When the air turns crisp, October in St. Louis parallels the seasonal change in the beer world, enticing us to switch to spiced beers, malty-yet-clean German lagers and ripe hops fresh from harvest. The St. Louis Brewers Guild is celebrating festive fall beers tomorrow, Oct. 24, at its Halloween Party from 1 to 5 p.m. in Lafayette Park, where costumed adults will trick-or-treat at more than 35 breweries represented at the festival in the heart of the city.
Here’s what’s not in the heart of the STL: Several outstanding STLBG members who will pour at this year’s party. Sample a selection their brews this Saturday, then organize an excursion to savor their beers later this autumn. Here, my three picks from non-STL city breweries to try:
1. Mark Twain Brewing Co. from Hannibal, is bringing its Wet-Hopped IPA, brewed with Cascade and Columbus hops grown on brewers Cat Golden and Dave Alley’s family farm in Tennessee. Look for a pungent grapefruit aroma, lots of citrus and a little pepper on the palate. Bonus: This beer is an STLBG Halloween party exclusive.
2. Mark Twain is also bringing its Maple Pecan Brown. Boasting 30 pounds of roasted pecans and local maple syrup, this beer is deceptively more robust than the 4.7-percent ABV suggests. Look for a little pecan nuttiness, subtle maple sweetness and a whole lot of roasted malt.
3. Located just across the river in Alton, The Old Bakery Beer Co. is bringing its Sweet Potato Chai Ale in advance of its official release on Oct. 31. Brewed with 75 pounds of sweet potatoes, seven different spices and Goshen Coffee, look for cinnamon and clove spiciness, creamy sweet potato and coffee for a “dirty chai” flavor profile.
This article appears in October 2015.