March 2023

MARCH 2023 • VOLUME 23, ISSUE 3

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Allyson Mace

Meera Nagarajan

Liz Wolfson

Lauren Healey

Iain Shaw

Meera Nagarajan

Michelle Volansky

Lauren Healey

Heather Hughes Huff

Virginia Harold, Jonathan Gayman, Izaiah Johnson, David Kovaluk, Adam Rothbarth, Carmen Troesser, Michelle Volansky

Grace Admiraal, Nicky Althoff, Justin Harris, Katie Herrera, Meera Nagarajan, Iain Shaw, Matt Sorrell, Michelle Volansky, Liz Wolfson

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INTERN

Vidhya Nagarajan

Allyson Mace

Kelli Jones

Amy Hyde

Amy Hyde

Alexander Olson

Grace Admiraal

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EDITORIAL POLICIES

The Sauce Magazine mission is to provide St. Louis-area residents and visitors with unbiased, complete information on the area’s restaurant, bar and entertainment industry. Our editorial content is not influenced by who advertises with Sauce Magazine or saucemagazine.com.

Our reviewers are never provided with complimentary food or drinks from the restaurants in exchange for favorable reviews, nor are their identities as reviewers made known during their visits.

you were a beer, what beer would you be?

I’d like to consider myself a complex, wildly fermented sour. I'm probably a light lager

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

The crushpuppies at The Kings Oak inside Modern Brewery are what you want when you’re having a beer: a little salty, a little sweet and decadent, they want a thirst quencher like the brewery’s Citrapolis or Kings Oak Pils. These little crabcake-hush puppy mashups have super light insides flecked with pieces of lump crab and crispy, craggy crusts. They’re served sauced up with a remoulade and a couple lashings of zippy hot honey that adds richness. With eight to an order, they are definitely shareable, but they go fast; order two.

The Kings Oak (inside Modern Brewery), 5200 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, 314.788.0900, bio.site/ kingsoakmenu

PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

IN THE KNOW

HYA MADE

Like many of us during the pandemic, Planter’s House bartender Hya Van Der Pennen had to do some pivoting. She combined her longtime love of cooking and Korean cuisine into her own monthly menu pickup service, Hya Made. Relying on social media and word-of-mouth, what began out of necessity turned into a booming side hustle. “I didn’t expect it to blow up like that,” she said.

The menu generally includes traditional favorites like bulgogi, Korean egg bread, kimchi pancakes and multiple banchan – those tasty bites served up on the side – along with Dutch apple pie, an homage to the Netherlands, where Van Der Pennen grew up. Kimchi by the jar is also available periodically. Follow @hya.made on Instagram for menu drops (usually mid-week), then order via direct message. You’ll get a return message with pickup info for the following Monday. Instagram: @hya.made

DRINK THIS

Logboat Brewing Co. Mamoot, a mild brown ale, boasts notes of toasted malt, faint hints of chocolate and caramel, and pours a beautiful hue of mahogany. At just 4% ABV, this beer drinks light, delivering full flavor without a full stomach. Picture a cool afternoon slightly warmed by the sun, a big pot of chili on the stove, and a cold sixpack of Mamoot in the cooler: the perfect afternoon.

Six-pack: $10. Saint Louis Hop Shop, 2600 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.261.4011, saintlouishopshop.com

Justin Harris is co-owner of Saint Louis Hop Shop.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA MUSGRAVE

hit list 3 new places to try this month

Lola Jean’s Pizza’s order-ahead pizzas are a great option for a weeknight dinner at home that can either feed many mouths or bless you with great leftovers for a day or two. The thrice weekly pop-up operates out of the former Lola Jean’s Giveback Coffee spot and, like its predecessor, is owned and operated by the owners of Russell’s Cafe. The thick, Sicilian-style pies with buttery, deep crusts come in a few regular styles (all-cheese margherita blanketed with whole basil leaves, generously topped pepperoni, and supreme) and a rotating special, often inspired by Russell’s menu items like the bacon-wrapped meatloaf. For sweets, there are housemade chocolate-chip cookies and rotating trifle-like dessert specials like tiramisu and butterscotch pudding, served in a Mason jar for easy transport and storage (if you don’t eat it all immediately).

BAGEL UNION

Few restaurant openings have inspired as much anticipation as Bagel Union, the Webster Groves bagel shop from the team at Union Loafers Cafe and Bread Bakery. There is good reason for this: The bagels are delicious. The boiled and baked bagels boast fluffy interior texture and chewy crust available in a variety of flavors. We’re partial to the everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, but the salt and tzitzelnickel – their version of a pumpernickel – are also winning choices. Thankfully, sandwiches –open-faced and closed – are also on the menu: the Delox with lox sourced from Durham’s Tracklements and Smokery in Michigan, cream cheese, capers and onion is an excellent version of the classic lox bagel. Other sandwiches riff on this classic, like the salmon roe with cream cheese and the Goldie Lox featuring smoked golden beets shaved paper-thin with notes of citrus; it’s a clever vegetarian rendition that’s as vibrantly flavored as it is colorful.

