Today in beer and whiskey in St. Louis

Here is what I found today that every beer and whiskey lover in St. Louis needs to know.

Urban Chestnut Crawfish Boil

YES, it’s crawfish season. Last week 4 Hands teamed up with Peacemaker to fill my belly with my favorite process food, and next up is Urban Chestnut. Their boil takes place both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, and today they announced that they are offering single-attendee tickets along with their tables of 2, 4, 6, and 8. And while that news might make you happy, UCBC also announced the beer that will highlight the boil this year.

Elixir Hoppy Lager will debut at The Biergarten on Saturday & Sunday. All ticketed boil attendees will receive a free pour of this unique French-hopped (Elixir) bier. The citrusy, woody aroma, and floral notes of this new release are sure to complement the spicy flavors of the Jambalaya and Crawfish boil.

Switchgrass’ Seasonal Gold Dust returns

This week, Switchgrass Spirits re-released their popular bottled cocktail, which has sold out for two years straight.

To serve, shake the natural ingredients of lemon, ginger, and local honey combined with our sweet mash bourbon. At 65 proof, this bottled cocktail is best enjoyed over ice and/or with a splash of seltzer. You will find Gold Dust in your favorite bottle shop or story starting April 26.

St. Louis Microfest is back

One of the longest running beer festivals in town is back. The St. Louis Microfest is a beer tasting festival that offers festival goers the chance to sample international and craft beers at 2 different session times during one day. The festival also includes live music, food, and more than enough fun!

Profits from the festival go toward funding Lift For Life Gym. Since 1988, Lift For Life Gym has provided supervised and safe activities for children 8 to 18 years old, five evenings a week, all free of charge.

At last count, 57 local, regional, and national breweries, distilleries, and home brewers will be pouring.

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

Saturday, May 6: 12-4 pm
Saturday, May 6: 5:30-9:30 pm
General Admission: $45
VIP Admission: $70
V.I.G (Very Important Great Taste Gang), Courtesy of 106.5 The Arch: $60 (12-4 pm session only)

Mississippi Culture is open

I hope you got to see my story last week about the opening of our area’s newest brewery. Tracy Hutton, the owner and head brewer of Mississippi Culture Oak Fermented Ales, officially opened his taps over the weekend. You can read the entire story here. The brewery is located at 201 South Union Street, in Staunton.

New Cocktails

Café la Vie, the restaurant inside the Le Meridien St. Louis Clayton hotel, is launching a new cocktail menu in partnership with acclaimed beverage director, Tim Wiggins. Wiggins, a St. Louis-based mixologist and the beverage director at Yellowbelly, Retreat Gastropub, and Lazy Tiger, teamed up with the hotel team to offer a unique experience to celebrate the beauty of our city this spring. Together, they are launching a collection of colorful cocktails inspired by the Italian art of blown glass. I’m going for a preview next week, and I’ll surely tell you how it goes.

New Beers

… Perennial Artisan Ales teamed up with The Beer Temple in Chicago, and will release “From Day One” on Thursday. The beer is a European-amalgamation pale lager made with:

German yeast

Czech + Italian malts

LOTS of English Kent Goldings hops

… Craft Republic announced this week that KC Bier Co will be available in St. Louis and Southeast Missouri starting NEXT WEEK. KC Bier is known for their fresh German-style ales & lagers, dunkel, hefeweizen, helles’ & Kolsch. They are planning a tap takeover this Thursday at The Blue Duck in Maplewood.