin is dry and has notes of blackberry, cherry, plum and spice. (twelveoaksvineyard. com) NK

Best chardonel Chaumette Vineyards & Winery • Chardonnay lovers will be happy as they sip this citrusy chardonel while taking in the stunning scenery at Chaumette Vineyards in Ste. Genevieve. As for those who dislike chardonnay-type wines, keep it to yourself. (chaumette.com) BY JANE HENDERSON

Richard “Dick” Jones (right), a wine educator, pours a chardonel for Mike and Jan Yamnitz of Owensville, Mo., at Chaumette Vineyards & Winery.

Other nominees • Augusta Winery Chambourcin Estate Bottled • Blue Sky Vineyard Chambourcin • Chandler Hill Old Bridge Chambourcin • Chaumette Chambourcin • Wild Sun Winery Ravage

P H O T O : C R I S T I N A F L E T E S / P O S T- D I S PAT C H

Crooked Creek Private Treaty • A “private treaty” by definition is an agreement made directly between the vendor and purchaser to ensure quality is high.

In the case of Crooked Creek’s Private Treaty, a deal was made with its vineyard partner, Heimann Vineyards, for seyval blanc grapes. The grapes were hand-sorted before being pressed into stainless-steel and

Best chambourcin

Other nominees • Augusta Winery Seyval Blanc Estate Bottled • Blue Sky Vineyard Seyval • Blumenhof Vineyard & Winery Seyval • Montelle Winery Seyval Blanc

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[top pours • wineries] Best traminette Noboleis Vineyards • The traminette grape, similar to the Gewurztraminer, produces some fantastic fruity, slightly acidic wines that are great on a hot summer day. This version from Noboleis (a family-owned vineyard in Augusta) is the kind that goes down smooth. (noboleisvineyards. com) AB Other nominees • Cave Vineyard • Little Hills Winery • Schorr Lake Vineyards

Best rosé Twelve Oaks Vineyard Chambourcin Rosé • As a versatile wine that is great on its own or with a variety of foods, rosé has become a popular choice for many wine drinkers. The area has no shortage of good choices, and we had a hard time narrowing the choices to six. The Chambourcin Rosé at Twelve Oaks Vineyard, named an Illinois Bicentennial wine among other accolades, is aromatic, bright, fruity and surprisingly dry. (twelveoaksvineyard. com) NK Other nominees • Claverach Farm Rosé • Hidden Lake Winery Chambourcin Rosé • StarView Vineyards Dry Rosé • Stone Hill Winery Rosé Montaigne • Robller Vineyard St. Vincent Dry Rosé

The Stone Hill Winery store sells bins of wines as well as wine bags, wine holders, locally made foods and more.

Best vignoles Alto Vineyards NV Vignoles • As the first winery in Southern Illinois, Alto Vineyards was a pioneer for the area. This year it celebrates 30 years in business. Its rooftop deck and back patio offer beautiful views and a perfect place to sip its delightfully refreshing vignoles. The semisweet white wine is light and crisp with citrus flavors. (altovineyards.net) NK

P H O T O : A M Y B E R T R A N D / P O S T- D I S PAT C H

Other nominees • Adam Puchta Winery Dry Vignoles • Augusta Winery Estate-bottled Vignoles • Montelle Winery Dry Vignoles • Noboleis Vineyards Vignoles • Stone Hill Winery SemiSweet White Vignoles

Best other wine Adam Puchta Winery Adam’s Choice • Like a riesling in that it’s not as sweet as the vignoles or a moscato, this semisweet white has just the right crispness

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to make it perfect for summer sipping. (adampuchtawine. com) AB Other nominees • Charleville Vineyard & Winery Lakota Red • Endless Summer Winery Pecan wine • LaChance Vineyards La Trop (port wine) • Martin Brothers Winery 100% Honey Wine

Best fruit wine Pomona Winery Kir • Pomona Winery’s specialty is wine made from everything but grapes.

