Tuesday 21st of May 2013 08:43:12 PM

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Visited on 05/21/2013. 8 beers on tap. Started with a taster flight, selected SINGLE SPEED SESSION, REPRISE CENTENNIAL RED, DIVIDED SKY RYE IPA, and CONTACT HIGH. All were very good. No off-flavors, all very solid, fresh and delicious. They were working on a new beer and provided a sample to the guys sitting at the bar, (maybe it was called Reprise?) made with Mosaic hops. It was very good, with a ridiculous aroma and very good flavor with moderate bitterness. The general consensus was that it was too malty to let the Mosaic hops shine, but I thought it was excellent. Had the pulled pork sandwich, which was outstanding. I don't like coleslaw, and usually ask that it not be included with a sandwich, but it was so good that I was scooping it up with the chips on the side, which seemed to be made in-house.

The brewer(for sure) and owner(?) were there, provided samples, and talked about their brewing process. They asked for honest feedback on their new beer, and you could tell that they were seriously involved in the business and cared very much about the product they were serving. Great atmosphere, great food (which isn't so common in a place that is obviously putting a ton of time and effort in the beer), cool staff. I was visiting St. Louis at the time, (I did not even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) and was really glad that I took a walk down to 4 Hands to check out the place. I think they are on par with the best of the best from home, which is St. Paul/Minneapolis. If you're in the area, visiting or otherwise, you should check this place out. There is no way you won't like it.

Friday 7th of December 2012 01:40:29 PM

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Our fourth and final brewery on our whistle-stop tour of St. Louis was 4 Hands. This was in another more industrial area, but let's be honest, so is most everything in St. Louis. Located in a large warehouse, it has a modern, clean and spare look. You can see the brewing equipment through some glass behind the bar, very clean and modern looking. The bartender here looked like maybe he belonged in a biker gang but was very helpful and friendly. They have a double IPA called War Hammer and had a real war hammer up on the wall behind the bar. I get the feeling that our bartender could easily use it on rowdy patrons.

They had 8 beers on tap and all of them were excellent. The selection here was the exact opposite end of the spectrum from Civil Life, embracing tons of hops and spices and yams. Our favorite was the Foundation, a strong but lighter tasting pale beer with ginger, lemon balm and peach juice. I did manage to score a bottle to take home. A very refreshing and tasty brew! The best name goes to the smoked dark beer called Pigasus. Along with beer they have a small menu of food including a nice charcuterie plate filled with meats and cheeses to compliment the drinks. I really like the artwork on their labels, and most importantly the beer in the glass!

Tuesday 17th of January 2012 05:49:29 PM

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Stopped in on a Saturday night a few weeks after their opening. They only had four beers on tap; Rye, Red, Brown, and a Session beer. I’m not sure what the session beer was and they couldn’t tell me, it was pretty malty and didn’t have the hops to balance it out. The beers were all good, nothing stood out as great. I’ll return in a month or so to see what’s on tap then. Pints and samplers are average price; growlers are $15 new, $12 for refills. Much of the furniture in the place is recycled wood and metal. This is a tasting room only; hours are Wednesday to Friday 3-11 pm and Saturday 1-11 pm. There is no table service, order at the bar and carry to your table. There is no food service but there are food trucks that park outside the brewery. They list the trucks that will be there each night on their facebook page. There’s a small stage for a band, none while we were there. It’s a pretty small tasting area for a band; I imagine conversation would be limited once the music started. There are large glass windows for looking into the brewery itself. The place is no smoking and has one TV near the ceiling in one of the corners. This place is a little off the beaten path but there is plenty of free street parking. They have a website but all their announcements, etc are on facebook or twitter. Definitely worth a return trip to see how they are progressing.