Day Trip

by Vicki Wood

A piece of the Netherlands

Bevo Mill is a Dutch neighborhood located in south St. Louis. A 60-foot windmill and local beer are the highlights of this stop.

Das Bevo on Facebook

Day Trippin’ possibilities in St. Louis are endless. It would be unfair to narrow down to the top four or five favorites. The whole town is full of history.

Bevo Mill is another great historical neighborhood with immigrant origins. After falling into relative extinction for a number of years, the neighborhood in south

St. Louis was revitalized in the early 1990s by a group of

Bosnian and Croatian war refugees. Gravois Road and Gravois Creek play a big part in this neighborhood, showing evidence of French influence.

But Bevo Mill’s greatest attraction after which the neighborhood was named, was built by August Busch, the original owner of Anheuser-Busch. Bevo Mill Hall, adorned with a windmill, was created by Busch after Prohibition to promote a future in America of German-style beer halls, which leaned toward the lesser potent drinks of beer and light wine.

The definition of the word Bevo is a non-alcoholic malt beverage, or near beer, brewed by Anheuser-Busch in the early 20th Century. The Deutsche Wirtschaft or beer hall at Gravois and Morganford Roads is built with stone from his Grant’s Farm south of St. Louis. He told the newspapers in 1916 that there would be no bar in the establishment -- it would be a high-class café with all drinks served at tables.

Although Busch only spent $200,000 to build Bevo Mill, he followed with a $3 million plant to produce the “temperance” drink that would be served at his drinking hall. Bevo, the beverage, was marketed as a “soft drink” which comes from the Slavic word for beer. The near beer turned into a big hit for the Busch family in the early 1920s when Bevo

was produced at the rate of more than five million cases per year. The motorized windmill of the establishment ran regardless of wind or weather welcoming “light drinkers” in the city with a setting described as a “country club,” with full orchestra playing in the background and a large open garden in the back of the hall for dining and dancing. The menu was elegant, full of beef and seafood. German fare was peppered to be served in the ornate, great halls of the establishment.

Today, Bevo Mill has been turned into “Das Bevo,” and the original 60-foot-tall windmill can still be viewed which August Busch, Jr., had constructed by experts from the Netherlands. In 1959, the wooden blades were deemed a hazard and replaced by aluminum ones. A $1.5 million renovation by the new owners, Pat and Carol Schuchards brought the great halls back to life for another generation to enjoy. Das Bevo is primarily an event venue these days, but the owners have not forgotten its history.

Das Bevo still focuses on the beer. They have a public beer garden open nightly, and Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cultural diversity is what the Bevo Mill neighborhood is known for. The Bosnian and Croation refugee influx in the 1990s made sure of that. The culture can be found in the food of Bevo Mill, particularly the Bosnian influence. Bakers and coffee shops showcase food that has the world calling the area “Little Bosnia.” J’s Pitaria is a good place to start. Hand-pulled fresh every morning, pitas, baklava, and spit roasted kebabs line the old-world menu.

Sana Bakery is another food lover’s stop, but make sure to go early. The rich Bosnian bread usually sells out by noon.

Golden Grains Bakery includes a market, and these specialties are stuffed with fresh specialty beef which is prepared down the street at Mesnica Pehlan, the Bosnian Butcher.

It’s an exciting feeling being a foreigner in the midst of St. Louis. Fall into one of the dive bar coffee shops for some thick, strong Bosnian coffee. You will be welcomed, but you will still feel you are in another country.