Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room

JaxonK

Missouri

4.19/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75 | $$$

If you haven't been to Schlafly Taproom, you're not from St. Louis and you definitely don't like great beer. They hold great events that market great beers from other breweries or to celebrate a style of brew. Great selection, great rotation, and a place where a large group or just 2 people can enjoy great beers!

03-19-2013 03:35:14 | More by JaxonK

Vixie

Illinois

4.61/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25 | $$

Visited on a Sunday, which also happened to be St Patrick's Day, at around 12:30 PM. Place was easy to find, with ample parking. The lot wasn't all that full, so didn't think it would be too busy.

The hostess station is also where you can buy a variety of beers and merchandise. We were promptly seated, the dining room is large. There is a large bar with a list of what beers are available, in this case, they had 16 offerings. The place has a rustic feel to it with exposed brick, a lot of hardwood, and exposed ductwork.

Our server was friendly and seemed well informed about the offerings. I started with the sample, which had 5 5 ounce glasses of regular offerings, and one glass of a rotating offering, in this case, a Belgian pale ale.

My wife ordered the Cuban sandwich, I ordered the vegetable vindaloo. The wait for our food was not bad at all, and the food was nicely presented and was very good.

Once I finished the sampler, I decided to test our server with a question about their quad beer. She said she would have to ask a brewmaster for the answer, and in only a few minutes I received an answer to my question. I was impressed with the service overall, and the bartender was also helpful.

Very glad I made the trip down to this place, been wanting to go for some time. Definitely one of the better brewpub experiences i have had, highly recommended if you are in the area,

03-18-2013 02:11:24 | More by Vixie

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.58/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $

What a class act!

My wife and I went on vacation here recently and those plans included St. Louis as part of our "trek across the Midwest." Needless to say, this was the place I was looking more forward to than any place in all of St. Louis. Our hotel wasn't that close, but we walked it anyway and don't regret it! However, if your plans include the City Museum like ours did, you've got it made!

Atmosphere: Very rustic feel which I dig. It's pretty large as far as craft beer places come. Once you walk into the foyer, you can either head right to the bar or wait for a table which includes the left side also. We chose the former.

Quality and Service: First of all, I was really surprised to learn that a large percentage of the employees here have been here for many years. That speaks volumes to me as to how the employees are cared for. The bartender we had here was probably the best I've had in my entire life. Seriously, he was very open in terms of recommending other craft breweries in the area to hit during our stay. He was a craft beer thoroughbred!

Selection: All the yummy flagships and standard line-up entries were here, including an awesome Dortmunder and cask-conditioned, Galaxy-hopped DIPA. Excellent and very diverse.

Value: Sigh... Here goes: I talked to the bartender for at least and hour or longer. At one point, the subject shifted to job professions and I told him I was military. Apparently he made a mental note of that. After my wife and I ordered a couple of samplers, several beers, and an order of gourmet pretzels, we were ready to go and he rang us up:
Bartender: That'll be $13.
Me: What?
Bartender: Mr. Schlafly feels very strongly about supporting the military and he is best friends with XX Commander of XX military base and you folks are our heros.
Me:...

To come full circle: Schlafly is a class act and amazing operation and will always hold a place in my heart and fridge!

12-15-2012 06:06:51 | More by Chaney

SaCkErZ9

Florida

2.08/5  rDev -49.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 4 | $$$

My review is going to be the worst of all of the reviews. I have a reason. I was in St Louis for businees and my hotel was within walking distance of here. I was hoping to be here often. Read below to find out why this was my only visit. Although the place was pretty cool, the dichotomy of left bar. Vs. right bar makes for an interesting dynamic. The left bar is boring, mundane, ordinary, lackluster, and not worth visiting. No music, no tv's, no atmosphere. I dont need the Blu Man group performing but something other than the hum of the dish washer and soda machines would be nice. The right side bar atleast had some entertainment value in the way of tv's and music.

First annoyance: they have all of the beers listed, but no prices, and the beers over 7% are poured into 10oz goblets. If you are going to give me 6oz less and charge me the same thing, atleast tell me.

Second annoyance: and this is HUGE. The bartender on the left side bar was sneezing into his hand and then serving beers with that hand. I was grossed out so I went to the right side. The bartender on the ride side was some old guy who was out back smoking while people were waiting at the bar for drinks. Needless to say, he came in from his smoke break (I know this because the smoking area is twenty feet from the bar) and started serving beers without washing his hands. As far as I know, those things shouldnt happen. luckily, I had received all of my beers when these things happened, or I would have freaked out. If sneezy and smoky hands are fine with you, be my guest: I will NEVER be back.

09-16-2012 23:45:10 | More by SaCkErZ9

mdvatab

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Visited the Tap Room for the umpteenth time on 12/26 on the last day of the Anniversary party.

The tap room is housed in a large, historic, brick building with an attractive, rustic interior. Wooden floors large wooden pillars and beams in the ceiling. There's a large bar room with ample seating at the bar itself, and numerous tables for those who choose to dine there. On this, and many other visits, we hung out in the smaller bar area, which adjoins to a room with pool tables and dart boards. There's also a vast room upstairs with a smaller bar, and a stage for a band. This room is generally used for Schlafly's many festivals--especially during the colder months.