THE VANDY

St. Louis’ cocktail culture has received yet another boost thanks to The Vandy, the first brick-and-mortar from STL Barkeep. As to be expected, the focus here is well-balanced, spirit-forward cocktails. The current list is divided into two parts: “classics,” building blocks of cocktail culture made with small, fun twists, like the mole bitters in the OldFashioned, and “carnival classics,” a St. Louis-meets-New Orleans-style nod to the latter’s role as the birthplace of the cocktail. We enjoyed the Soulard Sidecar made with El Dorado 5-year rum and sotol in addition to curacao, Montenegro and lemon. There’s also an extensive whiskey list that includes several single-barrel bourbons and ryes and single-producer flights from brands like High West, Blue Run and Old Forester. A handful of wines and local beers rounds out the high-andtight menu.

1301 S. Vandeventer Ave., St. Louis, 314.472.5321, thevandystl.com

from top: everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, salmon roe with cream cheese and smoked golden beets with cream cheese at bagel union; south of the border negroni at the vandy

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

5400 Nottingham Ave., St. Louis, lolajeansstl.com

8705 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, bagel-union.com

Drink local at Noboleis Vineyards in gorgeous Augusta wine country

BY ALEXANDER OLSON

Spring is upon us, so it’s time to get out of town and head to wine country. First stop: Noboleis Vineyards in the heart of Augusta, just 40 minutes west of St. Louis.

What began as a small grape-growing farm has grown to a working vineyard and winery that produces 10,000 cases per year. Founded in 2005, Noboleis honors the long tradition of winemaking in a historic region – the first designated American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the country – with a robust, high-quality wine portfolio that appeals to diverse palates, from sweet whites to dry, fullbodied reds. They use only Missourigrown grapes, including their estategrown Norton, Vignoles, Chambourcin

and Traminette varieties.

The winery offers about 15 handcrafted wines, as well as Swirl, a line of canned sangria, plus the new Tilted Hard Ciders (hopped and farmhouse-style are available) at the tasting room, which is open daily also selling a variety of pizzas and small plates. Stop by for a glass of wine or a flight board and a bite to eat. Customers can enjoy wine and food inside near the 20-foot viewing window overlooking the working winery, or head outside to the large pavilion on the hilltop with views of the rolling hills of the vineyards.

Noboleis Vineyards is female-owned and -operated, spanning three generations, including Lou Ann Nolan and her

daughters Christine Newbold and Angie Geis, as well as Chris’ daughter Tricia as marketing director. The name of the vineyard reflects its roots, “Noboleis is a combination of our three last names –Nolan, Newbold and Geis,” said Angie. Chris and Angie are at the helm, guiding the company into the future through maintaining their mission to persuade wine lovers to drink local, as well as leading innovation with products like Swirl Sangria and Tilted Hard Cider.

Noboleis Vineyards has always put production of wine first with a huge emphasis on creativity and innovation. Head winemaker Gabe Miller works closely with Chris and Angie to not only make the highest quality wine possible, but also create new lines of products

that present local wine in new and exciting ways. “Gabe constantly has something new up his sleeve and has an amazing talent for winemaking beyond just the bottle. We are lucky to have him and his production team always dreaming up new ideas. The next few years are going to be fun,” Angie said.

Noboleis products are available at the on-site tasting room, as well as a growing number of local retailers and boutique shops. A full list of retailers is available online. For more information, visit noboleisvineyards.com and drinkswirl.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NOBOLEIS VINEYARDS

AN ODE TO CIVIL LIFE’S

AMERICAN BROWN ALE

by Iain Shaw // illustration by vidhya nagarajan

In 2017, newly arrived in St. Louis, Manny Negron was eager to explore the craft beer scene. In a brewers’ city that was excitedly exploring New England IPAs, foeder-aged wild ales and pastry stouts, the last thing Negron expected to find himself drinking was an American brown ale. “You hear about a brown ale, and it’s not the sexiest beer in the world,” said Negron, a former general manager at Craft Beer Cellar who will open Little Lager in Princeton Heights in summer 2023. However, friends kept pushing him toward one beer in particular: Civil Life Brewing Co.’s American Brown Ale. “You’re like, ‘I’ve got to know why everyone is talking about this beer,’” he said. “And it was great.”

Negron was only the latest, and far from the last, to join an unofficial fan club whose ranks have swelled steadily since Civil Life introduced its American Brown in 2011. The American Brown quickly became the South City brewery’s flagship beer, and for a time it was the only Civil Life brew available outside of Civil Life’s brewpub. St. Louis has a fondness for the eccentric, but the idiosyncrasy of a flagship brown ale would count for little if the beer itself wasn’t so bloody good.

This is a beer for all seasons and occasions, neither a beer you need to be in the right mood for nor a high-ABV heavyweight that might leave you tipsy after one or two. It’s sessionable, but it’s also a beer you can nurse, allowing space for its depth of flavors to unfold, rise and fall with each sip. “You have these really beautiful notes

of chocolate and toasted grain and caramel malts, but it’s easy,” said beer writer Katie Herrera. “I’d like to argue that the flavor profile is super complex, but it’s perfectly clean and balanced and conjures up the want of having several, especially when you’re enjoying yourself.”

