Beer festivals can be amazing, a place to gather with friends, make new ones while sampling and discovering the best or the newest or the most experimental beers the mad genius’ behind the table can imagine. But beer festivals, especially the big ones can be a bit overwhelming.
The Centennial Beer Festival, (February 17-18), now in its 9th year, is held in the Lafayette Square neighborhood of St. Louis in a restored malt house built in 1876 for the Schnaider Brewery. There are multiple historical rooms to explore while you taste the 80+ breweries and more than 200 beers. That is a lot of brew.
The festival technically begins Thursday with the 7th Annual Brewmaster’s Dinner. This year the dinner is featuring Civil Life and pairs a five course meal with 5 beers from the Civil Life brewery and will be hosted by founder Jake Hafner, Brewmaster Dylan Mosley & Executive Chef of Moulin Events, Ryan Luke. This event is sold out.
The rest of the festival is broken into three, 3-hour sessions over two days. Tickets for all three are still available. The math alone is enough to make you need a beer. Or two.
The Festival Layout
The complex that houses the Historic Schnaider Brewery Malt House is quite large and the festival will be spread out throughout utilizing two floors. On the first floor you’ll find the domestic and imported breweries from outside the St. Louis region. On the second floor is where you’ll find the brewers that call St. Louis and the region around us home. Among the 41 listed, you find most of your local favorites including 2nd Shift, Bastard Brothers, Bur Oak, Civil Life, Crane, Earthbound, Kirkwood Station, Leaky Roof, Old Bakery, Modern, Six Mile, Square One, Steampunk and Urban Chestnut.
The Brewers – 1st Floor
With so much beer offered, you have to make some tough choices. Last year we paid particular attention to the local and regional brewers on the second floor. This year we plan to focus on the amazing guest list the Centennial is bringing to St. Louis. Of all the great festivals we enjoy in this town, we can’t think of another that features such a robust grouping of some of the finest brewers in the U.S. and from around the world.
Here is the list of those visiting our town, and beers we hope to try and check off our UnTappd lists.
Brewery: 10 Barrel Brewing Company
Hometown: Bend, Oregon
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Apocalypse IPA, Joe, Pray For Snow
Brewery: Against The Grain
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Citra Ass Down, 35K, Rico Sauvin
Brewery: Anchor Brewing
Hometown: San Francisco
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Liberty Ale, Anchor IPA, Anchor Porter
Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Hometown: San Diego
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Sculpin IPA, Grapefruit Sculpin, Victory at Sea
Brewery: Belhaven Brewery
Hometown: United Kingdom
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Scottish Ale, Twisted Thistle IPA, Belhaven Black
Brewery: Bell’s
Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Oberon Ale, Hopslam, Best Brown Ale
Brewery: Blackberry Farm
Hometown: Walland, Tennessee
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Classic Saison, From Tennessee with Smoke, Abbey Brune
Brewery: Blue Blood
Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: All Hopped Up IPA, Wicked Snout, Pernicious
Brewery: Breckenridge
Hometown: Littleton, Colorado
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Vanilla Porter, 471 Small Batch IPA, Agave Wheat
Brewery: Burnt City
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Balloon Boy Farmhouse, Face Melter Hibiscus IPA, Dick The Butcher
Brewery: Church Street Brewing Company
Hometown: Itaska, Illinois
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Heavenly Helles Lager, Tale of the Shony Scottish Ale
Brewery: Crabbie’s Brewing Company
Hometown: United Kingdom
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer, Spiced Orange, Cloudy Alcoholic Lemonade
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Hometown: Bend, Oregon
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Fresh Squeezed IPA, Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Ale
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Space Dust IPA, Night Owl Pumpkin Owl, Superfuzz Blood Orange
Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Imperial Biscotti Break, Molotov Cocktail, Even More Jesus
Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Hometown: Paso Robles, California
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Union Jack IPA, Double Jack, Wookey Jack
Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: All Day IPA, Breakfast Stout, Centennial IPA
Brewery: Free State Brewing Co.
Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Ad Astra Ale, Copperhead Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout
Brewery: Golden Road Brewing
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Wolf Among Weeds, Point The Way IPA, Wolf Pup Session IPA
Brewery: Goodwood Brewing
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Bourbon Barrel Stout, Walnut Brown Ale, Brandy Barrel Aged Honey Ale
Brewery: Great River Brewery
Hometown: Davenport, Iowa
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Dirty Blonde, 483 Pale Ale, Roller Dam Red Ale
Brewery: Guinness
Hometown: Ireland
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Nitro IPA, Guinness Black Lager, West Indies Porter
Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Hometown: Belgium
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Hoegaarden Blanche, Hoegaarden Grand Cru,
Brewery: Hofbrau
Hometown: Germany
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Hofbrau Original, Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier, Staatliches Hofbräuhaus München
Brewery: Kona Brewing Company
Hometown: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Big Wave Golden Ale, Longboard Island Lager, Castaway IPA
Brewery: Kraftig
Hometown: USA
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Kraftig Lager
Brewery: Brasseries Kronenbourg
Hometown: Obernai, Bas-Rhin France
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: 1664, 1664 Blanc, Kronenbourg
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Hometown: Petaluma, California
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: IPA, A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale, Lagunitas Sucks
Brewery: Latitude 42 Brewing Company
Hometown: Portage, Michigan
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Lucifer’s Cuvée, I.P.EH!, Powerline Porter
Brewery: Abbaye de Leffe
Hometown: Dinant, Namur Belgium
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Leffe Blonde, Leffe Brune, Leffe Tripel
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company
Hometown: Longmont, Colorado
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Milk Stout Nitro, Sawtooth Ale, 400 Pound Monkey
Brewery: Lost Coast Brewery
Hometown: Eureka, California
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Tangerine Wheat, Great White, Indica IPA
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing Company
Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Accumulation, Rampant, 1554
Brewery: New Holland Brewing Company
Hometown: Holland, Michigan
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Dragon’s Milk, The Poet, Ichabod Ale
Brewery: North Coast Brewing Company
Hometown: Fort Bragg, California
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Old Rasputin, Brother Thelonious, Scrimshaw Pilsner
Brewery: Odell Brewing Company
Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: IPA, 90 Shilling, Myrcenary Double IPA
Brewery: Omission Beer
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Bier de Table, Grapefruit, Ultimate Light
Brewery: Omnipollo
Hometown: Sweden
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Accumulation, Rampant, 1554
Brewery: Orkney Brewery
Hometown: Stromness, Orkney Islands Scotland
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Skull Splitter, Dark Island, Red MacGregor
Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery
Hometown: Longmont, Colorado
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Old Chub, Pinner Throwback IPA, Ten FIDY
Brewery: Rogue Ales & Spirits
Hometown: Newport, Oregon
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Dead Guy Ale, Hazelnut Brown Nectar, 7 Hop IPA
Brewery: Samuel Adams, Boston Beer Company
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Winter Lager, Cold Snap, Porch Rocker
Brewery: Saugatuck Brewing Company
Hometown: Douglas, Michigan
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Neapolitan Milk Stout, Blueberry Milk Stout, Singapore IPA
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Hometown: Clifton Park, NY
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Dead Guy Ale, Hazelnut Brown Nectar, 7 Hop IPA
Brewery: Seattle Cider Company
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Semi-Sweet, Dry, Pumpkin Spice
Brewery: Shock Top Brewing Co.
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Honeycrisp Apple Wheat, Pumpkin Wheat, Twisted Pretzel Wheat
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Hometown: Chico, California
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Dead Guy Ale, Hazelnut Brown Nectar, 7 Hop IPA
Brewery: Stella Artois
Hometown: Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant Belgium
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Stella Artois Black, Vieux Temps, Horse Ale
Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales
Hometown: Baltimore, MD United States
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Cellar Door, Stateside Saison, Why Can’t IBU
Brewery: Stone Brewing
Hometown: Escondido, California
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Stone IPA, Stone Go To IPA, Stone Delicious IPA
Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
UnTappd Checkin Hopefuls: Hop Nosh, Detour Double IPA, Dubhe Imperial Black IPA
How to navigate the Centennial
So before your mouth begins watering at the thought of all that beer, here are some ideas to help navigate the Centennial. We asked festival founder Jason Arnold to help us create a strategy that will allow you to maximize your experience.
- Look at the list for the most up to date beer list.
- Arrive early. They will start checking in before the session begins and even if the beer is not flowing, you can get in and get a look around.
- Eat a couple hours before you arrive so your stomach has something to soak up the beer.
- Start at the farthest point from registration (2nd Floor) and taste against the current of festival goers.
- Start with the pilsners and lagers and Belgians. Then move to the IPAs and hoppy beers then to the porters and stouts last if you can hold yourself.
- If you don’t like a beer, dump it. It’s okay. They will understand you have to save your palette.
