On The Road

Saint Louis, MO Area

Sprawling multi-building empire between 2nd and 3rd street in a yuppie revitalization trade zone. Mix of brick, industrial venting, cracked old varnish, and tablecloths. Food and late night partying.

Hint: take the Eads Bridge and turn right immediately past the Mississippi. Park on 3rd St. Hiking distance from the Arch.

$4 / 16oz pint

• Honey Wheat - unfiltered German wheat with little clove and a little sweet honey. Goes right down.
• Irish Stout (CO₂) - Lighter than Guinness without the roastiness. Still quaffs quickly.
• Vienna - Little aroma, a touch of roasty. More of caramel.
• Golden Pilsner - "Bohemian" but not quite.
• Decades IPL - Assertive lager with lots of Noble hops but without overwhelming bitterness.

Also
Octoberfest
Pumpkin Vienna
Dopplebock
Graham Cracker Porter "hint of graham crackers"
Maibock
Krystal "Light American style"
Steam Lager
Red Lager "fuller-bodied Vienna"

Rambling brick warehouse that makes their in-house beer on premises. Bottled beer comes from a different site. Large restaurant area and a place for regulars.

• Number Fifteen - Dunkelweizen with lots of clove and banana, lots of malt, good balance. Beautiful beer. Spectacular really but lacking a certain breadiness. Best American example?
• Belgian Dubble - Also excellent. See the style guide for detailed description. Malt, sweet, thick.

Also
Hefeweizen
80 Shilling
Pilsner
Organic Ale
Pale Ale
Oktoberfest
American Pale Ale
Oatmeal Stout
Biere de Garde
Pumpkin Ale
Cask Conditioned American Pale
Cask Conditioned Biere de Garde

Split into thirds - an indoor bar, rooms in back, and a brick patio. All of about equal size. Neighborhood bar and casual restaurant.

Great fast service.

$3.75 / 16oz pint

• Oktoberfest - Good middle of road. A read without much nuance.
• Dunkelweizen - Big sweet banana and chocolate. A little clove in back. Sweet but quite quaffable. Much sweeter than Schlafly's.

Also
Light
Park Avenue Pale Ale
IPA
Stout (Irish)
Wit
Belgian Pale (Summit hops)
Pumpkin
Bavarian Weizen
Single Malt Scotch Ale (were out, darn it) (uses home-smoked malt)

High-volume, loud, multi-level 20-something place near the Casino in a fake old downtown area. Still, a very attractive New-England looking building.

All glasses are kept in the fridge - don't bother to ask for a warm glass.

I'm old. I get "minimum service". It's a casino term.

$3.75 / 16oz pint

• Spiced Pumpkin Ale - Dark orange. No head. In fact, an unattractive oily film on top. Mild pumpkin taste with cinnamon and nutmeg of course. Taste on this is sort of, well, malt syrupy. Sorry.

Also
Old Courthouse Stout
Missouri Brown
Trailhead Red (Galena & Willamette hops)
Riverboat Raspberry

Wm. D. Alandale
Kirkwood, MO

Large prairie-style bright an cheery with lots of light from windows and mirrors. Interesting tea room up front.

$3.75 / 16oz pint
$9.75 growler refills
Sampler: $4 / 8x2.5oz.
 

• American Wheat - Pale yellow w/ chill haze. A bit phenolic; probably that first-pour problem.
• American IPA - Very highly hopped w/ Cascades.
• Doppelbock. Big sipping beer. Some almost cinnamon spiciness.
• Amber - Intro amber with slight caramel.
• Kölsch - Proper color but suffered badly from sitting in the line all night.
• Octoberfest - Malty Vienna. Acceptable.
• Chocolate Stout (CO₂) - Bitter dark chocolate. A+

Also
Platinum Blonde Lager
Vienna Lager
Bronze lager
Oatmeal Stout

Central Missouri

They have a few tables inside but it's mainly a beer garden on a hilltop on the edge of tourist town in Missouri wine country. Did you know there's a Missouri wine country?

