German immigrants to St. Louis brought their love of beer and brewing to the town and beer has been woven into St. Louis culture ever since. If you like beer, you’ve come to the right city. St. Louis is for beer lovers.
Here are some of my favorite breweries to visit. New St. Louis breweries are always popping up, so this list is subject to change!
1. Anheuser-Busch Brewery. It was a sad day for the city when this legendary brewery was purchased by In-Bev, and while it may not be my favorite St. Louis beer, you still can’t beat its free tour. Fun for the whole family. You’ll learn a lot about beer making and the history of brewing in St. Louis. It also includes a stop at the world famous clydesdale’s stable. Educational and refreshing! Oh, and did I mention the free beer samples? Each tour concludes with two free samples from the tap. The gift shop is pretty amazing – and affordable, too.
I’ve also taken the beer history tour. (Nominal cost.) It gives you a more in-depth look at the history and stories of the brewery, including a visit to a museum chock full of memorabilia to explore.
There are two locations of Urban Chestnut to enjoy and I love them both – but if I had to pick one, it would be the Grove location. (Plus, it’s the Grove sot here’s a lot of other cool stuff to check out while you’re there.) I admit I’ve never been to a real German beer hall, but if I imagine one, this would be it. (And friends have told me that it does replicate the experience). The atmosphere is phenomenal. Long tables with matching benches. A loud roar of laughter and all around good spirits. Friendly bartenders – oh and the beer – superb! So many options to choose from. If you can only choose one brewery to visit, the Grove location is the one to see.
My personal favorite Urban Chestnut beers: Urban Underdog, Zwickel, the Forest Park Pilsner, and the Big Shark Radler (both flavors).
Available for purchase in St. Louis grocery and liquor stores.
3. O’Fallon Brewery.
I truly haven’t met an O’Fallon beer I haven’t liked. Seriously. Some of the smoothest, most enjoyable St. Louis beers are on tap here. They also have the best pumpkin beers (seasonal) – hands down. Located across from Westport Plaza in the suburbs of St. Louis, yet it provides an industrial feel. Great food selection, too.
My all-time favorite O’Fallon beers: The STL Red, the Vanilla Pumpkin and the Bramble. But they’re all good. (If you’re reading, O’Fallon, please bring back the King Louie Toffee Stout!)
Available for purchase in St. Louis grocery and liquor stores.
4. Ferguson Brewery.
Yes, that Ferguson. Despite what you’ve seen on the news, this town has a lot of charm to offer, including the cold brews at Ferguson. With a full restaurant menu, you won’t go hungry either.
My personal favorite beer: the Pecan Brown Ale. Delish!
Available for purchase in St. Louis grocery and liquor stores.
5. Old Bakery Beer Company. (Alton, Illinois)
A historic bakery converted into a brewery – for me, it doesn’t get any better. A short drive from St. Louis and well worth it. Stop off here when seeing the sights around Alton or on the way the Grafton.
My favorite beer: The Blueberry Cream Ale.
Available for purchase in local grocery and liquor stores.
6. Heavy Riff.
Beer meets rock and roll. This brewery ranks #1 on the cool factor with guitar handles on the beer tappers are guitar handles and goth rock replacing Muzak. My all-time favorite beer here: the Velvet Underbrown.
Available for purchase in St. Louis grocery and liquor stores.
7. Stubborn German. (Waterloo, Illinois)
Drinking German-style beer in a quaint German-founded town? It can happen in Waterloo, Illinois. A short drive from St. Louis! Last time I was there I tried so many beers I can’t remember which one was my favorite.
8. Schlafly. (Both locations)
The original St. Louis craft brewery (at least in modern times), Schlafly started in 1991 is still going strong. Now with three locations to choose from, you’re never far from a Schlafly. I personally enjoy all three. The downtown location is in an amazing historic building as is the St. Charles location. Rounding out the three is a nice suburban option in downtown Maplewood. You should probably just go ahead and plan to visit all three!
My favorite Schlafly brews? There are so many … but I keep going back to their lighter offerings (as I tend to do anyway, if you haven’t noticed): Summer Lager, Kolsch, Oktoberfest and their White Lager.
Available for purchase in St. Louis grocery and liquor stores.
9. 4204 Main Street Brewery. (Belleville, Illinois)
Never realized how many of my favorite breweries happen to be on the east side until I started listing them. Sounds like you need to plan an Illinois beer crawl! Belleville is a short 15-20 minutes from St. Louis. The funny thing is, though I love their beer, I’ve never actually been to Main Street Brewery. I went to the restaurant by accident, thinking it was the brewery. Luckily, they had the beer on tap at the restaurant, too! Whichever location you end up at, you’ll love the beer. So many types to choose from – from lighter to heavier. (You’ll notice that’s a theme of the breweries on this list. Diversity in drink.)
My favorites: The Blueberry or Strawberry Jeule, the Coconut Stout and the Pecan Ale.
Available for purchase in local grocery and liquor stores.
10. Center Ice.
I was a late adopter of Center Ice and boy had I been missing out. Hockey fans, this place is for you. Hockey sticks serve as flight boards. A more intimate spot to enjoy a great St. Louis brew – and a televised game. I’m still learning which beer is my favorite here.
Available for purchase in local grocery and liquor stores.