This is a brewer’s beer, and the American Brown’s paucity of imitators speaks volumes. “A lot of breweries in the St. Louis area don’t have a brown ale because they know Civil Life has got it,” said Negron. According to Narrow Gauge Brewing Co. founder and head brewer Jeff Hardesty, the American Brown’s reputation extends well beyond St. Louis. “When brewers come into town, they want to try it,” said Hardesty.

Abbey Spencer, head brewer at Third Wheel Brewing, believes the Civil Life American Brown exemplifies the best version of what an American brown ale can be. Spencer teaches a sensory class to students across the country as part of St. Louis University’s Brewing Science and Operations program and frequently singles out the American Brown.

“It’s such a great teaching beer for me, but it’s also outstanding and approachable,” she said. “Even though it’s a dark-colored beer, you’re not going to get a bunch of roasted coffee – it’s going to be caramel and toasty and nutty and easy and approachable, very fall-like flavors. The hop component is interesting. It’s citrusy, sometimes a little floral, maybe a little pine-y, but not to an overwhelming point. The malt is complex and interesting, the

hops are complex and interesting, but nothing outshines the other.”

For brewers, consistency stands out as one of the American Brown’s greatest assets. It’s Civil Life head brewer Dylan Mosley’s job to hold to those standards, but Troy Meier, founder and former president of STL Hops Homebrew Club, said that’s just one of Mosley’s skills. “We tease him all the time, we call him ‘the Malt Whisperer’ because I’ve never met a brewer that uses more different types of malts in a beer and comes up with such a well-balanced beer,” Meier said.

Always there, but never boring, the American Brown doesn’t scream for your attention. From the succinct name to the literalism of its packaging – the Civil Life logo on a chocolate-brown can – it’s just there, being itself and waiting for us to come back to it once we’ve gotten over the latest shiny new beer trend. “It’s the least flashy beer to come out of St. Louis in the grand scheme of things,” said Herrera.

If a flagship brown ale is an outlier, an oddity among breweries, should we be surprised we’ve fallen so hard as a city for Civil Life’s American Brown? Of course not, and we don’t care if that offends anyone. We revel in bucking convention, and we take pride in our homegrown eccentrics, especially those whose inspiration and excellence mirrors this humble, mighty brown ale.

Civil Life Brewing Co., 3714 Holt Ave., St. Louis, civil-life-online.square.site

OFF TO A GREAT START, ARMORY STL HAS MORE IN STORE

BY KIANA FLEMING

Armory STL opened in mid-December 2022 at 3660 Market St. in Midtown St. Louis and is quickly becoming a destination favorite, reinventing the wheel on what it means to play as an adult. The immersive multifunctional entertainment and game space is responding to growing customer demand while staying true to its hometown roots.

“We’ve been blown away by the demand for food,” said executive chef Brandon Powell. “The guests are telling us they want to eat.”

As a response, the Armory has launched two temporary food stations featuring G&W bratwursts and fresh grilled sandwiches on opposite ends of the main floor, adding more options to purchase food outside of the main food counter. The team is in the process of building a permanent taco truck and a gourmet grilled sandwich station. The stations will include multiple types of tacos, as well as other made-to-order, handheld items.

“Our goal is for guests to grab some quick bites while having a good time playing games. We want to be sure people are taking advantage of the entire space,” Powell said.

In addition to the food stations, the Armory is introducing STL’s biggest happy hour and ramping up its St. Louiscentric programming. The Friday Block Party after-work happy hour is from

4 to 8 p.m. every Friday and includes $4 drink pouches (the Weekend Credential), $1 off all draft beers, $2 off select cocktails, and 2 for 1 wine-bythe-glass. Also, local businesses that prebook through events@armorystl. com can reserve space and get complimentary menu items for their group. The Armory’s 62-foot main stage has a phenomenal upcoming schedule of local and regional bands, and the massive screen will play Billikens, Blues, BattleHawks, Cardinals and St. Louis City SC games for sports enthusiasts.

“We’ve really leaned into the St. Louis brand,” said general manager Ayron Adams. From great, locally brewed beers to the tailored menu, offering simple items with St. Louis flair (the Armory burger topped with Pappy’s barbecue sauce, bratwursts from G&W, Louisa’s toasted ravioli), St. Louis partnerships are a driving force in decision-making.

“We are St. Louis-owned and -operated,” said Adams. “We’re going to continue to innovate. Our mission is when you come here, you can gather, relax, play and have a good time. We want you to be able to enjoy the space and anticipate that something will be unique and different each time you come back, whether it’s the menu, happy hours or the space.”

Armory STL is open 4 p.m. to midnight Monday through Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday. For more information, visit armorystl.com

Dark ’n’ Toasty

Not every glass of ruby-tinged, black liquid is a stout or porter. Check out the world of dark ales and lagers, which are currently enjoying a minor moment with beer aficionados.