Alongside the Katy Trail, the normal daytime customer is a hiker or biker. Heck, the whole place is a bit of a hippie commune. Love it.

Owned by Square One.

• Belgian Pale Ale - Not as Belgian as one would hope. Mostly Fuggles bitter.
• Hefeweizen - Not cloudy at all. Yellow with blue tinge. American-style
• Tannhauser - Malty American Pale Ale. Excellent but almost hopless. Could drink lots of this.
• Belgian Saison - No extremes, no spices. Splash of Belgian yeast character
• Octoberfest - To style, right at the 75 percentile of the style guide.

Also
Augusta Blonde
Hyde Park Stout

Way too small for it's popularity even with additions over the years. There's a large porch seating area in front under trees but on a Friday evening it's filled to the brim, there's a waiting list for both inside and outside (two different sets of carry-me-til-I-beep-and-flash signallers), and the standees at the large bar are 3 deep.

$3.75 / 18 oz pint
Sampler: $6 for 6x5oz

• Green Chili Beer - A little light on the heat for my taste. Good pepper taste comes through.
• Marzen - Floral and unpleasant. Didn't finish
• Schwarzbier - Very pleasant chocolate dominates. Not as thick as German varieties.
• Hefeweizen - Suitably cloudy. Mostly yellow. Rich wheat malt. Light on Banana/clove but very satisfying. A.
• British IPA - Not today's IPA over there but the way it should be. Lots of Fuggles with the intensity of an American IPA - about 40 IBU.
• Oil Change Stout - Completely opaque, completely black. Good thickness. Hint of coffee but more roastiness. Not toasty. Over carbonated but they sell a lot if it.
• Cask Conditioned ESB - In bitterness, strength, and overall presence it's stronger than English standards. Thick, sparkler-induced head. Will put hair on your chest.

Also:
Honey Wheat
Brown
Katy Trail Pale Ale
Irish Red
American Pale Ale
Cask Conditioned Irish Red

Disclaimer: I've known the owner, Tom Smith, since the 80s and have a soft spot for retired Shareware guys. Remember ProComm? That was him.

Big old bar from way back in old downtown. Looks like the owner loves beer with 20 taps and 60 bottles. Sells a LOT more of that than their own beer.

Visualize the Columbus Bar with pool tables, cowboys, and great onion rings.

There's been conversation recently about just who is the smallest brewery in America. This is probably it! The owner brews in half-barrel cut-open kegs (a Brew-Magic system). Usually brewing once a week, that makes less than 30 bbl annually. And for this the Feds need to approve the recipes and tax the output. Sheesh.

• Pale - Light aroma. Dull brown color. Pleasant but non-descript. Not at all hoppy.
• Porter - Appropriately thick. Black Patent malt dominates.
• Belgian - A Dubbel? Dark dull brown. Very plain. The Belgianness comes out a lot more once warm but it's still a bit light.

Kansas City area

TV-oriented sports bar with busy weekends.

This is one of a chain of bars in the KC area. They also owned the 23rd Street Brewery in Lawrence which still shares some recipes.

Their mug club lets you provide your own mug, which adds to the museum-like display. Nominally it should be a 22oz mug but some are bigger than a liter. Go figure.

• Elevation IPA - "Fresh hop". Typically big American IPA with smooth attack and bitter finish. Very good.

Also:
Belgian IPA
Cow Town Wheat
Royal Raspberry Wheat
Good Hope IPA (American)
Possum Trot Brown
Muddy Mo Dry Irish Stout
Irish Red

Megapub in hot, hot party zone where the competition for customers is fierce and there's lots of music and bars to draw in crowds. Men: bring a date with cleavage. Women: no date needed, just bring cleavage.

Professional staff inside and in big treed garten out front. Occasional smells of malt and BBQ sauce.

