One of St. Louis’ oldest craft breweries finally has a tasting room to welcome thirsty fans. O’Fallon Brewery will open its massive new facility today, June 22, at 45 Progress Parkway in Maryland Heights, just across the way from Westport Plaza.
The 40,000-square-foot building, which once housed a medical supply company, has been renovated to fit the new brewery, as well as the O’Bar Grill and Tap Room, a 130-seat restaurant and tasting room. Unlike most breweries that go for a rustic, homey feel, the new O’Fallon is full of glass walls and sleek, modern lines befitting its new home in a sea of industrial office complexes near Westport Plaza.
As The Scoop reported in February 2014, the new brewery will allow O’Fallon to expand its annual brewing capacity to 25,000 barrels with the ability to double that as needed. This means O’Fallon can move all brewing operations back to the St. Louis area; previously the brewery partnered with Stevens Point Brewery in Wisconsin to produce its bottled and canned beers. Customers will be able to take tours of the new brewery after Labor Day, according to owner Jim Gorczyca.
In the tasting room, 20 taps offer O’Fallon favorites like Zeke’s Pale Ale and Kite Tail. Customers can order full pints or sample a few in a flight of four 5-ounce pours. Chef Greg Heidemann, who previously helmed kitchens at Nordstrom Cafe and Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse, has designed a menu that incorporates O’Fallon beer into many of the dishes, like salad dressings made with Wheach and shrimp marinated in 5-Day IPA. With many shareable items and manageable portions, dishes like four baby back ribs, flat breads and 7-ounce burgers are ideally sized for a lunch or happy-hour crowd.
O’Bar will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and until midnight Thursday to Saturday. Here’s a look at what to expect when the brewery opens for business tonight at 5 p.m.
-photos by Michelle Volansky
This article appears in June 2015.