BY KATIE HERRERA // PHOTOS BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

Dark lagers from Germany’s Bavarian region and the Czech Republic’s Bohemia, and dark ales from England and the U.S., are mellow beers that make for easy drinking and are excellent accompaniment to a meal. Hop bitterness is balanced by malt sweetness, though some styles boast a more acute hop aroma like the Cascadian dark ale, a style currently seeing a minor resurgence. Toasted grain offers these styles a nice caramel complexity that can quickly approach a rich, toffee-like profile.

These styles are distinguished by palate nuances characterized as nutty and chocolatey but never coffee-like or burnt. Despite their dark nature and unlike stouts, porters and even some brown ales, acridity is low. Although a small amount of heavily roasted grain may be used, its impact on the beer is visual and rarely affects flavor and aroma. Despite their appearance, these beers are not meant to be aggressive and bold. They are direct in their function but should never be sharp; they’re as cozy as they are refreshing. If you are intrigued, check out this list of mostly local brews. The dark side awaits the willing.

Dark Mild Ale

Frequently encountered in pubs across England and often considered a beer to drink every day by just about anybody, mild ales are the quintessential beverage of the British commoner. A nourishing, full-bodied style that boasts a low alcohol content and charming fruit-forward sweetness that blends nicely with notes of toasted bread and a creamy body brought on by generally low carbonation.

Try these:

Rockwell Beer Co. Oxford Llama

Bluewood Brewing 1821 Mild

Czech-Style Dark Lager

Tmavé pivo, or Czech dark lager, is the newest and trendiest lager embraced by American breweries. Often overshadowed by its spritely pale counterpart, this darker-hued, Czech-style brew is just as refreshing with a rich, toasted malt palate that lightly resonates on the tongue with subtle notes of cocoa and caramel.

Try these:

Wellspent Brewing Co. Dark

Heavy Riff Brewing Co. Dark Star

Munich Dunkel

Dunkel translates to dark in English, and the dunkel lager is an exemplary Bavarian beer. The Munich dunkel is clean with toasted, nutty Munich malt lending ribbons of freshly baked bread and caramelized sweetness that often approach a toffee-like richness. Hop presence is moderate in bitterness and subtle on the nose with an occasional lingering note of spicy, herbal anise.

Try these:

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Dorfbier

Main & Mill Brewing Co. Classic Munich Dunkel

Third Wheel Brewing No D Dunkel

Schwarzbier

Much drier and lighter-bodied than its dunkel cousin, the schwarzbier is also Munich’s more roasty black beer. Sweetness is subdued and bitterness is apparent due to the heavily roasted malt and hop balance that characterizes the style. Some iterations teeter the line of burnt toast, but its light-bodied nature means the style is rarely perceived as meal-like or heavy.

Try these:

Schlafly Schwarzbier (available late November)

Civil Life Brewing Co. Black Lager (available August or September)

Cascadian Dark Ale

Also known as a black India pale ale, the Cascadian dark ale was popularized in the Pacific Northwest to showcase the complementary nature of heavily toasted grain and American hop profiles. Mediumlight body, drier mouthfeel, dominant citrus and piney hop aroma, and caramelly, chocolatey malt blend to showcase an intentionally provocative style.

Try these:

2nd Shift Brewing Dead & Alive (available August or September)

Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Wookey Jack

SPRING FORECAST

BY NICKY ALTHOFF AND GRACE ADMIRAAL

The season of new beginnings also means new entrants into the St. Louis beer scene from familiar faces and newcomers alike. We spoke to area breweries about what they’re opening up – and brewing up – this spring.

Expansions

Blue Jay Brewing Co. 2710 Locust St., St. Louis, bluejaybrewing.com

As part of the development at JC Midtown this spring, Jason Thompson, former head brewer and production manager at Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., and Nicole Thompson plan to open Blue Jay Brewing Co. in early spring. No official opening date has been settled on yet, but expect a sizable covered patio and 3,500-square-foot brewery and taproom. The roughly 10 to 12 beers on tap will favor American and European lager-style beers, with five core offerings alongside rotational features.

Friendship Fli-Hi and Godspeed

Distilling Co. 400 Crossroads Business Park Court, Wentzville, friendshipbrewco.com

Dubbed Friendship Fli-Hi as an homage to surrounding neighborhood Flint Hill, Friendship Brewing’s new 10,000-square-foot location and accompanying distillery will quadruple brewing capacity and enable the brewery to begin canning and distributing their brews locally. A large outdoor space will house bocce courts and a beer garden. Co-founder Brian Nolan anticipates the addition of several malty lagers that the team ferments in their foeders, new twists on hazy IPAs and some of his personal favorite barrel-aged brews alongside Friendship’s traditional six to eight brews. Food partnership plans and an exact opening date are forthcoming.

Friendship Brewing Hannibal

422 N. Main St., Hannibal, friendshipbrewco.com

The second of two Friendship Brewing spinoffs slated to open in the upcoming months, Friendship Brewing Hannibal will take up the former home of Mark Twain Brewery in Hannibal. The two-story, 15,000-square-foot space offers scenic river views as well as bed and breakfast options for thirsty travelers stopping off from nearby Highway 19. Expect slightly different food and beverage offerings at this location, in line with the brewing company’s goal to offer patrons unique experiences at each of their locations.