$3.75 / 16 oz pint

• Octoberfest - Dark with long-lasting 1/2 inch foamy head. Creamy mouthfeel. Strong and more bitter than most. So good I had 2.
• Newcomb's Brown - Deep mahogany with the same head. Nice American Brown.

Also:
Landing Light Lager
Red Light Raspberry
Hog Pound Brown
Newcomb's IPA
Newcomb's Dry Stout (Irish, Nitro)
Unfiltered Wheat
Red Ale
Peach
Cask Conditioned American IPA

Inside a huge Ameristar casino. 'Nuf said. Completely ringed by TVs as if it's a betting parlor. Huge vats in the back behind glass.

$4 / 20 oz pint. All served in a wheat glass.

Yes, it's inside. The dome is painted sky blue.

• Hardball Dark - Possibly a Schwartz recipe or maybe Michelob Dark. Anyway smooth, medium sweet, balanced, and agreeable.

Also:
Knockout Blond
Red Zone Lager
1/2 Court Light

Railroad theme including an old steam engine boiler intact looming behind the bar. Fits the tourist/antique town perfectly.

Motto: If you ever reach total enlightenment while drinking a beer, I bet it makes beer shoot out your nose.

• Derailed Red Ale - Very dark cherry color. Smooth. Malt is foremost with little hop character.
• South Bound Nut Brown - Dark Porter color. Dark Porter taste. Lots of Black Patent sweetness.
• Hop Harvest Rye - Light brown/orange. Hoppy. Rye comes through.

Also:
Steamboat Stout (Nitro)
Col. Parks Pale Ale
Walnut Creek Wheat
Blackberry Wheat

An outlot in a shopping mall and the entire concept is built on that demographic. Think Applebees with a brewery.

This is a big chain with over a dozen outlets (Indiana will get two in 2008 - South Bend and Ft. Wayne).

Glasses kept on ice. "Makes the beer much easier to pour - eliminates foaming" and any head.

$4.25 / 20 oz pint

They have a unique concept to their brewing - all the wort is made at the home plant in Rapid City SD and trucked to the stores. The restaurant managers see to the fermentation and dispense. Not an onerous task as this involves filling the tank and pitching yeast about once a week.

• Oktoberfest - Nice. Middle of road.
• Brother Benedict's Bock - Dark brown. Munich, Chocolate, and Carahell. Northern Brewer and Tettnang. Mild, balanced. Drinkable.

Also:
December - Scottish
March - IrishRed

Central Kansas

Yes, an outlot in a shopping mall but not a bit like Granite City.

• Golden Pale - Suitably hoppy British Golden Ale. Well named.
• Wave The Wheat - American wheat. Darkish yellow. Lightish taste.
• Raspberry Wheat - Raspberry extract added after fermentation. Tart rasp background. Not pushy.
• Ole' Factory IPA - 56 IBU and tastes every bit of it.
• Crimson Phog - Irish Ale. Smooth mouthfeel and taste. A laid-back beer.
• Hawktoberfest - Red Marzen. Few are outstanding, this isn't either, just quite drinkable.
• Papa's Pils - Unagressive hops. Honey? Discernable East European yeast.
• Pumpkin - Sweet pie. Plenty but not too much.

Past home to Micah Weichert, now at Vigo in Terre Haute making Brugge and Wabash beers. Bucky, here, is the new brewer.

College town downtown local. Brewery takes up more space than the restaurant if you include the 2nd floor kegging room.

Imaginative food menu from an obviously unrestrained flavor combiner.

$3 / 14 oz pint
$2.25 / 10 oz split
Samples: $1.25 / 5 oz

• Octoberfest - Bright orange with white head. Very little aroma. Dark taste. Well balanced 21 IBU of Perle & Hersbrucher.
• Ad Astra - Dark amber English Best Bitter. Caramel, Munich. Northern Brewer and Fuggles to 24 IBU. Malt attack then earthy hops. Their original beer.
• Liberty Wheat - German Dunkelweizen. Dark copper. Aroma of bread and banana. Leaves a follow that stays around a long time.

