A panoramic view of some of the beer taps at Bridge (click for larger image)

I’m recounting my visit to St. Louis for the 2011 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition — part 3 of my trip report is about my visit to Bridge.

After a day of attending meeting sessions, I was ready for a beer. I enjoyed my earlier visits to Square One Brewery and Morgan Street Brewery, but I wanted expand my sampling beyond a single brewpub and try a variety of Midwest brew. I found the perfect spot to do that at Bridge.

My colleague Todd and I escaped America’s Center and the meeting crowd and walked a few blocks over to Bridge, “a unique tap house and wine bar.”

Not only does Bridge offer 55 regional beers on tap, but they also pour 4 oz, 12 oz, and 24 oz servings — the 4 oz pours are perfect for sampling a beer without committing to a full glass.  After grabbing seats at the bar and scanning the well-organized beer menu, Todd and I were quickly served a five-beer flight from the knowledgeable and attentive barkeep (and then another).

My beer flights included:

• Hisbiscus Wit, a witbier brewed with hibiscus flowers from Egypt, from 2nd Shift Brewing, New Haven, Missouri.
• Unicorn Killer, a strong Saison brewed with pink peppercorn (7.8%), also from 2nd Shift Brewing.
• St. Louis IPA, a delicious Double IPA (8.5%, 100 IBUs), from Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
• Bären Weiss, a refreshing summer Wheat beer, also from Urban Chestnut.
• Centennial Rye, an American Wheat beer brewed with rye malt and Centennial hops, from Six Row Brewing Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
• Hoptimistic IPA, an excellent IPA (6.5%), from Charleville Vineyard & Microbrewery, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.
• Ale Mucho Hoppo, a Double IPA described by the brewery as “Hop headed and heavy handed with 100 IBU. This Luchador is not known for subtleness. In fact, it’s Ale Mucho. Aggressively hopped with Chinook, Columbus, Tomahawk and Zeus (9.0%).” Also from from Charleville Microbrewery.
• Bailey’s Chocolate Bar, a Chocolate Ale specially brewed for Bridge’s sister restaurant, which is called Bailey’s Chocolate Bar. Brewed by O’Fallon Brewery, O’Fallon, Missouri.
• Pecan Brown Ale, a nutty English Brown Ale brewed with pecans, from Ferguson Brewing Company, Ferguson, Missouri.
• Blushing Monk, listed on the beer menu with an ABV of 12.3%, this Belgian Raspberry Ale was strong and memorable…a “you have to see it to believe it” brew from Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Of the 10 beers I sampled, 9 were from Missouri, and I loved everything I tried. There is so much more to the Missouri beer scene than Anheuser-Busch!

Bridge has an up-scale feel without any pretentiousness, which is not easy to pull off. It’s self-confident but totally approachable, with an easy-going charm. The beer selection alone is enough to plan a return visit, but the friendly vibe and service really make Bridge a standout beer bar – a must-visit while in St. Louis.