Did you know that every time you enjoy a City Wide beer, you’re helping your fellow St. Louisians?
Founded in 2011 in the LaSalle Park neighborhood of St. Louis, 4 Hands Brewing Co. (1220 South 8th St.) will celebrate the ninth anniversary of its American pale ale, City Wide, in 2025. As St. Louis’ top-selling craft beer, City Wide stands out not just for its crisp, vibrant blend of Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops, with bold flavors and aromas of citrus, melon and tropical fruit, but also for its mission, which continues to be the pulse of the brewery.
From St. Louis for St. Louis, 4 Hands created City Wide with a focus on community and local pride for the city. The beer not only celebrates St. Louis with a design by Josh Rowan that features the city’s flag, with red, yellow and blue fleur-de-lis surrounding the can, but also supports local nonprofits by donating $1 per case sold to quarterly charitable partners.
Each year, the brewery selects four nonprofits to receive donations, with the funds from City Wide sales distributed evenly among them. Recipients are selected internally, and the 4 Hands team continues to seek out new organizations – whether large or small – ensuring that any nonprofit with a mission to support the St. Louis area is considered.
“City Wide has allowed us to connect to people and organizations outside the beverage industry to build deep, meaningful partnerships and friendships. We work tirelessly to create experiences, memories and great beverages for our customers, but beyond that, we want to see St. Louis thrive and we’re proud to play any party, big or small, in that story,” said 4 Hands Chief Marketing Officer Liz Swyers.
For the past nine years, for example, 4 Hands has partnered with the Ronald McDonald House, assisting their team in setting up a holiday shop for families with children in the hospital during the holidays. They have also volunteered with Mission St. Louis for their annual Affordable Christmas event, as well as helped beautify Tower Grove Park by planting flower beds. With Unleashing Potential, they’ve collaborated with teachers and daycare workers, hosting book drives to expand their library. 4 Hands has supported Kids Vision for Life in their mission to provide children with essential eye care and has had a long-standing partnership with the Cardinal Glennon Foundation through their annual Sun Run and Glennon Live events. This year, 4 Hands will release a City Wide Pedal the Cause specialty can in order to raise awareness for the brewery’s Pedal the Cause cycling team. Pedal the Cause raises funds for cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital through its annual cycling event and year-round activities. These examples are just some of the partnerships and community work
4 Hands has been a part of throughout the years.
Since 2016, 4 Hands has partnered with over 30 organizations, contributing more than $350,000 to regional causes, staying true to its commitment to be more than just a beer. The brewery hopes that beer drinkers will continue to support important causes and organizations that make a positive impact on the St. Louis area, one City Wide at a time.
“Beer is our vessel to give back to the community and I’m so proud of what City Wide stands for today. I’m excited to look ahead to the next five to 10 years and envision the continued impact it will have on St. Louis,” said Swyers.
To learn more about current and past City Wide recipients, visit CityWideBeer.com. 4 Hands also shines a spotlight on City Wide during Cardinals Opening Day, so if you’re looking for a fun way to celebrate, join them at the 4 Hands Brewery & Tasting Room on Thursday, March 27.
This article appears in March 2025.