St. Louis is lousy with these microbreweries--this part of town in particular, to the point where,…read moreas I ran the streets of the surrounding area, I was violently assaulted with what must be the smell of beer as it's being brewed.
It's not altogether different from the smell of beer as it's coming back up, and it called to mind my illustrious, mostly-forgotten-at-this-point college years.
I was suddenly compelled to listen to Cannibal Ox and watch certain videos that I'd pilfered from Kazaa, and it's probably for the best that I didn't have access to a circa 1998 Compaq Presario in that moment.
The vibe in Bluewood Brewing is a lot classier. There's no "Iron Galaxy" over the PA. The lights are dimmed, which I imagine would be convenient if there was someone there you owed money to.
I was particularly impressed with a long table on the patio. I remarked to a member of my running group that it almost certainly didn't come from IKEA. The wood was of too high a quality.
The food menu is limited to a small selection of standard sports-bar fare, but this is not anywhere you'd go to watch the game. They might not have any TVs. Did they spend too much on the table?
Also, they don't sell any beer in cans, that I'm aware of, which I generally prefer as someone who, as the evening progresses, is prone to dropping things.
I went with something called Crush, which is an orange-flavored high-gravity IPA. It was the highest ABV selection on their regular beer menu, but it also costs a little bit more, so you're not really getting over on them--unless you thought to "pregame."
I found it to be both less "stiff" than I was expecting and less orange-tasting, in a good way but also in a bad way, in that anything that fails to conform to expectation is at least somewhat disappointing. I was expecting paint thinner and orange juice. I got something that was balanced and flavorful.
From the food menu, I got the daily special, which was a sort of elevated patty melt called the Stable Melt. It came with two all-beef patties, Swiss, caramelized onions and "Frisco" sauce on Union Loafers marbled rye, with your choice of chips or fries.
It was $18, and as I was standing there a guy came out and changed the price to $19, presumably due to developments in the war with Iran. I was assured that I'd be "grandfathered in" at $18, but I'm not sure if he told the guy at the register and I didn't bother to check.
It wasn't necessarily my kind of thing, but it was a great burger. The name-brand bread alone nearly justified the price increase. The meat was generously proportioned (no Diddy), but it didn't quite extend to the edges of the bread. Perhaps if it were one larger patty? The onions gave it a sophisticated Salisbury steak vibe, wholly superior to Hungry Man.
The fries called to mind the fries at Wendy's. If only they offered a Frosty to dip them in. It wouldn't necessarily go with their beer. I'd suggest they put bourbon or something in it, but I shudder to think what they might charge.