Also:
Wheat State Golden
Copperhead Pale
Black & Tan
Hop Picker Pale (American)
Oatmeal Stout (w/ N. Brewer and Fuggles)

Florida-looking place of unpainted wood exterior and 2 levels of patio. Requisite ring of ESPN TVs. Inside is a maze of small rooms on many levels.

• Smokey The Beer - Dark mahogany. Initially a little smoke but more of a rye taste actually. Once it warms there's much Weyermann smoked malt. Ahhhh. FLASH - it won a Gold Medal at this year's GABF.
• Oktoberfest - Bright orange with fluffy white head. Good American interpretation.

Also:
Raw Wheat
County Seat Wheat
Raspberry Wheat
Holy Grail Pale Ale
Blind Tiger Amber
Tiger Paw Porter
Maibock
Tail Wind Rye
Java Porter
Twin Tigers Double IPA
 

Strip mall local's food and beerery. Neighborly. Steaks and sandwiches the specialties.

$3 / 16oz pint
$2.25 / 11 oz split
Samplers: $5 for 5 x 5 oz.

• Wildcat Wheat - American style. Big flavor, even with a lemon slice floating on top.
• Prairie Pale Ale - Dull Orange. IPA strength with mostly Brit hops.
• Riley's Red Ale - Reddish copper. Maximum overuse of Caramel malt. Wow.
• Snakebite Bitter - Sweet then bitter, but it happens in about .75 seconds.
• Bison Brown - Porter brown. Porter roast malt. Big Porter, period. Chocolate and coffee hidden away and findable.
• XXBlack Angus Stout - 6 malts, US hops. Nitro.

Also:
Black and Tan
Rage 'n' Razz

Lb
Hays, KS

Lb stands for Liquid Bread. It's part of Gella's Diner in a gutted and renovated downtown area just off main street of a surprisingly small town.

A full-width window shows off the big brewhouse. Last brewpub before the Rockies.
 

• 01 Pale Ale -American. Almost yellow. Very light in color and hopping.
• 02 American Wheat - Yellow. Average.
• 03 Amber Ale - Another light-to-style offering.
• 13 Belgian Witbier - Bluish yellow. Still light. Arrgh, I want some taste.
• 04 American Brown - Malty, robust. A little acrid/stale but not objectionable.
• 24 IPA - Bright copper. Nice British ESB.
• 16 Pumpkin Ale - Yep. Pie, but less piey and more pumpkin than most.
• 06 Oatmeal Stout - Roasty, toasty, malt. No chocolate or coffee. Thick and Chewy. A+
• 34 English-Style Pale Ale - Reddish copper. Balanced to a T. Their best. Sweet, bitter, sweet again with caramel. I want the recipe.

Also:
07 Raspberry Wheat Ale
08 Lemon Ale (Radler)
09 American Hefeweizen
35 Temptation Ale (Rye)
36 Maple Wheat

Yes, the number their beers the same way Foghorn Leghorn numbers his feathers.

Denver Area

Just re-opened a week ago. Was Mill Steakhouse which evidently had a poor reputation. Now chef-owned with a new brewer and all new beers.

$3.50 / 16 oz pint

• Pilsner - Yellow. Clean and crisp. Commendable.
• IPA - "Italian Pale Ale". Darkish copper with a bit of Belgian lace. Underhopped or just right balance for their clientele. Quite good as an American Pale Ale.

Also:
Vatican Stout
Beer menu will be added as tanks get filled to give 9 selections.

New owner also. A strip mall local sold due to "bad reputation" again. They kept the brewer though.

Still looks like a place for pool leagues and weekend party rednecks.

