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?