When asked which Schlafly beers could be considered "world class", unfortunately, the only one that comes to mind is Schlafly Pumpkin Ale. (If you've never tried it, please do next fall!) With all the top-notch offerings available from Goose Island, Founders, Bells, Stone, and Firestone Walker, many of Schlafly's offerings tend to fall a bit flat in my opinion. Pale Ale, Winter ESB, Kolsch, and Pilsner are some examples that aren't bad, but just don't wow me. I'd never tried their Barleywine, and ordered a glass on this visit. Initially, the aroma, and up-front flavor of the beer started out well, but there was an odd sour note on the finish. I suspected either some kind of infection or an old keg. On a positive note, my favorite beer on this visit was their Southern Hemisphere IPA. This one was loaded with musky grapefruit-like hops, and a decent malt backbone to provide balance. (Schlafly's coffee, Irish, and oatmeal stouts are also recommended.)

Bar staff is generally very knowledgeable and attentive, and are more than willing to give samples if one is unsure of what to order.

One of the Tap Room's other strengths is the variety of beer offerings. Blackboards at the bar list that day's selections in the order that one might put them in a tasting (taking into account ABV, IBUs, and roastiness).

I always enjoy the food at the Tap Room. Appetizers and main courses are based on Irish pub food. One of my favorites is the Schlafly burger--topped with chopped caesar salad, bleu cheese, and served on an English muffin. In addition to the daily offerings, one of my favorite times to eat at the Tap Room is at their Stout & Oyster Festival each March. The oysters are unbelievable fresh, and they go exceptionally well with Schlafly's stouts.

A must-visit stop for BAs visiting St. Louis!

01-15-2012 22:12:16 | More by mdvatab

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -10.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

a really neat old building from the 1700s, exposed brick and visible brew kettles. place is massive but nearly empty on the monday afternoon i spent there. could imagine it going off on a weekend. a great selection of beers which are much more interesting than their standard bottling line. the grand cru was to die for, and some nice seasonals were on as well. just had some finger food, but all came hot and quick and was quite tasty. service wasnt bad, she seemed to know enough about the beer and brought our stuff out in a timely fashion, but just didnt seem too enthusiastic about anything. ill sit at the bar next time. definitely worth a stop if in st louis

11-28-2011 15:27:19 | More by StonedTrippin

climax

Kansas

4/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

It's nice that they have a separate parking lot, considering their location on the west side of downtown. It can get busy down there and a little hairy not too far away.

Visited on an October Friday night, it was dead considering the Cardinals were playing a playoff game a few blocks away. Live music graced the back room, but I was in the mood for a quieter atmosphere.

The guys around seemed to know about beer and the way things are. Our waiter was quick to recommend to us his opinions, positive AND negative, which is always appreciated.

The menu is moderately sized with appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, and a few dinner plates. My lamb burger was good, but my fiance's reuben was gargantuan and delicious. Lucky for me, she gave me more than half of it (which I certainly did not need). The beer bread appetizer is a good deal, you get A LOT.

The beer selection is strictly Schlafly as it should be. The main beers that are distributed are forgettable. Do yourself a favor and order some brewpub exclusives, they are where it's at. There were two cask conditioned beers, and they were both right on the money. Schalfly pumpkin makes for an excellent dessert.

As far as the beer goes, it is an all out bargain. Four beers on the check only accounted for $17, and I got 2 casks and a seasonal. The math is on their side, I would certainly return.

10-17-2011 22:34:37 | More by climax

Moon2Goddess

Minnesota

4.36/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I especially like the atmosphere at Schlafly because it is enormous, with high ceilings, lots of room at the bar, lots of space between tables, abundant windows providing natural light, gorgeous knotty wood...it's just a nice place to be. We were there during a week day so had the game area and jukebox all to ourselves, which made the experience that much more enjoyable. Abundant choices for samplers, given by a backwoods kind of bartender. The locals who did not seem concerned about getting back to work, liked to talk and made us feel welcome. Delicious beer, d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s, especially the pumpkin ale. We spent an entire afternoon trying one amazing sample after another, he getting better at darts the more he drank and me getting worse (although I kind of suck to begin with). It takes the same amount of time to fly to St. Louis as it takes me to bus to work everyday, and it is easily worth the time and effort. If you are going to the St. Louis area, you gotta go to Schlafly.

09-04-2011 16:32:50 | More by Moon2Goddess

chilidog

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Just passing threw but had to stop (with the family) for I wanted a growler. They do have a good value on filled growlers.

Great old building, lots of brick and wood. Gives good old world brewery feel. Dark but yet well lite.

We stopped mid-afternoon, ample parking behind the brewery though not a busy time.
It was us, a small group and accouple at the bar.
So for us service was very good and quick. I ordered my Growler, a draft, appitiz, soup and gotta try the beer bread. Kids had root-beer floats.

We were in a spacey booth by brewer tanks behind glass. awesome.

Bought a accouple glasses, the bill came to $80.
But did i say worth it!!

08-07-2011 15:22:51 | More by chilidog

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.36/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $

The wife and I stopped at Schafly's Tap Room right after Six Row and liked it so much better. Place is huge, sprawling and oh-so-packed on a Saturday afternoon at 4:45 pm. This is a happening joint! But there's enough room for everyone- we found a spot around the dart-and-pool room and ordered from the bar. Lots of nooks and crannies around here...

Service was fine despite being crowded and beer is delicious and super fresh. They have 16 taps with a bit of everything (including two casks, Brown Ale and AIPA, but they're only in one of the two bars, so watch for them). We had the Grand Cru, Dry-Hopped APA and AIPA (7.2%). All of them were outstanding. We went home with a growler of the nasty-good AIPA for $13.

Ambience is great, cozy and comfortable despite being busy, with great and varied music (Queens, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bon Jovi in between to fuck it up) and just a nice vibe.

Price is great here. Growlers are only $12 including the glass! Two 1/2 pints and a free full tasting of the Grand Cru was $7.50. Nice!

All in all, a cool place I look forward to go back to (and maybe try the food)!

07-24-2011 01:22:22 | More by DoubleSimcoe