In Praise of Cask Beer

So here it is the end of February and I'm wondering what happened to the New Year. We're eight weeks into it and it seems as if we were just watching Bowl Games. Don't get me wrong, the older I get the less I like Winter. And if we are one day closer to Spring than that makes me happy.

You know what else makes me happy; good beer. I had the chance last weekend to go to a Cask Beer Festival in New Haven, Mo. It was hosted by 2nd Shift Brewing. Its brewer Steve Crider was joined by brewers from seven other St. Louis area micro-breweries. Each brought a keg of cask ale. For the uninitiated cask beer is hand pumped and served at cellar temperature. To me it becomes more flavorful and takes on a slightly different personality than when it's cold.

Joining the festival were Charleville Brewing in St. Genevieve, Exit 6 Brewery in St. Charles County and Urban Chestnut, Schlafly, Four Hands, Perennial Artisan Ales, and The Civil Life from St. Louis. Each of the brewers are experienced and know exactly what they are doing. So, it was a joy to sample all of the casks and meet some interesting people who share a love for craft beer. If I had to pick a favorite (and this is really tough because they were all good) I would pick Crider's hoppy offering named "Brew Cocky" and the two casks brought by Charleville; German Chocolate Cake Stout and a Dozen Roses. Right there with them is Urban Chestnut's Old Tjiko. It tasted like a Christmas Tree in a glass. If I were to try all of these again, I am sure I would have a different favorite. so please, don't get me wrong the rest of the breweries participating had very good beer too.

Bottom line is this was one fun time and very relaxed with no need to worry about driving home after the festival because the ticket included a room for the night and a BBQ for dinner and hearty breakfast the next morning. 2nd Shift when you do this again later this year I will be there. You knocked it out of the park!

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.