Apples, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and more make up the wines on Pomona’s tasting list. Kir (pronounced KEER) wine at Pomona is based on a popular French cocktail and is made from a blend of black currants and apples. The unique balance of tart and sweet makes this wine appealing to both sweet and dry wine drinkers. (pomonawinery.com) NK

Other nominees • Crown Valley Winery Peach • Little Hills Winery Chocolate-Covered Strawberry • Martin Brothers Winery Orange Blossom Mead • Pomona Winery Strawberry Dessert Wine

Best sparkling wine Noboleis Vineyards Brut Rosé • Yes, rosé is the “it” wine of the moment, but sometimes it’s too sweet. Dry rosé is the answer, and this sparkling one with hints of cherries and plums is perfect for celebrating or just enjoying on a hot day. (noboleisvineyards. com) AB Other nominees • Adam Puchta Sparkling Brut • Crown Valley Winery Chardonel Brut • Mount Pleasant Estate Brut Imperial • Stone Hill Winery Brut Rosé

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[top pours • breweries] Best food served at a brewery Schlafly Tap Room • St. Louis’ original still delivers the goods, especially such beerfriendly classics as fish and chips (OK, fine — technically fries, not chips), mussels and a burger. No visit to Schlafly Tap Room is complete without an order of pretzels with white-cheddar dipping sauce. (schlafly.com/ tap-room) BY IAN FROEB Other nominees • 4 Hands Brewing Co. • Charleville Brewing Company & Tavern • Civil Life Brewing Co. • Urban Chestnut Brewery & Bierhall in the Grove

Best beer (overall) Urban Chestnut Zwickel • Lagers are hip now, with several craft-beer darlings turning out their own versions. Urban Chestnut

has been on the lager train since it launched with its Bavarian-style Zwickel, an unfiltered brew that’s as delicious as it is easy-drinking. (urbanchestnut.com) IF

The building that houses the Hopskeller Brewing Co. dates to 1853.

Other nominees • 2nd Shift Brewing Liquid Spiritual Delight • Civil Life Brewing Co. the Angel and the Sword • Earthbound Beer Red • Perennial Artisan Ales Abraxas • Side Project Brewing Fermier series

Best name for a beer Heavy Riff Brewing Co. Bohemian Rhaspberry • The pun is a delicate art, prone to obviousness or middle-school-level references to the anatomy or bodily functions.

Heavy Riff Brewing Co.’s Bohemian Rhaspberry nails it, and the highest credit we can pay this pun is to refrain from explaining the joke. (heavyriffbrewing.com) IF Other nominees • 4 Hands Brewing Co. War Hammer Imperial IPA • Civil Life Brewing Co. the Angel and the Sword • Excel Brewing Co. Flash Bang • Exit 6 Razmanian Devil

Best overall beer selection Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. • The folks at UCBC take a broad and encompassing look at beer, with something for every taste. Their selections span the

spectrum, from the traditional brews they call their reverence beers (pilsners, lagers, bocks and the like) to the more fanciful — but no less delicious — revolution beers (including a

chestnut ale and the award-winning West Coast IPA called Fantasyland). (urbanchestnut.com)

• Civil Life Brewing Co. • Perennial Artisan Ales • Side Project Brewing

BY DANIEL NEMAN

Best seasonal beer

Other nominees • 2nd Shift Brewing

O’Fallon Brewery Pumpkin Beer • There’s no better way to usher

in the fall than with an O’Fallon Pumpkin Beer, which is made with real pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

The O’Fallon Brewery has since expanded its pumpkin lineup to

include variations such as Vanilla Pumpkin Beer, Jack O’ Latte (a pumpkin cream stout), the Great Pumpkin (a Belgian white wit ale) and Salted Caramel Pumpkin Beer. (ofallonbrewery.

com) BY BRIAN FELDT Other nominees • 4 Hands Brewing Co. Passion Fruit Prussia • Perennial Artisan Ales Suburban Beverage • Schlafly Coffee Stout