$3.75 / 16 oz pint

• Oatmeal Stout - Solid, dry. Grainy.
• Cranberry Wheat - Tart wheat. Not cranberry specifically, not even fruity. Acts like the brewer added a can of tart.
• Chinook IPA - Orange. Orange aroma. 60+ IBU. Interesting hop juice.

Also:
American Wheat
Chocolate Pumpkin Stout
Amber
Porter
Lakewood Light
Java Porter

An old Victorian house provides a retreat on a busy northside street. Could be transplanted from a small English village, including gregarious locals, wall-bench seating, small stools, and one TV - off. Dining areas upstairs in in small parlor rooms.

4 hand-pulls with, sadly, only 2 active.

• Cask Conditioned Arrogant Brit ESB - Balanced and strong. Beautiful beer. A+ Superlative.
• Cask Conditioned Calico - They often mix the last of one batch with the first of another. This was and ESB & Brown. Smooth & malty. Worthy. Diacetyl comes thru when warmed.

Also:
Pussycat Wheat
IPA (Brit)
Black Cat Stout
Black Currant Ale

Downtown Denver

When we pulled up to this after leaving the Cheshire Cat, the big parking lot, large building, shrill exterior lighting, and loud party atmosphere inside turned us off. BUT the beer won us over.

Now owned by the second generation, they've expanded the brewhouse to a separate building out back.

This place can get you in trouble, it sure got me in trouble.

• Royal Oil 2005 Vintage - English Barley Wine. Sweet. Aged in Oak for 18 months. 12.5%
• Release the Hounds Barley Wine 2006 Vintage - Completely unreigned. The Dick the Bruiser of their selection. 11.5%
• Cheery Creek Kriek 2005 Vintage - Start with a Belgian Brown; age in a Wild Turkey barrel for 2 years. Add sour cherries and Brett and age for another 6 months. Intense! Whisky is beat to the mat by the black cherry strength. Cherry, Belgian sourness, and Whiskey in about equal parts.
• The Tower ESB - Reddish copper. Dry finish with a tinge of caramel. Excellent marriage.

Also:
Happy Hop Pilsner
Allgood Ale
Hail Brau Hefeweizen
MAN Beer - (American IPA)
Autumn Fire lager
Big Ben Brown Ale
36th Anniversary Strong Belgian Pale Ale
Stonehenge Stout
The Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial Stout 2005
Yule Fuel Lambic 2005

The flagship of the chain. Got there during typical crowded noon-time shift, leading to sloppy wet service.

• 294 Imperial Stout - That's the number of days it spent in a Wild Turkey barrel. A thick, thick, black creature. Massive malt. Background of liquorice, bourbon, prune.

Also:
Lumpy Dog American Light
Buff Golden Ale
16th Street American Wheat
Falcon American IPA
Red
Molly Brown
Mad Cow Milk Stout
Happy Pils
5'10" Blonde
Weizen
Uberwit
Cask Conditioned IPA
Cask Conditioned Molly Brown

Huge venerable place that's getting well-used.

• B2K Schwarzbier - Appropriately black. Nice and thick. No anise, just malt.
• Patty's Chili Beer - Copper color. Very little heat. Lots of chili pepper flavor.

Also:

Rock Bottom's informally elegant steak place. White shirt / black vest staff. Very professional.

• Dark Munich - Good recipe. Made with Brown Ale malts, some rye, and lager yeast.
• Dortmunder - Golden. Balanced. Style-centric.
• Rye - Yellow. Clean. A shade less than crisp.

Also:
Dry Stout
Wheat
Pale Ale
Red Ale
Pilsner

Big brewery's retail outlet.

Here, I admit I stopped drinking for a while and headed back to the GABF.

Also:
Avalanche Amber
2220 Red Ale
Vanilla Porter
Hefe Proper
Trademark Pale Ale
Oatmeal Stout
Ball Park Brown
Autumn Ale
471 Extra ESB
471 IPA
Thunderstout.