Alpha Brewing Co. Distillery

5232 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.621.2337, alphabrewingcompany.com

Slated to open in late summer or early fall, Alpha Brewing Co.’s new concept includes a 2,300-squarefoot tasting room and a 1,200-square-foot distillery, allowing the brewery to expand into a new line of whiskeys, ryes and bourbons as well as a new line of fruited vodkas, Squoosh. The distillery itself will provide St. Louis-style pizzas alongside its beverage offerings. Alpha will be joined by Steve’s Hot Dogs and Fountain Off Locust in the Maker’s Locale development on Delmar Boulvard.

Mississippi Culture 201 S. Union St., Staunton, Illinois, mississippiculturebeer.com

Father-and-son co-owners Bruce and Tracy Hutton have been brewing up plans for new Staunton brewery Mississippi Culture since 2020. Inspired by Belgian sour beer traditions, Tracy, who currently heads up brewing at Recess Brewing, will focus on true farmhouse-style saisons. Expect a lineup of at least one farmhouse IPA and an assortment of American sour beers, all fermented and aged in oak barrels. Opening plans are slated for this spring, with an official date yet to be announced.

Narrow Gauge Brewing Co.

1545 N. Hwy. 67, Florissant, narrowgaugestl.shop

Narrow Gauge is expanding into an 8,000-squarefoot brewing facility just down the street from their original location. Co-owners Heather and Jeff Hardesty, Ben Goldkamp and David Beckham plan to open their doors exclusively for retail in the next couple of months; an adjacent taproom and patio will open up in the next year or so. The extra space will double production capacity, enabling additional distribution throughout Missouri as well as more barrel-aged stouts, lagers and longer fermentation-style beers that were not previously feasible due to space limitations.

Main & Mill Brewing Co.

6 Main St., Festus, 636.638.0130, mainandmill.com Festus favorite Main & Mill has plans to open four new concepts at its new, 20,000-square-foot production facility on Main Street: 6th Main, its new cocktail bar concept; a carryout restaurant from a to-be-determined local food vendor; a taproom featuring a takeout window from the restaurant; and an event space. Co-owners Denny and Barry Foster are hopeful for a May opening date for the “intimate but lighthearted” cocktail bar led by longtime Main & Mill brewer Tyler Bryant that will feature a mix of experimental and classic cocktails, assorted wines and, of course, beer.

Opening dates for the taproom and event space have yet to be announced, but the owners anticipate experimenting with new wines, fruit-beer slushies and hard kombucha, among other brews.

Beer releases

Feb. 21: Schlafly Beer Hazed for Days 12-Pack

Fans of hazy beer will love this new variety pack featuring three exclusive brews as well as the popular year-round Just a Bit Hazy IPA. The exclusive beers are Mighty Hazy Double IPA, Lightly Hazed Lager and Wavy Hazy Citrus Wheat. Each brew is also available at Schlafly’s four brewpubs.

Feb. 25: Scratch Brewing Co. Honey Beer

Brewed with 55 pounds of local honey, this tripelstyle beer is sure to warm you up from head to toe. The flavor profile is a mix of clove, light stone fruit and bubble gum. At 8.9% ABV, Honey Beer is meant to be sipped and savored.

Feb. 28: Main & Mill Mint-Chocolate Chip

The latest in Main & Mill’s Daze series, this MintChocolate Chip stout will fulfill all your Girl Scout cookie-meets-beer dreams. Its flavor comes from cacao nibs and fresh mint with a smooth finish thanks to the addition of oats and a pump of nitrogen. If you’ve been hesitant to try a stout, this is a great place to start.

March 1: Earthbound Beer

Precocious Cowboy

As its name suggests, this springtime gose is on the early side of the area’s spring releases - and we’re not mad about it. Fermented with apricots, the aromatic 5.8%-ABV beer has an unforgettable salty, fruity tang.

March 3: Wellspent Brewing Co. BAQ

This 12.5%-ABV quad beer was aged for 20 months in Weller whiskey and Appleton Estate rum barrels. Because of the long aging process, BAQ bursts with oak, char and whiskey flavors plus hints of dark stone fruits, chocolate and molasses.

May: Old Bakery Beer Co.

Guava Up River IPA

Just in time for a new go-to summer IPA, Old Bakery will launch this juicy, tropical IPA that adds guava to their year-round IPA. Organic and packed full of Washington and Oregon hops, what more could you ask for in a fruity summertime brew?

DRINK

DRINK THIS

Six spots across the St. Louis region, from Cherokee Street to Wentzville, where you’re sure to find a surprisingly great treat on tap in addition to a pleasant imbibing experience

BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

Go to Chillax , drink a Sump Coffee Stout

Chillax is the savvy beer drinker’s Wentzville oasis (with an upcoming second location in St. Peters) with 30 frequently rotating taps in addition to their wide retail selection. Friendly vibes, patio space and plenty of board and yard games make it an ideal, family-friendly hangout. New kegs are popped on weekly, but if you’re quick, you can catch a pour of Perennial Artisan Ales’ Sump Coffee Stout, a beloved Imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels and blended with coffee roasted by Sump Coffee.

