The Top Microbreweries in Missouri

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”
-Ben Franklin-
Poor Richard was probably one of America’s first microbrewers. It was rumored that he was rather fond of the brew, believed it kept a man stout and healthy. By the 1970’s the beer scene in America was becoming a very boring one. The different traditions and styles brought here by immigrants from all over the world were disappearing. Only light lager appeared on supermarket shelves and in bars. Flat, tasteless low calorie light lagers began shaping the taste of American beer drinkers. By the end of the 70’s there were only 44 brewing companies left, and the experts predicted that soon there would only be 5. In response to this, there was a small, but growing, grassroots home brewing culture emerging. A few of these home brewing aficionados decided to start their own small brewing companies. A lot of these started in pubs. The tanks were in the back and it gave an ideal way to sell the beer fresh up front.

The 1980’s was truly the decade of the micro brewing pioneers. In a time when the industry experts refused to recognize them as a serious threat, the pioneering companies stuck to their vision with a passion and overcame adverse market conditions to carve out a niche that is unique to America. By the year 2000 there were 1,392 breweries in the United States. Though still only a small (about 3-4%) share of total beer sales, the American Craft Beer industry has never lost market share since 1978. Here are some of the best microbreweries in the St. Louis area and some of their best seasonal brews: