First of all, let me just quickly say that Buffalo Brewing is not closed or closing. I tried to keep from any sort of speculation about the current state of the brewery in the last post, but obviously speculation is bound to occur. Also, let me apologize again to Dave and Dushan from Buffalo because as I mentioned in the original post it was never my intention to cause any problems.

According to Dave Johnson, Dushan (the owner of Buffalo) is looking to take on an investor to the Buffalo Brewery which will allow him to not have to spend every waking hour at the restaurant. Dushan is very devoted to Buffalo, but as you can imagine all of the hours he puts in can take a bit of a toll on him. Bringing someone else on to help with managing the place is a good way to allow him to give him a bit more free time for a personal life.

Now, if someone came to him and offered to purchase the business, this is something I’d think he’d probably consider as any good business person should. At this point it’s looking like we’ll all have hopefully have beer from Buffalo for years to come.

After constantly saying, “I really need to make my way down there.” Irene and I finally had the chance to visit Buffalo Brewing a couple of weeks ago, so I though I’d share some of my thoughts and some photos.

Buffalo Brewing Co.
3100 Olive St. (Map It)
St. Louis, MO 63103
314-534-BEER (534-2337)

Beers:

Obviously Buffalo Brewing’s biggest draw is the fact that they provide hand-crafted fresh micro-brewed beer on premises. Their current line-up is Buffalo Gold (a pale-colored ale), Chili Beer, Buffalo Drool (a brown ale), Buffalo Red, Hefeweizen and a Rye IPA. Since the Gold was currently out, I decided to go with a sampler line-up of the five remaining beers. I’m happy to say that they were all clean-well made beers.

Judging by the menu, the Chili beers looks to be the same base recipe as the Buffalo Gold but with chili added to the beer after primary fermentation. I don’t have much experience with chili beers, but I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle chili flavor. You would just catch a hit of the heat in the back of your tongue, but it was never overpowering. It always left you wanting more.

The Drool and the Red were both solid session beers, perfect for someone who’s looking to either bring someone into the craft beer fold or for the times you want to have 2 or 3 pints without having to worry about getting fall-down drunk. The stand out beer of the evening for me was the Rye IPA. It had a wonderful floral aroma and the hops matched well with the spiciness of the rye malt.

If I had one qualm with the beer it’s with the “hefeweizen.” True hefes feature a spicy clove and banana aroma which this beer had neither of. This is just another American wheat beer. There isn’t anything wrong with it, but it’s not a hefe. (And Buffalo, you’re not the only one guilty of this, you’re just the first for me to nitpick on this detail***.)

Food:

One of the things I couldn’t quite get over when reading through the menu was just how inexpensive things were. Irene and I had two beers, a five beer sampler, an appetizer and also two entrees and I don’t think we dropped more than 35 bucks. That’s a nice little respite over some of the prices we’ve been paying for food and beer recently. While the menu offers a lot of typical bar fare they also offer a lot of buffalo based choices if you’re looking for the taste of beef without all of the fat.

Intangibles:

Buffalo Brewing offers a large dining room with a western motif. One issue we noticed with the indoor dining was that because of the high ceilings it can get a bit noisy at times. Buffalo also offers a nice outdoor covered patio if eating alfresco is your thing. They also have a very large bar if you’re looking to just belly up and have a few beers.

One last quick note, I stopped by Buffalo last Wednesday for a beer and was disappointed to find out that a few beers were out and were temporarily replaced with a few O’Fallon beers. Hopefully the next time I show up I’ll be able to have another pint of that tasty Rye IPA.

*** So according to Dave Johnson, he used a true German hefe yeast, the banana and clove just didn’t come through.  He’s going to try using a different yeast next time.

Irene and I made our way down to the newest Amalgamated Brewing venture, The Stable, for Saturday night’s grand opening. I’ve been to a few grand openings as of recent and for the most part they’re usually low-key events. The opening of The Stable was anything but. We walked in and the place was packed, filled to the brim with people either waiting to get a beer or waiting to get a table.

The Stable
1821 Cherokee Street (Map It)
St Louis, MO 63118
(314) 771-8500

Beer

If The Stable doesn’t win some sort of award next year for best beer selection in a restaurant in one of the local magazines, I may just have to give up hope for this town. The devotion to beer that everyone involved with The Stable has is just mindblowing. With over 20 hand-picked draught choices and another 15 in bottles, The Stable proves that having the largest selection doesn’t necessary mean you have the best selection. Two other extremely encouraging tidbits I picked up was that this will be a rotating selection, so that beer you had on your first visit may not be there on the second. Also, they’ve made the promise that you’ll see no beer with the word “Light” in the name.

Food:

Not content with just pizza and beer, The Stable offers a full line of sandwiches and also some interesting starters. I had the steak special and Irene tried the cajun carbonara. While my steak was cooked perfectly to temperature, I found it a bit tough and not very moist. But I was in the mood for beef so it satisfied my craving. Irene’s carbonara was the winning dish between our two. The spiciness of the andouille helped to balance the richness of the cream sauce. The pasta itself was also very well received as it still had a bit of chew to the noodles, almost just shy of al dente.

Intangibles:

This place is pretty gorgeous. If you’ve ever been to the Lemp Mansion you’ll know that it’s almost like stepping back in time to when the mansion was full of Lemps. The Stable does a good job of taking a lot of the feel from the Lemp Mansion and continuing it in this new spot. The updated wood features along with some of the other features keeps you in a very particular mindset. Irene couldn’t stop looking around and saying “wow.” They also feature a “patio” area featuring a second bar which seems less finished and much more sparse. I’ll be interested to see if it gets updated as well.

I’m really excited about the future of The Stable, some time to work out some opening kinks I think it could quickly become the best beer restaurant in St. Louis. Let’s hope that the crowds I saw on opening night think the same as me and keep filling the place up.

I may have taken far too long to get the post on The Scottish Arms up, but I won’t make the same mistake twice. We attended the opening of The Shaved Duck on Thursday evening and I implore you to visit. Not only do you get a wonderful dining experience in an upscale but laid back restaurant, but you get a great selection of American craft beers.

The Shaved Duck
2900 Virginia Ave (Map It)
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 776-1407

Beer: I’ll be honest, I can’t quite say enough good things about the beer selection. But one thing I want to get straight first, in the lead up to the opening of the Shaved Duck, Allie (the owner) called to ask for my thoughts on a beer list. Looking back on my post, it looks like I had something to do with the beer list as it is now. I just want to say, Patrick and Allie didn’t need my help in the least. They had done a great job of choosing a lot of the beers before I ever got there. I don’t want to take credit for something that I don’t deserve.

Anyway, now that I’ve got that off my chest, the beer menu is a varied at it is affordable. I didn’t see a single 12oz bottle over 6 dollars and not a single 750ml for over 10 dollars. I had a draught 20oz glass of Unibroue’s Maudite for $5.00. Let that sink in for a couple of seconds. $5.00?! I don’t think I’ve seen a draught Unibroue for less than $6.00 anywhere in St. Louis. Especially not one with a 20oz pour. I posted the list about a month ago, but it has changed slightly, as any good beer list should.

Food:

The Shaved Duck offers a numerous amount of small plates (one of my favorite ways of dining) and a few entrées as well. We tried the duck fat frites and the scallop wraped bacon to start. Both were very tasty. The frites were nice and light but still contained enough fat to remind you that they’re fries. Too often I find that potatoes cut this small become something similar to French’s French Fried Onions. The ketchup paired with the fries provided just enough vinegar to cut down on the sweetness of the tomatoes. The scallop wrapped bacon was a bit of a surprise as we originally read it to be bacon wrapped scallop. The wonderful part of the bacon remaining inside of the scallop was that the smokiness of the bacon didn’t overpower the dish and allowed the sweetness of the scallop to come through.

Both entrées were well prepared, though we were both a bit concerned that the dishes seemed very “wintery” and we’re quickly approaching summer. Nevertheless I’m rarely going to turn down a dish offering marrow and the didn’t disappoint. Irene’s pork was pleasant with the fennel pairing very well with the orange glaze, but the pork could have used a bit more salt to balance the sweetness of the glaze. The desert similar to The Scottish Arm’s wonderful bread pudding but with the addition of dried cherries and coco nibs. Irene found the cherries a bit boozy, but after 3 9% beers, I was completely down with them.

