Just a Year Old, More Props for Urban Chestnut.

Yesterday was the first birthday of Urban Chestnut in St. Louis. I drank a half-dozen or so of their beers last summer, a couple of them repeatedly. What I now tell people who say they're visiting St. Louis: Go to Urban Chestnut and drink the Zwickel.

Coincidentally, we must assume, yesterday was also the day that Ratebeer announced its annual Best awards, based on individual scores by, effectively, thousands of active raters around the world. Say what you will about their biases, but these are folks who have tasted a lot of beers from a lot of places. We can criticize the herd and its findings -- and they make a nice big target, don't they? -- but these awards are nothing if not democratic and educational.

No. 5 on the list of top new breweries in the world: Urban Chestnut. And easily making the Top 50 Best Brewpubs in the world: Urban Chestnut.

This says good things about the brewery, obviously, but also about Ratebeer. Urban Chestnut is succeeding there without the beers that stereotypically succeed there: no barrel-aged imperial stouts, yet, made from coffee passed through the intestines of Indonesian weasels (although who knows what the future holds?). Its top-rated beer is Hopfen, a heavy-on-the-Hallertauer "Bavarian IPA" that weighs in around 6% strength. The Winged Nut chestnut ale (pictured) gets high marks, but so does the hoppy Half Crown session ale (4%).

More stuff from the area: I wrote the bit in the latest Draft magazine about how St. Louis is one of the spots "Where to Drink Next." It'll likely show up on the website one of these days soon, but really shouldn't you go and subscribe? Also mentioned, besides Urban Chestnut (and I would've liked to include more): Iron Barley, Civil Life, Schlafly, the Bridge and 4 Hands. I had nothing to do with this, but across from the article is a full-page Urban Chestnut ad that says, "We're proud to be part of the St. Louis craft brewing community."

For more on that community, see my post on The Spirit of St. Louis and my article in the New York Times. Not bad for a couple of weeks "work" last summer.

Finally, a pleasant surprise: Beer Advocate has an article in its latest issue about Augusta Brewing, about 40 minutes drive southwest of St. Louis. I might have mentioned before, I pay taxes and vote in Franklin County, where Augusta is setting up its new brewhouse in the old Droege's grocery store. The store was there in Washington, Mo., since 1896, having moved from a nearby spot in 1867. I shopped there a few times, with my wife and her family. Looking forward to drinking there too.

I Wish More Pubs Did This.

Once every couple of weeks or so I've been getting an email from Bier Circus in Brussels with a handy little photo attached. It's the same one you see to the right: what's on tap... an actual shot of the chalkboard inside the restaurant. (If you want to get on the Bier Circus email list too, just drop them a line here.)

Of course, lots of places publish their tap lists online. Most seem to be "example" lists of what they might have on at any given time. Just to give you an idea. It's better than nothing, but I like to see more effort.

Many places these days will announce special taps via Twitter, which is OK, but not as useful as seeing a whole list. And by "useful," I mean "mighty fun to look at while killing time at work and thinking about what you'll drink when you go out to meet your friends." Also, there is the ongoing problem that everyone on Twitter thinks that everyone is on Twitter.

Some savvier pubs frequently update their online tap lists, often by uploading the menu in PDF format. Examples include the Bridge in St. Louis (updated two weeks ago) and the Churchkey in DC (updated yesterday). Max's Taphouse in Baltimore has a "now serving" list on its front page, but I can't say how live it truly is. I'd guess that most of the prolific taphouses (read: bars with insane numbers of taps) have something like this nowadays.

What I'd really like to see is real-time stuff... I have vague memories of seeing live webcam shots of chalkboard menus... It might have been the Pelican in Pacific City, Ore., or the International Tap House in Chesterfield, Mo. Neither of those sites have them now, but I'm sure there are more. Maybe this is more trouble for the publican than it's worth. But if you can think of websites where you can see draft lists in real time, please post them in the comments below.

A Wish List.

Draft Magazine has put out its list of 100 Best Beer Bars. Well researched and dead handy. Simply figure out which region you're in (try asking the person next to you), then browse the list for a beer bar in a nearby city.

Probably some good ones were left out. It would be hard to cut the list down to 100 these days. But everyone likes a nice round number.

Pictured here: The Bridge in St. Louis. For my Missouri peeps. How about ordering me up some mac and cheese with a 20-ounce glass of Saison Dupont. Thanks.

Lucky bastards, living in the First World.

One Thing That Stables and Breweries Have In Common Is that People Always Say They 'Smell Like Money.'

This impressive chandelier hangs over an equally impressive bar -- the sort of carved wooden beauty that can still be found in many St. Louis pubs -- at the Stable, just south of AB InBev HQ. In fact the Stable's restored home is where the Lemp Brewery's draft horses once were kept. There is a distinct turn-of-the-century feel to the place. I love to think about that period in the middle to late 1800s when German-run lager breweries would have dotted the city. Here it takes less imagination.

The Stable's brewery operation is called Amalgamated and concentrates on full-flavored German-style lagers. Having a Helles on the list did not surprise me. A Zoigl, on the other hand... bready and zesty and disappearing from my glass far too quickly. Best of all, truly sessionable at 4.4% abv. Another surprise nominee for Perfect American Beer According to Me.

There is also a micro-distillery operation here but it was so damn hot that day I think a taste of hard liquor never even crossed our minds. Especially when faced with an interesting list of 36 taps featuring a summery emphasis on IPAs. I can't recommend the food but the ambiance, suds and vintage pinball games... big thumbs up. If you're on a beer trip to St. Louis then visit here in the afternoon before going to eat at the Bridge or Schlafly Tap Room.

Moving on: We've left the Gateway to the West and are just plain old West now. As I write this I'm looking out a picture window at the Grand Tetons. Jackson Hole. Totally impressed by Snake River Brewing, by the way. More on all that later. Tomorrow we're in Yellowstone watching for those telltale clumps of tourists pulled by the side of the road, signifying wildlife photo opportunity. Thirsty work, I expect.