Trailhead Brewing Company

zeff80

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

My opinion on the Trailhead Brewing Company is different than most of those I've seen posted. I visited Trailhead in January of '06. I found the food very average, but the beers were pretty good. Maybe they've shifted their focus since the previous reviews. My prime rib was below average. The only saving grace for their food was the fired mushrooms I had for an appetizer.
As for beers, I greatly enjoyed the Old Courthouse Stout and Hazelnut Brown Ale (seasonal, I think). I will have to agree with other reviewers the Red was a little disappointing.

04-06-2006 21:45:05 | More by zeff80

Vancer

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Just wanted to throw in a couple other tidbits. Ya, the beer here is brewed more for a *mass* appeal – all the versions rated in BA reflect it. Still, I’d overall rate them as well above average – approaching, but not in, the superior quality range.

However, the regular price for a pint is $3.50 and during happy hour (4-7), only $2.25 - a pretty decent price. And their appetizers and pizza are half price during happy time, too. Upstairs bar is full circle, warm and homey. Downstairs bar is generally empty. Outside seating too – for good weather months, which don’t happen all that often in STL.

Good range of moderately priced food items as others have described, service is generally friendly, as are the regulars.

01-27-2005 20:54:18 | More by Vancer

karst

Missouri

3.78/5  rDev +8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4.5

Trailhead Brewing Co. advertises "Taste tells our story of handcrafted beer!"
Limited parking we chose a Saturday midday to visit and still found the parking lot full. Very clean with only a single fruitfly visiting our 3rd floor corner table. We chose their half dozen 6 oz sampler and orderd a couple of cups of their Cream Based Seafood Bisque with Crab and White Fish & Shrimp and a Turkey Rueben with Melted Swiss schees and Sauerkraut and Thousand Island Dressing on Marble Rye.

We got started tasting our 6 beers from their tap wanting to determine the one(s) we would bring home in growlers. Electing to start light and go dark we began tasting Trailhead's Trailblazer Blond Ale (a Bud clone?) followed by a tart Raspberry Riverboat flavored beer that became less palatable with the sourness becomming more as you tasted it.

Our 3rd beer - Trailhead Red Amber Ale was the most disapointing! Although the brews had a good appearance across the board they were mostly fair to poor. Our last a seasonal Quarterback Bock had a good head (holding up with the oil from the french fries served with the sandwitchs) but its not being appropriately hopped for a Bock, left us not wanting more that the 6 oz. serving. The Amber Ale was so buttery tasting that we joked about using it for a dip for crab legs! Diacetyl error in brewing.

We left wishing the Missouri Brown Dark Ale was good enough to split a single growler between us. I will return sometime and give them a second opportunity to sell me a growler.

It would be my selection for a meal. Come to think of it that was the only beer the fruit fly was buzzing around.

Certainly good dining but not the best place to show off Missouri's handcrafted beer.

01-23-2005 18:03:53 | More by karst

nogoodreason

Missouri

2.68/5  rDev -23.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4

This place, while technically a brewpub is really just a restaurant. There are 5 or 6 regular beers on tap with one seasonal that switches out occasionally.

There is no obvious love of beer in this place. Beer in this place is simply a gimmick to bring people in. As an example of the lack of beer respect, all beer in the place is served in frosted mugs, if you ask for one that isn't frosted, they tell you they don't have any, because they're all sitting on ice.

The beer itself leans towards flavorlessness.

The service ranges from attentive and helpful to less than attentive and far from helpful.

The only reason, really, to go to the trailhead is for the food, which is decent.

If you're only in St. Louis for a little while, you'd be better served at the Tap Room, Bottleworks, Cicero's or 33.

08-25-2004 21:48:29 | More by nogoodreason

carln26

Missouri

3.28/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4

I’ve not been to this place since I left St. Louis 3 years ago. The service and food have improved, I wish I could say the same for the beer. It’s a wonderful location in downtown St. Charles, setup in an old mill/factory. They’ve done a nice job in the restoration leaving much of the brick and beam exposed. We had to wait about 20 minutes to get a table, but the waitress at the bar did a nice job of transferring our food and tab over to the main dining area. They have a great menu, with many selections, and I was no disappointed with the meal. The beer on the other hand, continues to disappoint. They could do much better. I had a watered down Kolsch, and a Brown Ale that was better, but not remarkably so. Nice job on improving the food, put effort into the beer!