+ 714 W. Pearce Blvd., Wentzville, 636.887.0387, chillaxstl.com

Go to Side Project Cellar, drink a barrel-aged coffee stout

The crown jewel of St. Louis’ tasting rooms showcases an unrivaled selection of Belgian-inspired and barrel-aged beers.

It’s heaven for the most studious beer nerd, and a crash course education for the rest of us. March brings Maplewood’s annual Coffee Crawl, and Side Project Cellar is celebrating with three to four special edition barrel-aged Imperial stouts blended with coffee from local roasters. Pro tip: Visit from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday to take advantage of their new happy hour with special discount pricing on select bottles from the cellar.

+ 7373 Marietta Ave., Maplewood, sideprojectbrewing.com/pages/the-cellar

Go to the Royale Food & Spirits, drink an IPA

The Royale and its charming patio have been a staple of South City beer drinking since opening nearly 20 years ago. It’s the ideal neighborhood bar with friendly vibes, respectable food offerings, a smart cocktail menu and, of course, a diverse draft list that updates

CHILLAX PHOTO BY ADAM ROTHBARTH; BLUEBERRY HILL PHOTO BY DAVID KOVALUK; SIX MILE BRIDGE PHOTO BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

from left, owners archie and ashley harmon, co-owners at chillax

PHOTO BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

weekly. With that kind of dynamism, we like to stick to a classic patio pal, like Cigar City Jai Alai , a bold, citrusy India Pale Ale with six different hop varietals and notes of orange peel and light caramel.

+ 3132 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, 314.772.3600, theroyale.com

Go to Saint Louis Hop Shop, drink their latest collaboration with 2nd Shift Brewing

In addition to the wide variety of retail choices available at Saint Louis Hop Shop’s small but mighty Cherokee Street bottle shop, you can also saddle up to the cozy bar in the back for a friendly, knowledgeable beer chat with co-owners and brothers Justin Harris and Ryan Griffin. This month you can try a draft of I’m the Captain Still , their newest collaboration with 2nd Shift Brewing. This boozy, Imperial

stout, aged for one year in Barbados rum barrels, is dominated by spicy flavors that give way to sweet, rich chocolate notes with hints of coconut, cinnamon and coffee.

+ 2600 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.261.4011, saintlouishopshop.com

Go to OSP Tap Haus, drink an Irish Red Ale

OSP Tap Haus dedicates at least 24 of their 50 taps to St. Louis-made brews; the other half showcases the country’s greatest hits from Ohio to Colorado and beyond. Real ones will get nostalgic tingles for the golden days of Growlers Pub’s beer card program. Fifty stamps (one per full draft beer purchased, two for every Budweiser) earn you a mug that gets $1 off during discount hours. Quick changes and seasonal choices are the play here. Celebrate St. Patty’s Day with Six Mile Bridge’s Irish Red Ale with Honey, a smooth, ruby-red ale brewed with over

40 pounds of honey to create layers of caramel and toffee notes.

+ 6346 Telegraph Road, St. Louis, 314.293.9642, osptaphaus.com

Go to Blueberry Hill, drink a pitcher of craft beer

When you think of this landmark in the Loop, your assumption might be that the draw is burgers and decor that would have TGI Fridays’ interior designer shaking in their boots, but its true strength lies in its bar. Cozy, dark wood booths line the space and there’s no greater joy than sipping a pitcher under the warm novelty lighting. The craft draft selection reads like a list of St. Louis’ greatest hits from Civil Life Brewing Co. American Brown to 4 Hands Brewing Co. Incarnation IPA; and, best of all, you can order a pitcher of any of them for $19.50.

+ 6504 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.727.4444, blueberryhill.com

HOP SHOP PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON; BEER PHOTO BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

justin harris and ryan griffin coowners of saint louis hop shop

side project cellar

BEER ET AL.

BY KATIE HERRERA

Seasonal Lagers

Seasonally released, German-inspired lagers are having a moment, from the springtime Foeder Maibock by Rockwell Beer Co. to fall-friendly Märzen like Main & Mill Oktoberfestus. From the bready, refreshing Vienna lager that quenches summer’s incessant heat to the toasty doppelbock that emboldens a necessary winter warmth, there is always a perfectly timed, cold-fermented beauty for lovers of pure simplicity.

Nonalcoholic beer

Innovation in alcohol-removal technology, and its increased accessibility, have helped drive recent growth in NA beer. Gone are the days of simply boiling off the alcohol, resulting in an overcooked and less desirable product. Saccharomycodes ludwigii, a nonalcoholproducing yeast strain from California-based White Labs, is the newest thing to happen to NA beer. This new microorganism will allow more breweries to effectively and efficiently experiment with low- and noalcohol products, thus adding to the growth of inclusivity in imbibing.

Fruited Sours

Fruited sour beer isn’t just something you have to stand in a line and wait for anymore. These acidic brews vary in level of sourness – from mildly tart and effervescent to enamel-ripping and poppy – and are now commonplace across all types of bar programs, from restaurant chain to neighborhood hot spot, due to the prevalence of the style in brewer repertoires. Check out rotating fruit series like Recess Brewing’s Brainiac, Wellspent Brewing Co.’s On the Bright Side and Bluewood Brewing’s Hop Tart.

