Are you like me and looking for a good way to use your brand-spankin’-new 21-year-old ID? Look no further. I have made it my mission to seek out the best breweries in St. Louis, and I will now share my precious knowledge with the world.
- Anheuser-Busch
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Okay, I know this one is certainly the most obvious choice, so I thought I would just get it out of the way. You really can’t go wrong with Anheuser-Busch…I mean, a FREE brewery tour with a FREE beer at the end? Also, Anheuser-Busch has a fun Biergarten that is perfect in all seasons—but especially in the summer.
Grab a few friends, take a tour, savor that free beer, and maybe drink a couple more with some pretzels on the side (but only if you have a designated driver!).
- Twisted Roots
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I have a real soft spot for Twisted Roots. This place is not the cheapest, and to be honest, I still have no idea what their prices look like, but it is one of my favorite spots to have a couple drinks with friends! Twisted Roots offers many specials that are always changing, some of which I still have to take advantage of. Right now, they have happy hour on Wednesday through Friday with $3 and $4 drafts, $4 wells, and $2 off menu items. They also have a $30 brunch every Sunday with BOTTOMLESS mimosas, bloody mary’s, and beer—truly incredible, but I have yet to embark on that journey.
Twisted also has board games available at all times and trivia nights on Thursdays! I went to a Harry Potter Trivia Night, and although my team was no where close to the winning team, we had a ton of fun.
Now for the biggest perk: Twisted Roots is so ridiculously close to SLU’s campus it’s not even funny. So you don’t have to make sure you have someone sober to drive you or pay for an uber!
- Urban Chestnut
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Urban Chestnut is another one of my favorites. There are multiple locations (including one in Germany!), and each offers their own perks. I think I would have to pick the Midtown location as my ultimate favorite—simply because it’s only a walk’s distance away from SLU and it has a great outdoor seating area. Sitting at those picnic tables on a beautiful sunny day while drinking a brew or two with some pals? It doesn’t get much better than that.
However, the Grove location is also fun! It has a larger food menu with some delicious Bavarian eats, and it offers FREE brewery tours followed by a FREE sampling. Also, right across the street, there is The U.R.B. (Urban Research Brewery), where you can eat some pizza and do a $2 tasting of beers they’re testing if you fill out a survey; it’s a fun and unique way to get some cheap beer!
Insider tip: the “Winged Nut” is by far the best beer they offer, and no one will convince me otherwise.
- Wellspent
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Wellspent Brewing Co. is a smaller brewery that’s also within walking distance of campus! I love Wellspent because they serve my favorite beer I’ve tried in St. Louis—the “Rex Kwon Do,” which is their version of a Belgian-style Tripel. Oh, and they serve one of my all-time favorite foods: tamales.
They are also fun because they host many events! They have trivia nights on Wednesdays and movie nights on Fridays and even the occasional yoga event on Saturday mornings.
- Schlafly
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I couldn’t make this list without including Schlafly, but in all honesty, I haven’t made it here yet. Cut me some slack, though; I’ve only been 21 for a few months! From what I can tell, it seems like a fun place.
Schlafly has two locations, the Tap Room and Bottleworks, with the Tap Room being much closer to SLU. However, the Bottleworks location offers free brewery tours on Saturday and Sunday followed by a beer tasting!
- 4 Hands
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4 Hands is another one I haven’t made it to quite yet, but I’m planning on it! According to their website, they have $1 off drafts every Friday from 4-7pm—so I’m going to have to take advantage of that deal.
- Rockwell Beer Co.
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Lastly, another that I have yet to try…(Clearly I need to stop going to Twisted Roots and Urban Chestnut every weekend)…However, I have heard from friends that Rockwell is great! They are only a short drive away down Vandeventer, and I’ve seen lots of people sitting outside on a sunny afternoon.
Hopefully this is useful information for some of you 21-year-old (or older) St. Louis inhabitants, and maybe it can be a source of excitement for all of you non-21-year-olds! I’m sure there are many, many more breweries in St. Louis that deserve to be on this list, all of which I intend to try at some point.