St. Louis Brewer Hosts Fundraiser for Distillery Vandalized During Paint Louis Event

Still 630 Distillery, was hit by vandals the weekend of annual Paint Louis event.

The St. Louis craft community is known for its camaraderie and on September 22, that spirit of unity will be on full display. 2nd Shift Brewing is hosting a special event to raise funds for their longtime collaborators at Still 630 Distillery, following a heartbreaking incident of vandalism that hit the distillery just south of downtown St. Louis. The damage left the building covered in unsightly graffiti, defacing the distillery’s walls and even its iconic custom signage.

The graffiti appeared over the weekend during the annual Paint Louis event, a celebration of street art. While some have speculated that the vandalism could be connected to the event, organizers were quick to distance themselves, emphasizing that illegal tagging is not condoned. But, for David Weglarz, the founder of Still 630, the incident was nothing short of demoralizing.

“To me, it’s a punch in the gut. There’s people who come from all over the country to visit St. Louis. This isn’t the impression we want to make when they see graffiti everywhere,” Weglarz expressed to St. Louis media after the incident.

Recognizing the impact of the vandlasim, Weglarz’ longtime collaborators at 2nd Shift Brewing immediately stepped up.

“The craft beer and specialty drink business is a close-knit group that looks out for each other. When one hurts, we all hurt. While we love graffiti art, it has a place, and the building of a small business is not it,” said Nancy Carver, Director of Brewery Communications at 2nd Shift.

A longstanding collaboration

2nd Shift Brewing and Still 630 have been collaborating for years. Their partnership began with barrel-aging projects, where 2nd Shift would take used barrels from the distillery to age their beers. Soon, a whiskey named “Still 2nd Shift,” emerged from this friendship. The distillery distilled and aged a batch of 2nd Shift’s iconic “Art of Neurosis IPA,” resulting in a unique whiskey that was a hit with local fans.

“We’ve always admired what 2nd Shift does and it’s been an honor to collaborate with them,” Weglarz shared.

Showing their support

On Sept. 22, 2nd Shift will host a benefit event at the brewery, where proceeds from the day’s sales, a silent auction, and a special tasting of Still 630 spirits will go directly toward helping the distillery with repair costs. The brewery is also calling on other local businesses to contribute to the silent auction by donating goods or services.

For Weglarz, the support is humbling.

“It’s incredibly gratifying to see friends—people we admire—step up and support us in this way. They didn’t have to do this, but they chose to, and that speaks volumes about their character.”

Carver echoed his sentiment, noting that this collaboration is not just about business—it’s about community.

“Local businesses supporting each other helps our entire community thrive. It’s a beautiful story of resilience and togetherness, which is exactly what our city needs,” said Carver.

In the words of Weglarz, “It’s getting harder out here. Eat local, drink local, and show some love to the city.”

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