Intangibles:

I think one of the things I enjoyed most about The Shaved Duck was it felt very warm and upscale, but never came across as pretentious. It’s very laid back and never makes you feel like they’re pretending to be something they’re not. The staff was very personable, but there were obviously some opening night jitters and mishaps. But I was very impressed how well things were handled for a restaurant making it’s debut.

I can’t say enough good things about my experience at the Shaved Duck. If I have a few quibbles it’s that the price for a few of the small plates was a bit high (for instance, $9 for a single scallop) but otherwise it was a completely enjoyable experience and made me wish I lived closed to Pestalozzi Street.

I meant to write this up quite a while ago, but I’ve just gotten busy as of recent. So, I apologize to Ally and Patrick for not getting this up sooner. I’m guessing they’re far too busy with the Shaved Duck to even care! Also, let me apologize for the oft blurry pictures. I usually take 3 or 4 shots of something to make sure I have a good one. But all of these photos stunk.

The Scottish Arms
6-10 South Sarah Street (Map It)
St. Louis, Missouri 63108-2819
(314) 535-0551

Beers: This wouldn’t be much of a Scottish pub if they didn’t feature beer and scotch, now would it? One of the first things you notice when you look over the Scottish Arms beer list is not only the big selection of English, Irish, Scottish and domestic beers, but also how reasonable the prices are. All draught beers are 20oz and all and except one are $5.50 a pint. I’ll provide the whole list of beers after the jump at the bottom of the post.

Food: Not only does the Scottish Arms offer tradition pub food such as Bangers and Mash and Fish and Chips (the fish breading is made with 6 different types of beer!) but more upscale fare as well.

Intangibles: I’ve never been to Europe (one of these days I’ll make it happen) but when I walked into the Scottish Arms it just felt like the UK Pubs of my imagination. It’s a warm and inviting place with people that truly care about beer.

Be sure you view the full beer list after the jump. Read the rest…

Thanks to the wonderful weather we’ll be experiencing this weekend, Augusta Brewery has decided to take advantage of it and open its doors this Sunday.  If you’re never been to Augusta Brewery, you’re in for a real treat.  They have a wonderful patio area and delicious beer to boot.  Here’s their official weekend info:

Due to the break in the weather, Augusta Brewing will be open this Sunday

March 2nd, from 11am to 5pm.

Please make a note of the following ~ the Boone Bridge will be closed Westbound - but eastbound should be fine. You can get to Augusta from 44 through Washington (Hwy 47/Hwy 94) and you can reach Hwy 94 from I-70 or the Page extension! See the article below for all the details

Our Hours this weekend:

Friday & Saturday 11am - 9pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

It’s supposed to be 60 degrees on Sunday, seems like the perfect time to go out and drink some beer.

If you got your hands on this week’s RFT, you had a chance to read Ian’s review of Tigín, a new Irish pub located in downtown St. Louis. Ian touched briefly on the beer menu, but I thought I would delve into it a bit deeper. Now, one quick disclaimer, I have not yet visited Tigín, I’m only commenting on the beer menu as I see it.

As this is an Irish pub, seeing beers such as Guinness, Harp, Bass and Newcastle on draught doesn’t bother me that much. In fact, I’d be almost insulted if an Irish bar didn’t carry them. Hell, I don’t even mind seeing Budweiser on draught, this is St. Louis after all. But that bottle list is pretty awful. Heineken? Miller Genuine Draft? Smirnoff? Corona?

I realize that this location is near the Edward Jones Dome and so they’re going to be seeing a lot of tailgating and conventioneers but does that really mean you need to carry both MGD and Miller Lite? Do we really need a tap handle of Bud and Bud Light? I’m not so hoity toity to think that every beer needs to be a craft product, but do we really need to double or triple up on similar styles? I guess for a chain restaurant it’s impressive to see things such as Lindeman’s Framboise, Duvel and Chimay, but Ian’s comparison to Applebee’s isn’t too far off.

