Starting from Square One

Starting a new blog is pretty overwhelming.  I mean, where do I even begin? How do I choose which one of St. Louis' plethora of microbreweries and brew pubs to go to first? And then it hit me--

Why not start from Square One?

Actually, "starting from Square One" was a complete coincidence. Ha. I went to dinner with my parents at Ricardo's Italian Cafe in Lafayette Square, just two blocks away from Square One Brewery and Distillery, so it would have been counter-intuitive not to check out Sq1 while we were there.

Though I have been to a handful of local breweries already, I had not tried Square One before tonight. When I got there the bar area was packed, but the crowd thinned out after a little while.  There is also a good-sized dining room in the back, but I had just come from dinner so I just squeezed myself in at the bar. Not only does Square One's bar serve up their unique artisan beers, but the place is a distillery as well.  I didn't get a chance to try any of the award-winning Spirits of St. Louis (the brand name for Sq1's liquors) tonight, but I will definitely be going back.

If awesome craft beers and liquors aren't enough of an excuse for you to get yourself over to Square One, how about Sunday brunch, available from 10a-2p?  Who doesn't love brunch? Or, check out Macaroni Monday from 5p-9p, where you personalize your bowl of Mac & Cheese with a selection of sauces, cheeses, and toppings of your choice. 

I got the sampler of four 6-oz beers:

From left to right, they are:

• Bavarian Weizen- one of Sq1's best sellers, according to the bar tender. A classic German-style unfiltered wheat beer with notes of banana and clove.  My first beer-loves were wheat beers, so Bavarian weizens always bring me to a happy place.
• Double Pilsner- brewed with twice the amount of malt and hops as the original pilsner, resulting in a very full-bodied beer with 85 IBU and over 9% ABV! I learned something about my palate with this beer- I did not like how bitter it tasted at first, but after I finished the other beers, I was accustomed to the strong flavor and was able to go back and enjoy this one.  Anyone who likes a rich, hoppy beer will have no problem with this one.
• Maple Stout- oh my goodness, it smells just like maple syrup. It tastes a lot like maple syrup, too, with a bit of a smokey finish. It's really interesting and unique, and I enjoyed it a lot.  I bet this one's popular at Sunday brunch.
• Single Malt Scotch Ale- my favorite by far.  I am not normally a scotch drinker, so I was nervous about trying a beer called "scotch," but it was incredible.  Smooth and aromatic, it has sweet caramel and toffee flavors balanced by just the right amount of hoppyness.  Dad and I considered getting a growler of it right then and there.

Overall, I was very pleased with my first brewery visit for this blog.  I'll definitely be going back to check out the food and house-made liquors.  Check out Square One Brewery and Distillery on their website, Twitter, and Facebook:

www.squareonebrewery.com
@SquareOneBrews on Twitter
Square One on Facebook

Thanks for reading! If you've been to Square One, leave a comment and let me know which beer(s) you've tried and which is your favorite.  And, of course, let me know where you think I should go next.

Inaugural Posting

Welcome to the first post for Drink Local STL!

This is a project I have wanted to do for a while (a year?) now, but have been afraid of committing. My original idea was to try to find the *best* beer in St. Louis, but I realize I am under-qualified for that task at the moment.  While I am definitely a craft beer enthusiast, I am no expert.  Yet.  So, that is one thing I will be working on-- becoming a beer tasting expert.  A few books and Cicero's Beer School should help with that.

What am I going to do while working my way to Expert Beer Connoisseur status?  I thought I would start with trying every local microbrewery in the St. Louis area-- and there are quite a few!  I will sample a few beers from each brewery, try the food, check out the atmosphere, chat with folks, and report back to you.  I hope this blog will encourage St. Louisans to try new beers and grow in appreciation for local brew, as well as promote local business. 

I would also love to check out some great bars serving a selection of local beers.  This is where I need your help-- if you have a suggestion of a place you think I should try, leave a comment!

I will post where I am going on Twitter, so follow and tweet me @DrinkLocalSTL to recommend what beer I should have.

Which microbrewery should I try first?  Do you have any other suggestions for things I should do?