Combine the brewing prowess of a Ste. Genevieve staple with the skill and experience of a downtown restaurant powerhouse, and you have Charleville Brewing Co. and Restaurant. The owners of the Ste. Genevieve brewery have joined forces with Paul and Wendy Hamilton of Hamilton Hospitality to open the new concept at 2101 Chouteau Ave., in early 2017.
Co-owner Paul Hamilton said he had just purchased the space across the street from his current Chouteau Avenue establishments (21st Street Brewers Bar, PW Pizza, Vin de Set and Moulin Events) when Charleville director of operations Tait Russell approached him about a partnership for a downtown brewery. “It was serendipitous,” Hamilton said. “I’ve always really liked Charleville and respected them for what they do.”
Russell said after a decade of distributing in the St. Louis area, Charleville wanted to bring a brewing operation to its largest market. “It was important to bring our brand and our beer closer to the population,” he said. “If you can’t bring them to you, bring it to them.”
Charleville’s Ste. Genevieve facility will continue to serve as the base of its operations, with a 30-barrel system pumping out the majority of the brewery’s offerings. Russell said the 7-barrel system at the Chouteau location will let him “be more playful in what we can do with small-batch things,” including exclusive offerings for all of Hamilton Hospitality’s restaurants, like Eleven Eleven Mississippi. Hamilton said the counter-service restaurant will see a menu heavy on appetizers and elevated comfort food dishes.
Customers can get a sneak peek of the new space at the Boar & Brew Barrel-Aged Bottle Release Party Oct. 20. Charleville will pour and sell rare bottles including barrel-aged Box of Chocolates and barrel-aged barleywine, while the team at 21st Street Brewer’s Bar roasts a whole hog for the occasion. More details are available online.
This article appears in October 2016.