Center Ice Brewery

Comfortable bar (wooden, L-shaped) with some tables. 3 TVs. A hockey game to play free. Beer to go. Spirts and wine available. 9 house beers on tap, plus 3-4 guest taps. Bags of potato chips for sale, or bring your own food (you can order take out from Pappy’s Smokehouse or Southern Chicken next door. Comfortable place with good beers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

a hockey themed brewery makes perfect sense here in saint louis, where everyone seems to be a die hard blues fan. the place is kind of cool if you are a hockey fan, with memorabilia on the walls, hockey sticks for tap handles, even rink boards around the brewhouse, i like the logo too with a player lifting a keg instead of the stanley cup, its as well done as a themed brewery can be as far as i am concerned, everything is clean and new inside and the space is comfortable. they have two bars, one in front and one in the back with the tanks. i was the only one there at opening time and so had some awesome service, friendly and chatty behind the bar, and even got to chat with the brewer, who is both competent and at least moderately creative based on their lineup. they had a solid selection, not a ton of lines but enough that there is surely something for everyone here. their golden is the most popular but i skipped that in favor of a coffee stout and some fruited cream ales, all of which i like quite well and demonstrated some creativity, but both of which needed a little more fine tuning. i fully expect the beer to be expert and professional here before long. i had a good time in here and i think the beer is cool right now, and on its way to excellent. do not be put off by the theme and the hockey thing, they have done it really well (coming from a hockey fan).

As a hockey fan and a beer lover, I was really looking forward to visiting this new brewery. Located next to Pappy's Barbecue, there is limited parking in the back, but the SLU parking garage is next door. In the front, near the brewing equipment, hockey boards separate a walkway from the fermenters. Also, the penalty box from the old Checkerdome is installed in the corner. Hockey themed art, all St Louis Blues related, hangs on the wall, and small hockey sticks serve as tap handles. The beer was average, not exceptional, although the golden ale was notably good. One server was a little distracted and slow, but the rest of the staff was incredible. They happily chatted about homebrewing and Blues hockey. The atmosphere was exceptionally fun, and I'm looking forward to returning, and hopefully watching a few games during the season.