In their defense Tigín claims to serve the best glass of Guinness in St. Louis due to their Nitrogen/CO2 mixture. I’d argue that 39 degrees is a bit too cold for Guinness, but I applaud them for trying to keep some semblance of temperature control for beer, something that is lacking in even some of the best beer bars in St. Louis.

I plan on visiting Tigín in the near future, but it looks like I’ll probably be sticking to a Guinness.

Irene and I recently received some good news and I decided that we should celebrate by visiting Newstead Tower Public House. In reality we probably would have visited anyway, the celebrate is just an excuse to go. If you’re interested in a review of the food, I’d check in with a couple of guys that will do far better justice than I. But I’ll give you my thoughts from a beer nerd’s perspective.

Newstead Tower Public House
4353 Manchester Avenue (Map It)
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 535-7771

Beers: (Menu) The first thing you think of, or at least when I think of, when you hear the word “pub” is beer. Newstead carries 12 draught beers and 14 bottled beers. The 12 draught beers have a heavy emphasis on local and American craft beers, whereas the bottle selection tends toward European beers with a lot of the old standards (Orval, Smithwicks, Guinness, Sammy Smith). I appreciate the selections of the local beers, but I personally would have liked to have seen a couple of export draught selections as well. While by no means a terrible selection of beer, I think a little more creativity could have been put into the bottle selection. Perhaps the addition of a cask beer would have also lended a more authentic feel to the pub.

Food: (Menu) Instead of trying to juggle a number of different dishes, it looks like Chef Anthony Devoti has deicded on concentrating on kicked-up versions of classic pub cuisine. While the menu may seem limited, each dish seems like it’s extremely well put together and well-thought out. Prices are extremely reasonable as well.

Intangibles: This is an extremely beautiful location, with a warm and rich decor. This is a place where if I lived within walking distance I could see visiting on almost a nightly basis. While I’ve never visited a pub in the UK, this is almost exactly what I think of when I think of a pub. And if you’re lucky a Mardi Gras float will stop by.

Interesting Note: If the trend continues, it looks like Newstead will have a beer dinner at least once a month. This is an exciting proposition for those of us who love to see people pair food with beer.

I think Newstead is really on to something here and I can see myself visiting here quite often. The beer menu could perhaps use a little tinkering, but overall I think it’s living up to it’s gastropub moniker nicely.

For those of you who haven’t quite yet made dinner plans for Valentine’s Day, let me remind you of Newstead Tower Pub’s Boulevard beer dinner.  I was just send a copy of the menu for your perusal:

As you may have gathered from my Store Spotlight of Piasa Winery, I recently made the trip out to Grafton, Illinois. I’m trying to find a way to avoid the old, “no trip to ________ is complete without stopping here” but I’m having a hard time getting around it. If you’re a fan of beer, you need to make a trip out to The Rotten Apple.

The Rotten Apple
220 W. Main St. (Map It)
Grafton, IL 62037
(618) 786-2798

Beers: A few weeks ago, Jerad from Piasa dropped me a line to let me know what new beers he had available, he also let me know what The Rotten Apple had on draught. As soon as I saw Gouden Carolus Noel on draught, I knew I had to make the trip. Needless to say, what they have in a small selection they more than make up in a great selection. Click the image on the right above for their draught beer selection from 2 weeks ago.

Food: A nice selection of Cajun specialties and American favorites. If you’re looking to eat some red beans and rice or some alligator, The Rotten Apple should be your first choice. Click here for a copy of their menu.

Intangibles: This is a wonderful old building with a rustic charm. If you happen to sit upstairs, you’ll have a fantastic view overlooking the Mississippi. It looks like they even have outdoor seating for the warmer months. The other intangible, Illinois is a no smoking state, so you’ll get to enjoy your meal smoke free.

Interesting Fact: Our server informed us that The Rotten Apple is actually owned by a company called Amalgamated Brewing and according to him, they’ll be opening a new Brewery/Distillery as part of the old Lemp Brewery property. Hopefully we’ll be seeing this new brewery opening soon.