Drink 314 has joined forces with DrinkMoBeer.com to bring you a new weekly feature we’re calling Your STL 6er, which will feature six local or regional beers that we are recommending you try this week. Chris, Tim and Andrew are all craft beer nuts and present an “everyone’s” opinion on the beers they find and tryout. We hope you enjoy their reviews.
Visit the guys on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Pale Ale | Schlafly
STYLE: English Pale Ale
ABV: 4%
IBU: 25
BEER ADVOCATE RATING: 81
RATE BEER RATING: 38
BREWERY COMMENTS: Amber-colored, medium-bodied British-style ale with a smooth, mildly-hoppy character. Available on draft and in bottles.
Drink 314 Comments: For the years before the explosion of locally brewed beers in St. Louis, if you wanted to drink something local that wasn’t Bud Light, this was your goto beer hands down. When it comes to a well crafted, well balanced beer, you would be hard pressed to find one better than this. Yeasty, yet fruitful, you can drink this with a burger or steak or on the porch watching the ballgame on a summer night.
drinkMObeer COMMENTS (Chris): I can’t officially call Schafly Pale ale my gateway craft beer, but it was near the front of the line of beers that brought me to the good side of beer. Filled with malty deliciousness, it starts with grains and a sweet touch of honey and wraps up with a bitter, dry finish. Definitely does an English Pale Ale justice. Prost!
Smoked Pigasus | 4 Hands Brewing Co.
STYLE: American Porter
ABV: 6%
BEER ADVOCATE RATING: 86
RATE BEER RATING: 94
BREWERY COMMENTS: A smoked rye maple porter. A collaboration with Pappy’s Smoke House. Smoked Pigasus is a robust and delicious porter brewed with rye, smoked malt, and maple syrup. the maple syrup provides a perfect balance for the smoked malt. Smoked Pigasus pours a deep mahogany with aromas of chocolate, smoke, and caramel. A big thank to Pappy’s Smokehouse!
Drink314 Comments: Pappy’s barbeque is among the best in the city. But admittedly the thought of this collaboration at first did not interest us. Hot summer night cooking outside is not when I’m thinking of a thick, syrupy porter. But surpisingly, that was exactly what I did on our first experience with the beer. Not only the light smokey aspects of the beer work on a hot night, I even used a bit on my steaks. Both the drinker and eater was very happy.
drinkMObeer COMMENTS (Tim): I’m not sure the taste matched the description, however I was able to find hints of rye and maple at the end. Not much smoke if any however, this was a smooth balanced dark beer that I did enjoy and another quality brew from 4 Hands.
Braun | Alpha Brewing Company
STYLE: Sour Ale
ABV: 7%
IBU: 20
BREWERY COMMENTS: Sour ale aged in red wine barrels.
Drink314 Comments: The name is a play on Oüd Bruin. Bräun a Flemish style Red Ale. The color and first taste will surely confirm this brew was aged in red wine barrels. It pours fairly red in color and you’ll get some fruit in your first swallow. This is one of the first local sour’s I tried, so I have a soft spot for it. Pretty interesting balance between the wine and sour.
drinkMObeer COMMENTS (Andrew): This old style brew from Alpha’s Beta series pours dark cherry red with good clarity, a thin khaki head that dissipates quickly and decent lacing. Smell from the snifter was wonderful, with the sour twang and lactic acid evident upfront, quickly followed by solid aged oak notes. With a great tartness, red wine and sweet cherry flavors dominate with a refreshing dry finish. This bubbly brew is my new go to on from Alpha.
Irish Red Ale | Six Mile Bridge
STYLE: Irish Ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 20
BREWERY COMMENTS: This smooth, medium-bodied ale is our tribute to the emerald isle. A deep ruby red ale with layers of caramel, toffee and honey flavors, brewed to be enjoyed with friends.
Drink314 COMMENTS: I hope this reads like the compliment it’s meant to be, but on first taste I suddenly remembered the small, gold wrapped toffee candies my grandmother would always have stashed in her purse. There is a sweetness here, a candy toffee sweetness that embodies are pretty earthy beer. Light in the body and easy to guzzle or sip.
drinkMObeer COMMENTS (Chris): Well hello sweet thing… Six Mile Bridge’s Irish Red Ale pours a hazy dark amber with a creamy beige head. The smell from the pint is full of sweet malt…honey? and a mild toffee. Flavor is packed with sweet malt, grain, honey, toffee and grassy flavors. The red finishes roasty, a little coffee, bitter and dry. More bitter than I was expecting with as sweet as the beer smelled, but definitely a tasty red. Prost!
Shiphead Ginger Wheat | Logboat Brewing Co.
STYLE: American Wheat
ABV: 5%
IBU: 17
BREWERY COMMENTS: Shiphead is brewed with organic Peruvian ginger straight out of the rain forest. Coriander and fresh lemon peel channel inspiration from the Belgian Wit style. A liberal dose of malted wheat and a mitt full of Vienna malt give this brew notes of bread and grain that compliment the citrus flavors well.
Drink314 COMMENTS: NA
drinkMObeer COMMENTS (Andrew): This refreshing brew pours a golden wheat with medium clarity and a medium white head that quickly fades to a thin ring around the edges and light lacing. A sniff delivers fresh shaved ginger quickly followed by grainy sweet wheat scent. With medium mouthfeel, the golden beaut delivers just what the nose promises, bright ginger flavor at the front and wheat sweetness and lemon rind sharpness with slight bitterness from ginger at the finish and a nice fizzy mouthfeel from medium-high carbonation. I’ll have the beer fridge stocked with these for grass cutting and float trip season.
Black Walnut Wheat | Piney River Brewing Co.
STYLE: American Dark Wheat Ale
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 18
BEER ADVOCATE RATING: 83
RATE BEER RATING: 65
BREWERY COMMENTS: Buckets, burlap bags and pickup truck beds are filled with black walnuts each fall in the Ozarks. The rich and lively flavor of the wild, hand-harvested black walnut is a renowned flavor of the region. We’re proud to continue celebrating local flavor and tradition with our handcrafted Black Walnut Wheat Ale.
Drink314 COMMENTS: I first had this beer at the Missouri Beer Festival in 2013, where it won the People’s Choice award for best beer. This beer if full of great nutty flavor, which is to be expected. But for a palette that doesn’t normally care for nutty brews, this one was surprisingly easy to drink.
drinkMObeer COMMENTS (Tim): The black walnut really livens up this wheat beer. Dark color and lots of roasted, nut flavor. I personally enjoy the lower ABV (4.5%) on this beer which allows me to have more of them.