07-20-2004 00:22:01 | More by carln26

Juggernaut

Missouri

3.6/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4

This is a great establishment, been going here for a few years now since i've lived in St. Charles, they did a great job remodeling the historic mill into the brew-pub. It is also in a very nice area, with all kinds of shops and near the Missouri River waterfront. My girlfriend and I enjoy dates down in the area, because its a relaxing and enjoyable place to have a stroll.

There food is above average, with a good selection of different dishes, such as salads, pastas, steaks, burgers, etc. I've tried many of them, and all were pleasing.

There beer selection isn't as good as some, but what they have is well rounded and has something for just about everybody, and all are quality brews. I've only had the chance to try the amber, since turning 21, and it was a good brew.

03-30-2004 18:26:09 | More by Juggernaut

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

3.21/5  rDev -8.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3

This is a very nice presentation of a dining and drinking establishment. The old mill building is historic registry and all that goes with that. Located on one of St. Charles' quieter streets and along the Missouri River, basically this was the western leg launch point for the Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark 200 years ago. One can imagine that as one stands here looking at this section of the Missouri under a full moon. Parking is scarce here even when the brewpub is not crowded, so be sure to allow for that.

The building is of exposed brick and lots of light wood. At least three levels allow for several bar and seating areas. Service was very poor the night we were here, just about non-existent. Still the beer, the babbling brook and falls next to the building, and the overall look and feel make this a great spot to visit, especially as easy as it is from I70.

09-14-2003 22:20:10 | More by AtLagerHeads

Ahhdball

Ohio

3.18/5  rDev -9.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 2

The location was easy to find but I wouldn't want to be there on a Friday or Saturday and attempt to find parking, not good. Inside is nicely lit, large family style seating downstairs and upstairs. The bar area was vey nice, a lot of maple and brass. I wish I could've gone when it wasn't so close to closing. I believe I missed a lot by not having an entree. So my freinds and I had the appetizers instead with no complaints. I really liked the crab and artichoke dip. I'd like to try this place BEFORE 10. I'm going back to St. Charles soon so I'll probably "review" my review in a short time.
13Oct04 Edit
Tried the Fish and Chips - bad. The serving was more along the lines of Captain D's or some other place serving $4.99 "basket o' fish". Too greasy, too small, too much batter not enough fish, no flavor.
I've given this place too much credit for the beer. I've been here three times now and they still can't put a decent head on a beer. No seasonal selection either. It's flat, almost lifeless. Why waste time brewing it if you're not going to try?

04-06-2003 08:57:41 | More by Ahhdball

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

3.86/5  rDev +10.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4

The Trailhead Brewing Co. is located on a cobblestone street near a babblin brook not far from the Missouri River with easy access from I-70 (though there did not appear to be much parking available). The interior is large and bright, with at least 3 levels, and a bar on the lower level and the second level. The decor is nicely polished wood and burnished steel (the bar surface was steel with wood rails). The upstairs bar had chairs while the lower bar had stools. The high ceilings were of wood paneling with ceiling fans. There are tv's above the bar, and some had sports and some had Keno. They seem to allow cigar smoking at the bar. The beer quality was decent to good (see reviews separately), with 6 on tap (including one seasonal). I did not sample the food.

This brewpub is about a 30 minute drive from downtown St. Louis, but is very near to the AmeriStar casino St. Charles.

12-31-2002 16:23:49 | More by UncleJimbo

MJR

Missouri

3.33/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4

Atmosphere: Trailhead Brewing's brewpub is a multi-floored, yet cozy place with lots of wood and stainless steel providing a strong contrast. I sat at the bar, which has a stainless top...cool touch.

Quality: Pretty good for the food. I think their beer is a bit on the bland side. Mass-market stuff. Also, I think some of their brews suffer from style confusion...their stout has a fruity finish, and their brown has too much of a roasted flavor...it's almost a porter. Plus, they serve their beers in chilled pints...

Service: Service was good. The bartender didn't tell me his name or do anything to go out of his way, but he did have another beer ready when I wanted one, and greeted me promptly when I sat down. Overall, it was adequate.

Selection: Pretty good for the food...there have a pretty large lunch menu. On tap, they had a golden lager, a raspberry wheat ale, a red ale, a brown ale, and a stout.

Food: Quite tasty. I had a BBQ burger with a brewhouse salad. Nothing really fancy, but well done none-the-less.

Overall, a good lunch, which would be a great one if the beers were better. They're drinkable, but not much more.

12-09-2002 13:58:18 | More by MJR