According to the St. Louis Brewers Guild, there are now more than 50 breweries in the St. Louis region — that’s the most since the boom in craft brewing began over a decade ago.
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh highlighted some of the local brewing scene alongside Sauce Magazine’s Managing Editor Catherine Klene. Every year, Sauce Magazine produces an entire issue focused on beer, which is on newsstands now and available online.
With so many brewers popping up in the city and county, Sauce Magazine has noticed another trend: craft brewers moving further west. Joining the program to discuss this trend were two brewers: Abbey Spencer, head brewer of Third Wheel Brewing, which will open in St. Peters in the next month or two, and Robert Schowengerdt, the co-owner of Two Plumbers Brewing & Arcade, which will open in St. Charles on Saturday.
“I know St. Louis City and St. Louis County are really full these days but I feel like there is always another spot, another niche brewery that could open up,” Spencer said. “There are so many interesting, unique things coming out these days that a new brewery can really find their own place. We are pretty excited because we’re moving out a little bit further, to explore uncharted counties out West.”
Spencer’s brewery will be the first and only craft brewery located in St. Peters.
Schowengerdt will soon open a two-barrel brewery and arcade in St. Charles, hoping to bring some of the city beer brewing community further out west.
“I recently moved back out to the County and kept driving back to the city to go to beer festivals and noticed there was an empty hole in the area,” Schowengerdt.
In St. Charles County, he is accompanied by Trailhead Brewingand Exit 6 Brewery in St. Charles and Friendship Brewing in Wentzville.
Listen to the full discussion of trends in local craft brewing here:
In addition to new breweries opening up in St. Louis this year, there are also several expansions coming to St. Louis. Ste. Genevieve’s Charleville Brewing is opening a second location in St. Louis and Earthbound Beer is moving from its tiny shop on Cherokee St. to a massive space down the street, which utilizes the old Cherokee Brewery’s lagering cellars.
There are also several events coming up. Sauce Magazine highlights all of the St. Louis region’s beer festivals in their current issue (read online here), but Klene said you should mark your calendars for April 1 with 4 Hands Brewing Co.’sLupulin Carnival, which is at a new location at Union Station this year.
This Sound Bites segment is produced as a part of a partnership between Sauce Magazine and St. Louis Public Radio.
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer and Kelly Moffitt give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.