Love for legendary Belleville beer is story of “Dear Crider”

If you grew up around St. Louis, you know what I’m talking about when I say, “God Save Stag Beer.” Apparently, 2nd Shift Brewing’s owner and head brewer Steve Crider is a fan.

Stag Beer was first brewed in 1907 across the river in Belleville, Illinois. Its roots run deep in our area, for many reasons. One, dare I say, is because it’s what many of us remember our grandparents and great-grandparents drinking if they drank beer.  Stag is part of our beer history.

2nd Shift Brewing’s “Dear Crider”

Early in February of 2022, a group of brewer friends got together to celebrate Steve Crider’s birthday. They brewed a variation of Steve’s go-to “don’t think about it” macro lager – Stag. The resulting beer is an easy-to-crush, floral & slightly sweet mash beer with a crisp clean finish.

This American style lager pours as you would expect, with a light golden ghead, and a golden yellow hue. On the nose you’ll get a nice combination of herbal, piney and floral hops aromas. The flavor is all lager, with a smoothness that does its influencer justice with just a tad of hoppiness and a hint of fruit.

Label Art

A good brewery not only develops a style of brewing that fans can count on, but also makes sure that their can art is top notch. 2nd Shift beers are known for solid artwork with a hint of snark. The can art for “Dear Crider” was developed by Candyce Fritsch, the brewery’s creative director. It’s a parody of American gothic and a recreation of Steve’s likeness.

Dear Crider Tees

Apparently demand for the shirt Steve Crider was wearing in the original Instagram post increased, and the brewery this week announced that the shirt is now in stock and available in S-XXL