Hazy IPAs

Either it’s the focal point of a brewery, like that of Narrow Gauge Brewing Co., or

a style a brewery executes occasionally to appease the masses, like Hallertau Haze from Urban Chestnut Brewing Co Regardless of why, the New England-style IPA is here to stay. These hazy brews showcase a massive hop load, but instead of being outrageously and divisively bitter, a la West Coast-style IPAs, they express their appeal through a juicy, dank aroma and succulent flavor profile with little to no bitterness.

Barrel-Aged Beauty

It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since Side Project Brewing’s first release in September 2013. Side Project’s barrel-aging program helped put St. Louis on the international beer map with people coming from all over the world to imbibe at The Cellar and at the tasting room. Fortunately, well done, barrel-aged liquid isn’t as tricky to come by as it once was with exceptional offerings also coming from Perennial Artisan Ales, 2nd Shift Brewing, Melvin Brewing and White Rooster Farmhouse Brewery. Whether you’re a local or traveler or your tastes run rich and luscious or tart and funky, a thoughtfully produced, barrel-aged beer is certain to be a part of your beer journey in the Lou.

Terpenes

Albeit slow to the pickup in St. Louis, the legalization of cannabis across the country is having a positive impact on beer innovation. While economists argue whether the legalization of marijuana and other cannabinoid products impacts beer sales, brewers are harnessing the dope effects of adding terpenes to hop-forward beers. Terpenes – the sativa aroma and flavor compounds found in both hops and cannabis – make beer (and other products) danker by augmenting kush-like flavors of tropical fruit, pine and resin.

DAN JENSEN

SANDO SHACK & HELLO POKE

Position: Co-owner

Married? Yes

Kids? No

Where are you originally from? Chicago

Where did you go to school?

University of Houston

How did you get to where you are? I have a background in the restaurant/hospitality industry, working various positions in cities like Chiago, Houston, Miami, and Seattle. My dream has always been to open up my own restaurant. I learned a lot about seafood

and Asian fusion food in my past positions so I wanted to build something and apply my creativity and knowledge.

New things going on in your restaurant: We always have rotating menu specials depending on the season. The specials that we have had recently are Japanese curry soup and gyoza wings. Watch our Instagram and Facebook for new and limited specials.

Favorite menu item: Teriyaki pork wings

Three cool facts:

• I'm a big sports and history buff.

• I got to be in my friend’s traditional Indian wedding in Mumbai. It was one of the best experiences ever.

• I got to meet a handful of celebrities in my past jobs –the most memorable one is Dennis Rodman.

What is your favorite piece of equipment or kitchen item? Tongs! They can grab anything!

Sando Shack , 3173 Morgan Ford Rd, St. Louis, instagram.com/sandoshackstl

Hello Poke , 3730 Foundry Way, St. Louis, cityfoundrystl.com/ directory/hello-poke

Co-owner Amy Guo and head cook Connor McDonald

Co-owner Dan Jensen

JEFF STEVENS

FOUNDER, WELLBEING BREWING CO.

Jeff Stevens is founder of WellBeing Brewing Co., a craft brewery dedicated to nonalcoholic beer and other NA beverages. Last year, following a successful collaboration with Schlafly on Match Day (an NA version of Schlafly’s famous pale ale), the two breweries formed a long-term partnership, putting Schlafly in charge of WellBeing’s wholesale operations. Not only does the move help WellBeing continue to grow, Stevens explained, it’s also freed him to focus on the part of his job he enjoys most: developing new, innovative products. Here, Stevens explains how WellBeing overcame the challenges of NA beer production, and what inspired him to take the leap from a successful career in advertising to beer production. – Liz

Wolfson

“The key is that [WellBeing’s] beer fully ferments; it has alcohol in it, it’s made just like it would normally be made. So, it has all the body, mouthfeel, flavors and aroma [of beer].”

“Then the beer’s put through this vacuum, which lowers the boiling temperature. Beer would boil at the same temperature water boils; it would scorch the beer if you tried to boil the alcohol off, and you’d ruin it. This brings the boiling temperature down, but it doesn’t ruin the beer [or] the flavors, mouthfeel and crispness.”

“Historically, nonalcoholic beers have [used] other methods: limited fermentation or stop fermentation, where the sugars aren’t fermented, so they’re sweeter. And then you’ve got to add stuff to them. … But even that technology has gotten better, because there’s different kinds of yeasts.”

“When I first started, I’d worked [in advertising] in London a long time; I had a lot of friends over there, I’d been there recently on a job. And my creative team had shown me this idea for a

nonalcoholic [beer] brand. There was one in London that’d just started, Big Drop, which is now in the U.S.”

“We were sitting, drinking O’Doul’s, and we all asked ourselves – and this is 2015 or 2016 – ‘Why do nonalcoholic beers suck so bad? Why?’”

“And it’s a really good question, because craft beer was happening big time, and there’s a million different styles. … No one cared or put any effort into it – it was always an afterthought.”

“So, I started doing all this research on nonalcoholic beer, and … you couldn’t find a craft beer brand of nonalcoholic beer in 2015, 2016 in the U.S.”