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Best darker beer Hopskeller Brewing Co. Northern English Brown Ale • Hopskeller Brewing Co. owner and brewmaster Matt Schweizer studied abroad in the United Kingdom, and his reverence for British-style beers was an influence on the dark, roasty Northern English Brown Ale. (hopskeller.com) IF Other nominees • Civil Life Brewing Co. American Brown Ale • Ferguson Brewing Co. Pecan Brown Ale • Heavy Riff Brewing Co. Velvet Underbrown • Schlafly Oktoberfest • Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Winged Nut

Best lighter beer Schlafly Kolsch • As crisp and refreshing as a lager, with a gorgeous golden hue, kolsch should be more popular in the United States than it is. Here in St. Louis, thankfully, we have Schlafly’s take on the style, which features a yeast strain from kolsch’s home in Cologne, Germany. (schlafly.com) IF • 2nd Shift Brewing Technical Ecstasy Czech-Style Pilsner • 4204 Main Street Brewery Blonde Juele • Center Ice Brewery American Golden Ale • Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Stammtisch

Best stout/porter 4 Hands Brewing Co. Chocolate Milk Stout • Stouts are one of 4 Hands Brewing Co.’s signature styles, and its Chocolate Milk Stout is the gateway brew. Dark, rich, a little sweet and very smooth, this is a beer perfect for autumn-evening sipping.

(4handsbrewery.com) IF Other nominees • 2nd Shift Brewing Cat Spit Stout • Old Bakery Beer Co. Porter • Six Mile Bridge Beer Irish Stout • Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Kinsale

Co. in Ava, Ill. • Stubborn German in Waterloo

Best craft beer made by A-B Goose Island Bourbon County Stout • Aging beer in barrels once used for bourbon helps impart much of the richness of bourbon — along with its notes of vanilla, caramel, coffee and more — to the brew. This is a stout so dark it makes Guinness seem pale in comparison, and it has a big, powerful flavor worthy of its exceptional reputation. (gooseisland.com) DN

Other nominees • Blue Point Brewing Co. Mosaic Session IPA • Devils Backbone Brewing Company Vienna Lager • Elysian Brewing Co. Space Dust IPA • Karbach Brewing Co. Staycation

Schlafly’s Tasmanian IPA stands out for its use of Australian Galaxy hops.

The result balances the hoppy bitterness you crave from an IPA with a tropical fruitiness. (schlafly.com) IF

Best IPA Schlafly Tasmanian IPA • Among the wealth of excellent St. Louis IPAs,

A bartender pours a beer at Urban Chestnut’s brewery in the Grove neighborhood.

Best ‘destination’ brewery — for some of us Hopskeller Brewing Co. in Waterloo • Hopskeller Brewing Co. is worth a trip for its building alone. It dates to 1853 (with later additions in 1872 and 1910), and owner Matt Schweizer essentially had to renovate it twice when a fire devastated the brewery shortly after its 2016 opening. Come for the building, stay for Schweizer’s British- and Pacific Northwest-inspired brews and pizza and other fare from the wood-burning oven. (hopskeller.com) IF Other nominees • Augusta Brewing Co. in Washington, Mo. • Main & Mill Brewing Co. in Festus • Old Bakery Beer Co. in Alton • Scratch Brewing

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Other nominees • 2nd Shift Brewing Art of Neurosis • Earthbound Beer Meteor IPA • Modern Brewery Citrapolis • Narrow Gauge Brewing Co. Fallen Flag

P O S T- D I S PAT C H ( H O P S K E L L E R ) ; D AV I D C A R S O N / P O S T- D I S PAT C H ( U R B A N C H E S T N U T )

• Schlafly Double Bean Blonde Ale

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[top pours • breweries]

E V FI S

R A YE

E V FI S R E BE MBER E T P E S TH - 21ST 17

Six-packs of beer in the retail area of Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood

4 Hands Brewing Co. City Wide • 4 Hands Brewing Co. released the American pale ale City Wide only two years ago, but it has become a local craftbeer fixture thanks to the city of St. Louis flag on its can and its spirit of giving, with a portion of sales donated to charities. And it’s not just a feel-good beer; it’s crisp, hoppy and hot-summerafternoon quaffable.

