Brew Pubs and Breweries in STL

In the past several weeks I've had the chance to re-visit a few of the micro-breweries around St. Louis and some are doing a great job and others may not be around too much longer. I will write more about the various locations as time permits. (Gee what is free time)?

Urban Chestnut Brewing is the latest member of the St. Louis brewing family. I visited them on a recent Friday night and was not impressed. I know it is early and the brew team is still working out the bugs in their production. From a beer drinker's point of view, the service was outstanding. The bartenders know their stuff and were willing to share their knowledge of the product.

I was able to sample all of their new offerings that evening and settled on a Pilsner. The Pilsner was nice, but it was not by any means the best I have had. Apparently, the philosophy of the brewery is to serve styles that are popular in Germany. There are many fine German brews. But, this is St. Louis and many craft beer drinkers want bigger beers despite what they tell you. I sampled the half IPA Urban offers and found it disappointing. In fairness to the brewer I am a hop head, so I am biased. But, why bother making the half IPA, when there are so many other styles on which he could have focused?

I wish Urban Chestnut well but this brewery may be too sophisticated for the average micro-brewery customer. The night I visited, Urban Chestnut was crowded and I didn't hear too many complaints. So, I really hope I am wrong in my assessment and this venture is around for quite some time.

Another Great Brew

I finally had the chance to taste DogFish Head 90 Minute IPA. It's better than I had been led to believe. The beer is as good as any IPA I have tasted. This beer is huge. It's 9 percent by volume and carries a whopping 90 IBU.

The beer is between an Orange and Copper in color and starts out tasting like grapefruit with a little Brown Sugar. It finishes with the traditional pine smell and a taste of Lemon. It has a syrupy taste in your mouth and is well balanced.

I had to drive 30 miles to find it, but the drive was well worth it. This is just one more reason Dogfish Head Brewing in Rehobeth Beach, Delaware is one of the top micro-breweries in the USA.

Two More Fine IPAs

If you like the IPA beer style than I have two recommendations for you.

One is Sierra Nevada's Torpedo Extra IPA. The other is Boulevard's Single-Wide IPA.

Each contains a fine mixture of hops. Single-Wide is lighter and more amber in color than Torpedo which has a reddish tint to it. Both are pleasing to the nose. If push came to shove and I could drink only one it would be the Torpedo Extra IPA. But, Single Wide IPA is for all intents and purposes every bit as good.

Re-Visiting a Fine Beer

I saw ODell's IPA in a local liquor store this week and couldn't pass up the chance to sample it again. The Fort Collins product was just as good this time as it was the last time I sampled it. It has a gold color, a great hoppy flavor and a nice finish, that to me, tastes like grapefruit. An excellent product.

This weekend at the neighbor's happy hour I was served another nice IPA. This one is called Long Hammer IPA from Red Hook Brewing. It's good but not in the same class as ODell's IPA. (Not many are). Long Hammer has a brass color to it. The smell of Cascade hops is present and finishes with a lemon like flavor. It was little more watery than I prefer but still a nice beer. Thanks to my great neighbor H for the sampling.

White Hawk IPA Revisited

In mid January I wrote about White Hawk IPA and said it was okay but nothing special. After attending a beer tasting a week or so ago, I have changed my mind. This product from Mendocino brewing in California is awesome. I have drank several more and the way the hops linger on the palate are excellent. If you are a hop head I would recommend you try it if you have never tasted it. If you have tasted it then you know how good it really is. My apologies to the brew master for my earlier review.

And Still Another Fine IPA

I had yet another tasty Indian Pale Ale over the weekend. This one is brewed by Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado and named simply IPA.

It has a rich hoppy flavor and ended strong. It is very drinkable with an IBU of 60 and alcohol by volume of seven percent. I will definitely drink this beer again.

Another Fine IPA

I tried another fine beer Sunday evening before dinner and think it is one of the best India Pale Ales I have tasted. JW Dundee's IPA ranks right up there with Goose Island and Schlafly's products. For what it's worth Dundee's is located in Rochester, New York.

In looking at it's web page I learned it is brewed with Amarillo and Simcoe hops. I had never heard of these before but it certainly leaves a nice crisp taste as the last drops slide across the back of your tongue.

It is brewed in late summer and I suspect I got some of the last product they produced this past year. But, I will definitely drink it again when the new batch comes out late this summer.