“I finally found this dealcoholization plant out of Munich and imported some beer from Germany, like a case of something for $500. And it was delicious.”

“We decided to import the technology. Fran [Caradonna] was at O’Fallon [Brewery], I knew [owner] Jim Gorczyca from my A-B [Anheuser-Busch]

days. And that’s where we ended up putting the plant.”

“I’m glad we own this technology and can make the best, really highend beers, I think that will serve us well. … But there’s all kinds of interesting other products that we need to also learn to make.”

“There’s a whole world out there of sparkly, cold beverages, who knows what these will ultimately be. … There’s this whole category of things that have not yet been invented that are complex, interesting to drink, don’t have alcohol but could have a variety of other things, from healthy ingredients to THC, CBD –who knows what might be in drinks in the future.”

“That’s what I find exciting, and why this Schlafly deal makes so much sense. I want them to take over this business that I’ve been running, that they’re really good at doing. And I would like to get back into doing what I really enjoy, which is innovating and creating these new drinks, these new, healthy things.”

THE HAVEN PUB

PHOTO BY DAVID KOVALUK

When John Gasperi bought The Haven in 2009, he knew he was buying an old bar. He didn’t know exactly how old. The Haven’s new owner had printed his new menus with “established in 1950” emblazoned next to the bar’s name. A relative of Ed and Dot Beck, The Haven’s original owners, had confirmed the date was at least roughly accurate. “And then when I opened, I had a guy down the street, Tony, come in yelling at me, ‘I’ve been coming in here since ’42!’” Gasperi said. Later, another customer brought in a pack of matches branded with the bar’s name, which was previously known as Dot and Ed’s.

No matter when The Haven actually opened, the stories Gasperi tells about the bar’s early years are a throwback to what feels like a distant era. “The mom was in the kitchen and the dad had a bow tie and used to stand behind the bar every day,” Gasperi said. It was a meeting place for the neighborhood, whatever the weather. “When it snowed, if you wanted your mail, there was a good chance the mailman was down at the bar,” he said.

In the process of renovating and getting to know his new bar, Gasperi learned that the basement had once doubled as an off-the-record meeting place for regulars, including local aldermen and their associates. When he took over the bar, someone even presented him with a photograph of a group who referred to themselves as “The Haven Club.” “In the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s even, they used to have meetings down there,” Gasperi said. “There was a bar in the basement, and they used to play cards down there.” Cleaning out the basement,

Gasperi even stumbled upon a dusty pack of playing cards, a gin rummy score card, and some dice.

Under Dot and Ed Beck, The Haven was renowned for its brain sandwiches, served with raw onion and mustard. “They sold a ton of them,” Gasperi said. By the time he bought the bar, however, the kitchen space had lain unused for around 20 years. Ed and Dot Beck had retired, and the bar had lost its vigor, the old regulars gradually outnumbered by underage drinkers. “It had just kind of gotten worn out,” Gasperi said. When Gasperi came into the picture in 2009, The Haven had been closed for a couple of years.

Gasperi “totally revamped” the space, painting and retiling, adding booth seating and hanging an array of memorabilia and art on the walls. Reviving the kitchen was another priority. There are no more brain sandwiches, but Gasperi introduced a wide-ranging menu that combines bar food standards – burgers, steak sandwiches, Reubens – with comfort foods that reasserted The Haven’s status as a classic south St. Louis city tavern.

Gasperi was also keen to rehabilitate The Haven’s reputation in the neighborhood, establishing the bar as a family-friendly dining spot. He would dress as Santa Claus for Christmas parties, and host fish fries around Lent. He would give out whoopee cushions and clown noses to amuse kids who came in with their parents. Now, some of those kids are customers. “They’ll say, ‘Hey, Big John, want to do a shot with us?’” Gasperi said. “I’m like, ‘Nah, I know your grandparents!’”

Amid all the tweaks and changes, The Haven’s revival was also built on a degree of continuity; the current team includes several employees Gasperi worked with prior to taking over the business. “There’s hundreds of bars, what makes one better than the other?” Gasperi said. “People go there for comfort. They see somebody that they know, they know what they drink, so it’s a social thing. You can’t do that if you’re getting somebody different every time.”

Fish fry season is in full swing again at The Haven, and it’s always a busy time. “It’s pretty insane,” Gasperi said. “It’s like Long John Silver’s: just fish, fish, fish.” Gasperi is proud of the kitchen’s fried and baked cod, and the catfish platter, but the Jack salmon (the local name for whiting, or hake) has an important place in the local memory. “Jack salmon is a South City classic,” Gasperi said. “That was huge in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s.”

We’ve all witnessed a beloved old bar or restaurant lose its way, and experience teaches us that no comeback is guaranteed. Gasperi said he knew The Haven’s revival was on the right track when people from the neighborhood began to return in numbers. “One guy came in and said something like, ‘Thanks for bringing a little bit of class back to the neighborhood,’” he said, laughing. “I said, ‘Wow, that’s pretty nice – but don’t be so quick to judge.’”

6625 Morgan Ford Road, St. Louis, 314.352.4283, Facebook: The Haven Pub