The Civil Life Brewing Company

 

 

Pulling up into the side parking lot doesn't reveal much about this place aside from a modest looking building and a half dozen picnic tables out front. Interior opens up to an all wood bar and taproom with a long, shared table, invoking British pub vibes. Line is orderly and neat, filtering through the service portal, with staff managing the crowd well. Beer selection is all sessionable ales with ambers, bitters, browns gracing the tap list, along with a cask engine or two. Lovely spread, but perhaps a bit different than some would come to enjoy. Food is top notch with their soup Sundays being a blast. It's well worth a visit, especially for those seeking more traditional and simple beer.

 

 

I owe CL an apology. My first visit years ago must have been a bad night, because my subsequent two visits have absolutely lovely. (The ratings have changed accordingly) First let’s start with the vision of the British inspired pub brewery: the beers are varied including rarer British styles, high quality. The space is super inviting with lots of old world wood and fun antique like trinkets. Huge patio now post Covid, great space. The food is elevated pub fare, nice and pairs well with food. The service was super friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate, truly their love for the brewery shows through. A must visit in STL. If you didn’t like the first time give it another try!

They brew excellent beer

 

Not a pretty part of town, but The Civil Life has a great patio space with tent-like covering. Inside is pretty cool, too. Order at the bar. Everything is a 10oz or 20oz pour ($2.50 or $5). The place is cash only. The do have food. On Sundays, its things like tacos and nachos. All their beers are good.

The best micro-brew spot in St. Louis, period. Staff is beyond friendly, they will literally have a conversation with anyone. And their beer is worth writing home about!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cool place with plenty of seating spread out over a couple of levels and a patio. Cash only but they have an ATM on site. No table service. I had a $20 bill and I got a $10 and five $1 coins in change. WTF who does that? All pints seem to be $5 and all are European low ABV style beer. I liked most of them but the dunkleweizen was a huge miss. Really enjoyed the black lager. They have a kitchen which is just a nook at the end of the bar. The cook was wearing a chef jacket so they are really proud of what they are serving. I just had BBQ so I did not try any food but plenty of other people were eating there. I left with a couple of those dollar coins in my pocket. Guess I get to be an ass to the server in the next bar.

such a cool brewery! definitely a different vibe in here than in most of the cookie cutter american taprooms these days. its just a small tasting room area, with angled wooden ceilings, cool austrian/bavarian/english old features, picnic tables, its like stepping back in time. they have a neat gaming area with dart boards, with the brewery in the back, lots of capacity here. they also have a great patio space in front of the building, but its charming inside, and we chose to chill there, great atmosphere right when you walk in! a very impressive tap list, a huge range of drafts mostly across traditional european styles, at least ten or more beers pouring, including a cask offering. the brown ale and the dunkel were our favorites, but the ruby mild from the engine was also fantastic. they seem to have a real solid handle on these english and german styles. they had some food in here, but it didnt look like anything more than belly filler stuff to keep the buzz at bay a little longer, we did not indulge. the beers here were awesome, the service was friendly, and we had an awesome time in a great room there, wonderful place to hang out and sip on some session beers. i will most certainly be back when i am next in town. nothing quite like this anywhere around.

 

I cannot imagine a better vibe for a brew pub, because that's EXACTLY what it is. Modeled after traditional English pubs, this place is designed to be social. Many board games, picnic tables, sweet patio, dog-friendly, a library, darts, hook and loop game, walk-up window, growler-friendly, stand-up tables... if you come here and aren't social then you are probably antisocial. Not to mention it is all this deceptively built into a warehouse! Oh yeah, no computers, they keep your tab with a chalk tally on the bar in front of you! Bad ass!
Quality is as good as it gets. It's clean and there's not a bad beer in the house. All home-made, all excellent.
Service is walk-up only. Sometimes annoying, but it is run smoothly at this joint.
Selection only loses points for lack of today's preferred, in-your-face type of styles. They focus on traditional English stes with some exceptions. All their beers are excellent and well-made.
Food is good, but limited. No kitchen, just a sandwich station with soup and a few other offerings.
Awesome place. A hidden jem in the exploding StL craft beer scene!

 

Been living in St. Louis for almost 3 years now and finally made it to Civil Life, and man, I wish I had visited earlier. It's not much to look at from the outside, being just a plain warehouse-looking building, and it is in a South City neighborhood that has seen some brighter days, but once you get inside, you forget about all of that. Inside, the space is a cross between an English pub and modern American craft brewery in a warehouse. Lots of wood with a linear bar on one side and some bench style seating on the other. There is a beer garden outside with some picnic tables as well. Inside has a few games for you to play while you are there.

As far as beer and food go, all of the beers are $5 for 20oz or $2.50 for 10oz. They specialize in mostly English, some German, and a few American versions of English beers. Everything is very sessionable and well crafted. The food menu is limited, but pretty good. The pretzels are about standard for a brew pub. We didn't get any of the sandwiches, but a few of the sounded and looked pretty good. The service is all at the bar, but very attentive and nice.

Overall, I love this place. It isn't fancy, there isn't any pretense, and there are all sorts of people coming and going. This is the St. Louis area brewery for you if you enjoy a nice sessionable pint in a relaxing environment that won't break your wallet.

 

I stopped into this place for lunch with my family on a beautiful, sunny, spring day. Easy to find, with both on-street and off-street parking, the inside is engaging, covered with wood, and with a long bar. There's an upstairs with a small library and games, and the brewing equipment is in the back. Outside there is a nice beer garden with plenty of seating. The beer was mostly British and American style ales with a Belgian Dubble as well. No lagers, and some of the more roasted beers had a homebrew quality. The food is mostly sandwiches, but they were all well prepared and tasty. A serious downside is that they don't take credit: it is a cash only establishment. Bring some dollars, though, since this is absolutely worth a visit.

 

Great beer, fun space, love civil life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great craft beer with an emphasis on malty pub styles. Brewery ambiance is relaxed and cozy with plenty of nooks upstairs perfect for reading, board games, or socializing with friends. Board games and bar games available at brewery. Small menu of tasty sandwiches and appetizers available.CASH ONLY! ATM available on-site. Large outdoor seating area.