When 4 Hands Brewing Co. opened its doors on Nov. 11, 2011, the St. Louis craft beer landscape looked a lot different. Fifteen years later, founder and CEO Kevin Lemp is celebrating the brewery’s history while looking ahead to what comes next.
15 Years in the Making
The anniversary celebration will take place Nov. 11 at the brewery’s downtown taproom, where it all began. The centerpiece is Beware of the Hopheads, a 7.5% ABV IPA brewed with longtime collaborators Finback Brewery in New York, 2nd Shift Brewing in St. Louis County and Chicago breweries Marz Community Brewing Co. and Pipeworks Brewing.
The beer brings together some of the breweries that helped 4 Hands establish itself in its early days. Draft selections from all four collaborators will also be available at the downtown location, with the anniversary beer pouring at all three 4 Hands locations.
“It’s a ton of fun to reflect on the last 15 years,” Lemp said. “Now we’re building a plan for the next 15 years.”
Brewing What’s Next
The anniversary is also a chance to take stock of how much the brewery’s portfolio has changed. Not one beer from the original lineup remains in the current core portfolio, and Lemp sees that evolution as a sign of a business willing to listen.
“I’m a firm believer that we don’t own anything,” he said. “The customer tells us what’s working and when something needs to change.”
Over the years, 4 Hands has retired brands and introduced new ones to fill their places. One standout is OctoHaze, which followed the discontinuation of State Wide and has since become the company’s second-best-performing brand. Its success led to OctoHaze Tropical, a line extension that has become another key driver for the brewery.
City Wide Pale Ale, meanwhile, remains the portfolio’s top performer. Lemp said the brand continues to grow, with three percentage points of growth, and remains Missouri’s No. 1 pale ale and St. Louis’ No. 1 craft brand.
A Million-Dollar Mission
City Wide’s success extends beyond sales. Ten years into its philanthropic program, the beer has become a cornerstone of the company’s community giving, helping 4 Hands work toward a goal of donating $1 million.
“It’s the biggest accomplishment we’ve ever had here,” Lemp said. “We’re so grateful for what it’s brought us as a company and allowed us to give back to the community.”
The brewery is approaching the halfway point of that million-dollar goal, a milestone Lemp said the team once joked about reaching someday. Today, he sees City Wide as much more than a beer brand.
The Next Round
Innovation will remain central to 4 Hands’ next chapter. The company is preparing a new look and packaging format for its nonalcoholic lineup, moving from 16-ounce four-packs to 12-ounce six-packs. City Wide NA and Incarnation NA will remain, joined by Stride, a blonde ale brewed with Citra hops.
Lemp also sees room to grow in spirits, where the company has had a strong year, and Drip Hard Lemonade, which will be a major focus both in bars and restaurants and on store shelves. Larger 19.2-ounce cans will also play a bigger role in the beer portfolio.
One area remains uncertain: hemp-derived cannabis beverages. Lemp said regulatory ambiguity has made it difficult to determine the category’s future, leaving the company waiting for clearer federal guidance before deciding whether to move forward.
Holiday Spirits
Before the next 15 years get underway, 4 Hands will also bring back Cocktails and Claws, its holiday pop-up with Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co. in Kirkwood. The event returns to the businesses’ shared space at 150 W. Argonne Drive throughout November and December.
This time, guests can look forward to a reservation system designed to make the experience smoother, along with a whimsical cocktail menu showcasing 4 Hands’ spirits and a seafood-centric food menu from the Peacemaker team.
For Lemp, the pop-up is another opportunity to bring people together over food and drink, a fitting note for a company whose flagship beer has become synonymous with giving back.
1220 S. 8th St., St. Louis; 150 W. Argonne Drive, Kirkwood; 17081 N Outer 40 Road, Suite 17073, Chesterfield; 4handsbrewery.com
This article appears in November 2026.