(4handsbrewery.com) IF

heavyriffbrewing.com

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Other nominees • Civil Life Brewing Co. Rye Pale Ale • Schlafly Pale Ale • Shared Brewing Proof of Concept • Side Project Brewing Marietta Ave.

Other nominees • 2nd Shift Brewing Katy • 4 Hands Brewing Co. Madagascar • Perennial Artisan Ales Barrel-aged Sump Coffee Stout • Side Project Brewing Derivation series

Best barrel-aged beer

Best wheat beer

Schlafly Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout • This stout, aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels, is now part of its Ibex Cellar series: a powerful beer (10.2 percent ABV) in a convenient single-serving bottle. (schlafly.com) IF

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Schnickelfritz • If you want a great wheat beer, go with a beer inspired by true Bavarian weissbier.

Urban Chestnut’s Schnickelfritz delivers that light, drinkable

body and familiar notes of clove and banana. (urbanchestnut.com) IF Other nominees • 4 Hands Brewing Co. Contact High • Kirkwood Station Brewing Co. Blackberry Wheat • Old Bakery Beer Co. Citrus Wheat • Schlafly Raspberry Hefeweizen

Best beer garden Urban Chestnut (Washington Boulevard) • Urban Chestnut’s original Grand Center home can’t

compete with the size or the expanded food menu of the newer Grove location, but its beer garden is still a more transportive experience, with its courtyard, steins and — at night twinkling lights strung overhead. (urbanchestnut.com) IF Other nominees • Anheuser-Busch Biergarten • Civil Life Brewing Co. • Friendship Brewing (Wentzville) • Schlafly Bottleworks (Maplewood)

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PHOTO: MICHAEL THOMAS

Best pale ale

RÖbller Vineyard N E W H AV E N, M I S S O U R I "From Our Hillside To Your Glass" Great View of the rolling hills • Great Wines European Inspired Relaxing Atmosphere • Family Oriented (Kids Welcome) Beautiful Sunsets • Picnic Baskets Welcome Busses and Large Groups Welcome Complimentary Wine Tasting

Reggae Sunsplash August 18 & 19 Nominated for Best Rose' St. Louis Post Dispatch Top Pours 2018

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HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING`S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s18) NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts © All Rights Reserved

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[top pours • distilleries] Best gin or other spirits Pinckney Bend Hand Crafted American Gin • There is a particularly citrusy flavor to this gin that makes it a natural when mixed with tonic (especially the distillery’s own tonic) or a smooth, dry vermouth. And it gets extra credit for a label that literally puts Pinckney Bend on the map (hint: it’s in New Haven). (pinckneybend. com) BY DANIEL NEMAN

W I N E R Y

Wild Sun Winery... where the outside world ends and serenity begins.

For information regarding Weddings/Private Events, email us at info@wildsunwinery.com Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to see our weekly music lineup.

Other nominees • Spirits of St. Louis Regatta Bay • StilL 630 Volstead’s Folly • The Big O Ginger Liqueur • R. Griesedieck Distilling Co. Warbler Silver Rum

Best whiskey Stumpy’s Spirits Old Monroe Pecan Pie Flavored Whiskey • Some people put whiskey into their pecan pie.

Stumpy’s Spirits from Columbia, Ill., puts pecan pie into its whiskey, which is made with toasted pecans and brown sugar. But where is the ice cream? (stumpysspirits. com) DN Other nominees • Coulter & Payne Bourbon Whiskey • Pinckney Bend Rested American Whiskey • Spirits of St. Louis Vermont Night Maple Whiskey • StilL 630 Rally Point Rye

Best vodka St. Louis Distillery Cardinal Sin Vodka • That the St. Charlesbased St. Louis Distillery won for best vodka cannot come as a surprise; two years ago, it was named the best craft vodka distillery in the country

by readers of USA Today. It is an especially smooth vodka that gets a sweet finish by using toasted barley. (stldistillery.com) DN Other nominees • Mastermind Vodka • Pinckney Bend Hand Crafted American Vodka • Stumpy’s Spirits Unbroken Vodka

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So Many Options ~ Find Your Favorite !

