Trailhead Brewing Company

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Trailhead Brewing Co is located in St. Charles in a quaint little area on Riverside Drive. There are a couple small parking lots adjacent, as well as parking along the entire street.

The restored building is really pretty, boasting a large tank in the back that is emblazoned with the logo. Inside there are multiple levels with a bar on the main floor. The dining areas are all over, and there is outside seating as well. The atmoshphere is rustic and the decor features a lot of St. Louis outdoors-y activities.

Trailhead offers 6 different beers with one being a seasonal. They have a sampler for a little under $7 so you can try all the beers. They range from Light to Stout with nothing too unique. All of the beers are average at best, which is unfortunate because everything else is good.

Service is good at this brewpub. Our server knew all of the beers and was clearly knowledgeable about what was on the sampler. She made good food recommendations too.

Speaking of food, it made up somewhat for the lackluster beers. The crab & artichoke dip was pretty tasty. The BBQ chicken was a little dry but overall pretty good, and the fries were great.

All in all the good outweighs the not-so-good at this establishment, but it's too bad that the not-so-good is the main reason I wanted to visit in the first place. I would give this place another shot but honestly none of the beers made me think I really had to come back the next time I visit St. Louis.

08-23-2007 04:57:09 | More by Dogbrick

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

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

86sportster883

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

The Applebees of Brewpubs

This is a big rustic place in a beautifully restored old building. Up the stairs, when you first walk in, is a very large rectangular bar manned by two bartenders that are kept moving by the sizable crowd. After a sample from one of the bartenders, I ordered a pint of the seasonal hazelnut coffee beer. It was pretty good and I was tempted to have another, especially given the limited alternatives: a blonde, amber, brown, raspberry and a stout are the only other choices. I opted for the brown, which wasn't bad but was, for the most part, forgettable. The beers were certainly reasonable at a less than $3.50/pint.

The most irritating aspect of this place was the early 80's dance & pop music (Let's Get Physical, Hewie Lewis and similar crap) which drones on incessantly in the background. The crowd is mixed but mostly over 30.

As for the food I ordered the sausage platter with a salad. The salad was big and the sausage platter was more than I could possibly eat (particularly after the salad). The sausage, kraut and pickle were OK. I didn't touch the potato salad side, and the cheese looked like it had been sitting out for awhile.

Three flat screens behind the bar all carry the Duke vs. Clemson game on ESPN HD. There are a number of tables around the bar area, and a more traditional dining room off to one side of the bar. There's more dining on the 3rd floor, and another small bar downstairs that's only open on the weekends. There's also a nice little outside seating area that would be great during a warm summer evening.

Overall, the Trailhead brewpub is a decent, middle of the road, place that would appeal to a wide range of folks (sort of the Applebees of brewpubs). This is the type of place you would choose to go to, when meeting up with a large diverse group of coworkers after work. Other than that, I don't see myself coming back here too often.

Update 8/6/07: Stopped in for lunch and was more impressed with the atmosphere and the food during the lunchtime hour.

02-23-2007 15:49:53 | More by 86sportster883

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

lackenhauser

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Scanned the review before I went here. Tried to keep an open mind. Was the only thing I could hit while in St Louis for work.

Anyway...very normal neighborhood bar like feel to it. I am not used to people smoking anymore. I don't diss it here or really care-I just was not used to it. More of a tavern feel with dining rooms off the sides. While the beers themselves are a bit pedestrian and take no chances overall I thought it was all good quality.

Service was rather ho hum. Once I asked for a beer menu the bartender lost all interest in me. A 2nd one had to pick up the slack 5 minutes later, then he carried the ball.

Decent enough selection-lite/fruit wheat/red/brown/stout and a special, another red. Once again pretty standard stuff but the red was very malty and caramel like and the rasberry beer was quite nicely balanced. Had a red or 2 after a taste sampler.

Great bowl of seafood bisque and a killer chicken salad sandwich. Pizzas were flying out the door while I sat there. I left well satisfied food wise.

Great local place with a decent beer or 2 for sure. Nice town and area as well. Would not go out of my way but if you are there I think you would be pleasantly suprised.

03-14-2010 02:57:35 | More by lackenhauser

MTNboy

Missouri

3.03/5  rDev -13.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $$$

I went here during the Festival of the Little Hills. The outside was packed but the inside was not too bad. They have a little gift store that wasn't bad. It had the usual brew pub paraphernalia with some beer in bottles to go and growlers. I grabbed a few to go. The food was alright but a bit pricey. Our waiter was not so great when I asked him for a sample glass he got a little bit of an attitude. He didn't charge me but I am sure like a lot of you don't mind paying for a sample. This was shoot glass with a little bit of beer. He was also slow with the check. The ambiance was nice a lot of antiques, vehicles and fans made from canvas and fishing poles.

09-14-2009 15:56:47 | More by MTNboy

DCon

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5 | $

Visited the Trailhead Brewing Co. after my graduation @ the Family Arena in St. Charles, MO. Tuesday night. Was with many people off the tennis team and over 100 graduates as well. Great location as it is at the corner of Main Street and South Riverside.

As you walk in, there are two (at least) 50 gallon brew kettles and merchandise. The people were awesome and has great outdoors/urban architecture throughout the whole Brewery.

The quality was decent. When it came down to it, they didn't know their ABV's or much description on any of the beers. They also seemed like they were served into Chilled Pint Glasses!?!?! This was surprising for a BrewPub!

On the service, our waiter had NO CLUE about beer, their beer, and didn't help me in any way trying to help me pick out my beers of the night. I then went to the bartender and he was almost as clueless. How can you not know beer at a Brewing Co/BrewPub?!?! This baffled me to the point that I almost wanted to walk out. He did offer us a good happy hour deal but this was the only good part of the night (and of course the food).

Selection was average. They offered 6 beers and I tried 4 of these. When it came down to it, I wish they had more to offer at one time because I don't even need to re-visit this place soon because I would overlap on beers I've already had from them. There were 6+ taps at the bar and probably even more but didn't look into it.

The food was extremely good! I shared 3 pretzels and spicy mustard and then a Pepperoni & Sausage Pizza on a flatbread with my girlfriend and old tennis teammate. The french fries were also delicious. Would come here to eat their food rather than to drink their beer.

Very inexpensive when it came down to it! We also were here during a Late Night Happy Hour, so every beer was $3.50 and our entrees/apps were half off. Will come to again in the future and hopefully will be able to say their staff will be more helpful and friendly next time.

05-06-2011 03:47:39 | More by DCon

jyeast101

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | $$

I was in St. Louis for Thanksgiving. This happened to be close to the hotel we were in. A good looking place. It was a busy place on a Friday night. Service was okay. Took a bit to be addressed at the bar. But, again it was busy. Didn't really feel like chatting it up with the bartender. When asked about the "Golden" style of beer, he said, "it's light and popular". When asked how it was, my brother quipped, "it's beer". Overall, it would have been a lot worse in quality, except for their seasonal, a "pumpkin spice" beer, Which was really good. Had some meat to it. As apposed to the golden version and stout version of beer often found in brew pub type places. This place has potential and I'm sure, one of the better places in the St. Charles area for beer. I would go back. An important part of a place, in my opinion, is the atmosphere. Most times you can find a decent brew and service is relative to the situation.It makes me think of a piece of advice I try to live by. Sample first. A small tasting can be tolerated. A pint of something that you don't like, and you have to pay for, leaves a lasting impression, and most times, not very favorable or positive.

11-27-2007 02:43:21 | More by jyeast101

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