People must like Ferguson Brewing Company, because it was crowded even at 4:30 in the afternoon. From what I've heard, it's usually like this, and one should not expect to be able to get in and out during lunch break.
North County is not exactly my favorite part of St. Louis, but I liked Ferguson's atmosphere. The owners are dedicated to local businesses and redevelopment, and much of the building's character comes from creative use of recycled materials. Hopefully this trend will catch on elsewhere in the area as it has in much of St. Louis. I think I would like North County a lot more if the rest of it was like this brewery.
I had my typical flight, which consisted of four beers. And, yes, that is my boyfriend's torso in the picture. Cute, isn't he?
Belgian Wit: I liked this. It was not as heavy as some unfiltered wits, which is good if you are planning on drinking several, because it won't fill you up as much as a more full-bodied beer. The orange peel flavor was much more prominent than in most Belgian Wits I've had; I could taste the orange easily just from the beer itself, without squeezing an orange slice into it.
Munich Dunkel: I have not had many Dunkels before, so this is a relatively new style to me. It was surprisingly red in color, and had a bready, toasty malt flavor. I don't think I can be a fair judge to the style because I am so unfamiliar with it, and it didn't really suit my tastes.
UMSL 50th Anniversary Jubilee Irish Red Ale: For a special celebration beer, I expected a little more flavor. It was typical to an red ale, being malt-forward rather than focused on the hops. It was a good beer, but I don't think the style was a good choice for a 50th anniversary. Personally, I would have gone with something more exciting, which, for most craft beer lovers right now, would be a style that is a lot more hop-forward.
American Brown Ale with Orange: This was the featured limited release bear, so of course I had to try it. I expected it to taste mostly like a brown ale with an orange flavor similar to that of the Belgian Wit. I was in for a surprise, because this beer was orange. It almost tasted like a mixture of half beer, half OJ. In fact, I was burping orange juice-flavor for hours afterward. I'm really not sure if this was a good thing. Maybe I would like it with breakfast. If Ferguson was going for something unique and unforgettable, they hit the nail right on the head.
My boyfriend had the Oatmeal Stout, which he graciously let me sample. We both really liked it. The food was also good. Almost everything on the menu had a suggested beer pairing, which I like to see at a craft brewery. Boyfriend liked his fish and chips, and I really enjoyed my margherita flat bread. I even enjoyed it again for lunch the next day. The fresh mozzarella on it was delicious.
With the exception of the strange orange beer, all of the beers that I sampled, and everything else on the regular menu, seemed to be session beers. They were all low in bitterness, and average in alcohol content. The Imperial IPA is 8% ABV, but all the other regular beers are 4.5-5.5%. It is good that Ferguson does the special release beers to mix it up a little- just tone down the orange a little, please.
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