Discover the possibilities in

Shopping * Dining * Local Art * Wineries * B & B's * History ~ Only an hour south of St. Louis ~

Now you can get the power of Go! Magazine on your smartphone, with the latest STL entertainment news, plus features like Ian Froeb’s STL 100,

Congratulations to the Ste. Genevieve area nominees and winners in the inaugural St. Louis Top Pours contest!

Weddings • Reunions • Corporate Meetings • School Tours Retreats • Spouse Tours

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[top pours • distilleries] SPEND THE DAY IN WINE COUNTRY......

Paul Jensen pours a raspberry hefeweizen at the Schlafly Tap Room, where he has worked since its opening in 1991.

~WINE TASTINGS ~LUNCH SERVED DAILY ~LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEKEND

100 HEMSATH RD. AUGUSTA, MO 63332 636.482.4500 Open Daily- 11am-5pm

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Schlafly Tap Room • St. Louis’ largest craft brewery boasts some of the best bartenders around, including Paul Jensen, who has tended bar there since the brewery opened in 1991. A rough estimate suggests he’s poured well over 700,000 Schlafly beers and logged more than 50,000 hours on his feet doing so. (schlafly. com/tap-room) BF Other nominees • Civil Life Brewing Co. • Martin Brothers Winery • Pinckney Bend Distillery • Urban Chestnut

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GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 07.27.18-08.02.18

The Anheuser-Busch brewery tour is a must for visitors and natives alike.

Best brewery, winery or distillery tour Anheuser-Busch • Touring the AnheuserBusch brewery in Soulard remains one of the must-dos for St. Louis natives and

tourists alike. Take in the brewery’s beauty, heritage and sheer scale, and then enjoy two free beers in the Biergarten, which A-B InBev has invested more than $6 million in over the last few years to

make it an even more engaging experience. (budweisertours.com) BF Other nominees • Mastermind Vodka • Mount Pleasant Estates • Pinckney Bend • Stone Hill Winery

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P H O T O S : P O S T- D I S PAT C H ( J E N S E N ; A - B )

Best bartenders at a brewery, winery or distillery

we hope you like

Hopskeller is a brewery influenced by the beers of Northern England and the Pacific Northwest.

A gathering place for laughter, discussion and the joy of sharing a beer with friends.

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Great Beer, Food & Company

116 E. 3rd Street Waterloo, IL 62298 (618) 939-2337 hopskeller.com

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$ 1 OY S T E R HAP P Y H O U R T H U R S D AY S & F R I D AY S

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ONE AMERISTAR BOULEVARD ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI 63301 636.949.7777 | AMERISTAR.COM Exclusions may apply. Cash, credit and mycash ® only. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. ©2018 Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

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LIVE ENTERTAINMENT • GREAT SERBIAN FOOD AND PASTRIES • CHURCH TOURS

32 nd ANNUAL “SERBFEST” ON AUGUST 4TH and 5TH

Ziv

HOSTED BY HOLY TRINITY SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 1910 Serbian Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63104 SerbianTraditional Cuisine, Music and Dance, Activities and Entertainment for All Ages

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Call the Church Office (314) 776-3263 for any additional information or visit us at www.serbianchurchstlouis.org http:www.facebook.com/SerbfestHolyTrinitySerbianEasternOrthodoxChurch

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Saturday, August 4 • 11am - 8pm Sunday, August 5 • 11am - 6 pm • Air Conditioned • Serbian • Authentic Serbian Entertainment Food • Church Tours • Serbian Cultural • Free Parking Booths PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR SPONSORS

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FishFest Holy Trinity Fish Fries Every Friday of Lent 314-776-3262 Voted 3rd BEST FISH FRY BY “GO” Readers

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