Saint Lou Brew: Square One Brewery & Distillery

 The train pulled into Saint Louis late Friday afternoon.  It was a good trip, much better than driving cross state with three kids.  Our friend Bill Streeter, of Lo-Fi Saint Louis fame, let us crash at his place.  Check out his videos, very cool stuff.  Once settled it was time to get some grub on.  I voted for Square One, and since they were able to get a party of twelve in at 7:30 on a Friday, it was a done deal.

Square One is located in the Lafayette Square section of Saint Louis.  It is Saint Louis' oldest district and a National Historic Neighborhood.  There are a number of other food and drink establishments I would like to check out the next time I'm in town, such as 33 Wine.

We were seated right away. Right by our table was a window in the floor showing some of the kegging equipment and brewery storage. We quickly got our drink orders in.  Mrs. Monkey went for a gin and tonic with Square One's own Spirits of St. Louis Gin.  It is low in juniper flavor, but very tart and citrusy.  It made for a very clean and refreshing drink.

I went with a Double Pilsner.  Served in a standard Square One pint glass. I think it was a weak pour because there wasn't much head on it. Color is a golden straw yellow with a thin haze. Steady carbonation activity.

Smell is super hoppy, probably the hoppiest pilsner I've had. Taste is also very hoppy with a sweet biscuit malt background. Overall it's a little one dimensional with the hops, but I like hops.

Mouthfeel has a crisp carbonation but still sits a little heavy. One is enough for the evening. If I wasn't told this was a double pilsner, I would have pegged it for a double IPA.

With drink in hand it was time to order food.  Usually I'm very decisive when it comes to choosing food.  Something on the menu jumps out and that's what I go with.  I was having a hard time choosing here because the choices all sounded good. Mrs Monkey had the Tagliatelle, which had pasta, shrimp, pesto and other goodies. The kids did well in their choices. Monkey Boy went with a house burger, Monkey Girl did a bratwurst, and Li'l Monkey had an order of beer battered chicken strips and pub chips. Half of those chips were made with sweet potatoes.

I finally landed on the Cuban Pulled Pork. Served with Caribbean black beans and ginger rice. The pork had a citrus glaze with extra cilantro. Very good flavors, though I would have liked bigger portions. The menu recommended an IPA, so that was my choice for a second beer.

Square One's IPA is very approachable.  Nothing major stands out, though nothing wrong with it either.  It makes for a good table beer and pairs well with spicy food.  The Double Pilsner was hoppier than than this IPA.  It did pair very well with the cup of Beer and Cheese soup I ordered as a side.  Which makes sense, because the soup is made with the IPA.

While everything was good and enjoyable I wanted to finish up to get to my dessert beer, Square One's Old Ale on cask. As soon as I saw that on the menu I knew I had to finish the night with it. It comes served in a narrow mouthed tulip glass. Thin filmy lace swirls around the surface. Color is a dense purplish black.

Smell is a sweet mix of burnt raisins, figs, a little brown sugar, all swirled together with a boozy finish. This is potent. Taste is equally sweet, where the burnt raisins comes out on top.

Mouthfeel is thick and chewy, almost like a syrup. Carbonation is almost nonexistent, though that is perfectly OK for a big beer on cask.

We all had a great time that night at Square One, and I would like to go back. It would probably be best to go back without the kids. It's not unfriendly to kids, but without a kids menu the night did end on the pricey side. But that's OK, it was worth it.