Appears my family and I will be moving to Western IL this summer. So I am looking to get the down-low on what the scene is like. What breweries are there (specially craft/micro), what cool tap houses there are, etc. Feel free to include the St. Louis area. I have read some threads and have some tap houses to look into, but all I have come across are in STL, so something West of there would be great. Are there good sources to buy the craft beers? Thanks!
Well if he is in south-western Illinois, near St. Louis then most of the good breweries are going to be in St. Louis. Perennial, Side Project, Schlafly, Urban Chestnut, and 4 Hands are all good places. On the Illinois side, he should make a trip to Scratch Brewing, they are near Carbondale sort of in the middle of no-where, but they used locally foraged ingredients in their beers, really interesting and unique beers.
Sorry, more SW IL, but anything in/near St. Louis is what I am after. And probably within a couple hour driving radius of that! Perfect, thanks!!
I'm in Quincy, Il, (about 2.5 hours from STL) right on the Western most tip. STL is the best area to drive to for me. Always a fun, close getaway. Welcome to America!
I know nothing about this place other than I bought a beer from them once (haven't drank it yet): http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30695/ Might be too far a drive without knowing exactly where you'll be living but figured I'd mention it anyways
OP, for St. Louis specific details you may want to check the Midwest forum as well as that's where BA puts the Missouri discussion.
Thank you again! I've driven 14 hrs (round trip) for beer before, so there isn't much out of reach. But it's nice to source locally!
Just a quick update. We live about 45 minutes East of St. Louis. The boxes are disappearing and once that is done, we'll (or at least I'll) be able to start thinking about having fun. My FIL is coming to town in early Oct. and he likes good beer as well, so I'd like to look into making a short trip specially for the beer. Excel brewing is perhaps 20 minutes from here. Scratch is 1:20, while not out of the question, would like something else a bit closer. We've tried Peel in O'fallon and it's ok. Food is good, but I wasn't impressed with the beer. There is a global Beer place near there as well that looks promising, but I have yet to try that. I brought quite a lot of beer back from Europe, but I have been so busy trying local stuff that I have hardly tapped into my stash. That's good news as I've come across several that are quite good.
You're in a beer desert, unfortunately. Du Quoin has a brewery, Red Bud has one. Old Bakery in Alton, Firefly Grill in Effingham is a nice restaurant with some decent beers. As others have said, plenty to explore in St. Louis, and Scratch is worth the trip. Check out the Nearby feature, and the IL places directory for towns near you.
Alrighty, not sure exactly where you are in terms of "East of St. Louis", but here are a few recommendations that might help get you rolling. The area of IL where you are is, uh, a bit thin, but luckily you aren't awfully far from St. Louis. In IL, for some beer stores I'd recommend trying out: Friar Tuck Beverage in Edwardsville - depending on how close this is to you, this is a solid store with an exceptional selection for that area. Just check dates on anything like IPAs, hefes, or anything that might not age well. Deans Liquor in Collinsville - Small shop, but the beer guy there is a huge craft beer fan and tries to get and does get some really good stuff in store. Bit pricey, but can be convenient, since its mostly singles. Now, if you are willing to hike over to St. Louis there are some excellent places. For beer stores you can hit up: Craft Beer Cellar - this place is my favorite, I go here every time Im in St. Louis. They let you get singles and have a killer selection. Join their membership club and you can get deals. The Wine and Cheese Place - close to Craft Beer Cellar (less than 5 minutes down the road), very good selection, if memory serves me right they have a really nice import selection. Total Wine - good selection, dates can be spotty, also very close to CBC and Wine & Cheese (you could hit all three if you made a trip out). One other place I've heard great things about but haven't been able to stop by yet is St. Louis Hop Shop. There are also some other Friar Tuck beverages (its a chain) in St. Louis. Breweries in St. Louis to hit up? Check the Midwest Regional forum for more information, but I've been to Side Project Cellar, both Urban Chestnuts, 4-Hands, Schlafly, and O'Fallon. I am very partial to Side Project - their beers are incredible especially their sours. Urban Chestnut is also great, and I really like their beers. They tend to get bashed a bit because they don't make the "sexy" styles but pretty exclusively focus on german and belgian traditional styles. Well worth stopping at and the UC Grove Brewery and Bierhall has a pretty expansive to go selection. Other places that would be worth stopping at and that are on my "bucket list" include Civil Life and Perennial Artisan Ales both in St. Louis.
Oh, I haven't been to Excel, but I've enjoyed the beers I've had from them. Nothing that'll blow you away, but they a rarely leave you disappointed. I have had several beers from Old Bakery in Alton and have been very disappointed.
Thanks very much! To clarify, we are ~45 Minutes east by NE of St. Louis. Lots of great information. A local watering hole recommended Friar Tucks, but I have yet to make it over there. I will and also check out Deans! Thanks for all the help!! So your Avatar...you just a fan or a deeper connection? We just moved from Germany.
Ok! so Friar Tucks shouldn't be too far from you! I'm just a fan - I went to Germany in high school for a few weeks and started following Bayern then, kept it up ever since then. Do you have a football team? Moving from Germany to downstate IL must have been an interesting transition?
Roemer Topf in Mascoutah is a good German restaurant, if you get tired of fast food. Also, Ariston Cafe is a cool historical restaurant in Litchfield on the old Route 66 that has some decent beer options.
No, I really didn't follow football. I've never played it, so I don't understand it. I did go to a couple FCK games for fun. Yeah, interesting is an understatement. We're CO natives, but got to spend 4 years in Germany (and Europe!) I believe I have heard of that restaurant. Perhaps we will try it someday, but it may be a while as German style food wasn't our favorite... When we first got here in July, we made it a mission to eat at our favorites since we've been a away for so long! Now it's time to diet... LOL!
Anyone know any breweries open for tours on Sunday's? Have family arriving this weekend and a sitter lined up for the kids. I see Schlafly does, as well as AB. Didn't appear anyone else does. And I can't find any tour info for Excel. I'll put in a call to them.
