Editor’s note: After relocating and reconcepting, The Good Pie has closed.
Foraging for a good beer
What does the forest offer today? Ask the brewers at Scratch Brewing Co., in Ava, Ill. We love rooting through the “foraged” section of its beer list, which recently held Shiso Maki, a dark brown ale brewed with Belgian Abbey yeast and shiso leaves.
Scratch Brewing Co., 264 Thompson Road, Ava, Ill., 618.426.1415, scratchbeer.com
Thai curry in a glass
Thai chiles and toasted coconut flavored the Southside Stout that Excel Brewing made for a cask festival in February. We’re crossing our fingers that Excel will give us Thailand in a glass again – and soon.
Excel Bottling Co., 488 S. Broadway, Breese, Ill., 618.526.7159, excelbottling.com
Intoxicating labels
We’re suckers for creative beer labels and we love dogs. Small wonder we fell in love with 2nd Shift Brewing’s Arlo the Wonderbeagle’s Sour Brown Ale. Just look at those puppy dog eyes!
2nd Shift Brewing, 1601 Sublette Ave, St. Louis, Mo., 573.237.3421, 2ndshiftbrewing.com
Crafty beer Concoctions
Crafty Chameleon’s beer cocktails pave a gentle path into the world of beer. Our pick: Chocolate Covered Raspberry, featuring Guinness or chocolate stout topped with framboise.
The Crafty Chameleon Bar, 1384 Clarkson Clayton Center, Ellisville, 636.220.9144, craftychameleonbar.com
Micheladas
Olé to this south-of-the-border, beer version of a bloody mary. At Mission Taco Joint, Negra Modelo is combined with a superb house-made michelada mix. Gringo offers five michelada variations that range from verde to boozy to fire-alarm spicy. And now that La Vallesana has acquired a liquor license, you can order a michelada with your torta.
Gringo, 398 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.449.1212, gringo-mx.com; Mission Taco Joint, 6235 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.932.5430, missiontacostl.com; La Vallesana, 2801 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.776.4223, neverialavallesana.com
Cooper’s Hawk bloody mary with beer bonus
The best part about this bloody mary isn’t the skewer loaded with a hunk of aged cheddar, a massive shrimp, a bleu cheese-stuffed olive, a grape tomato and a pickle (although it is a tasty, mini-meal). It’s that the cocktail comes with a generous sidecar of a local craft beer.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, 1146 Town and Country Crossing Drive, Town & Country, 636.489.0059, coopershawkwinery.com
Rockin’ tap handles
We’ve seen tap handles at bars around the U.S. fashioned from sticks, horns, gears and even double-barreled shotguns. But in this neck of the woods, the ones at Heavy Riff shaped like guitar necks totally rock.
Heavy Riff Brewing Co., 6413 Clayton Ave., St. Louis, heavyriffbrewing.com
Hops served up
Hops live happily in Orama, a light, citrusy, bitter cocktail served at The Good Pie, which features house-made hops syrup and Bittercube Door County Hop Bitters.
The Good Pie, 6665 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.899.9221, thegoodpiestl.com
This article appears in Guide to Beer 2014.