Deidre Pujols (DP) and I have something in common. Both of us have access to important media outlets over which we’re able to exercise some degree of control. In my case, my position with the brewery allows me to express my opinions every month in this column. Because DP’s husband Albert (AP) provided major funding for the radio station now known as Joy FM, she’s able to share her wisdom and insights on the air.

Alert readers (ARs) may recall a radio station known as Classic 99 that used to play music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Scarlatti, and periodically did live broadcasts from The Tap Room. AP and DP were supporters of the group that bought this station, eliminated classical music and replaced it with the formula: music + faith = Joy. Noting that Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (which incorporates the poetry of Friedrich Schiller) has been praised as one of the greatest combinations of music and faith ever written, one wonders whether it survived the purge of classical music at AP and DP’s station.

Ode to Joy FM?

Back in December, when AP announced his decision to forsake the St. Louis Cardinals for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, DP took to the airwaves of Joy FM because, as she put it, “The devil has overplayed his hand.” Given that all other media outlets had gotten the facts wrong, DP needed to “share the truth.” Having initially said she was “mad at God,” DP softened up a bit and said, “It’s just like God to put us on a team called the Angels.” I’m sure ARs and others will be relieved to know that it was divine intervention and not Mammon that led AP and DP to the Promised Land in the City of Angels.

Anyone who finds DP’s theology less than profound may want to look for meaning in the world of poetry, specifically in Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s 1888 epic about a fictional slugger named Casey. In order to make this classic more relevant to the contemporary world of baseball, one may also want to imagine a revised final stanza:

Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
And in Mudville there is Joy-FM‚—Albert Pujols has sold out.

Speaking of selling out, ARs who get their news from other media in addition to The Growler are probably aware by now that we have signed a purchase agreement to transfer approximately 60% of the brewery to a group of investors based in St. Louis. This represents the near culmination of a process that began in June of 2010, when I had discussions with senior staff about a succession plan for the business. From the very beginning I wanted to be responsive to the needs and concerns of three very important constituencies.

The first is our employees. I’ve often said that I sign paychecks for 170 employees and don’t know how to do any of their jobs. Now, with direct deposit, I don’t even sign any paychecks. The role of the employees in the success of Schlafly Beer cannot be overstated.

The second is our customers. Twenty years ago the conventional wisdom in St. Louis was that there was no place for another local brewery. Our loyal customers have proved how wrong the conventional wisdom was and have enabled us to grow beyond our wildest imaginations.

The third is the communities that have embraced us. In 1991 the western edge of Downtown St. Louis was pretty desolate. Ten years later the eastern edge of Maplewood also left a lot to be desired. Not only were the properties we bought in these overlooked neighborhoods affordable; the surrounding neighbors welcomed us with an enthusiasm that has allowed both locations to thrive.

We decided at the outset that we would only entertain offers from local investors committed to keeping the business in St. Louis. Dan Kopman and I intend to maintain significant ownership in the business going forward; and a significant portion will be reserved for ownership by employees who want to invest in the company. Dan and I were fully cognizant we were probably leaving money on the table by eliminating out of town investors from consideration and by imposing such conditions on any sale. We didn’t care.

St. Louis has been very good to Schlafly Beer and we don’t want to turn our back on our home town. My hope is that the brewery will continue to be an integral part of the community long after Dan and I have gone to the great beer hall in the sky. We both believe the Beatles were correct in saying, “Money can’t buy me love,” even though it could buy Joy for DP and AP.

What to Expect at the January Winter Market

Although recent weeks have brought some actual winter weather, so far this winter has been very mild. And that means more produce at the Maplewood Farmers Market this Saturday from 9am-1pm at the Bottleworks! Or course, we’ll also have a great selection of honey, jams, jellies, meats and baked goods.

And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we’ll have some sweet treats for your sweetie. See the list below to find out what some of the vendors will be bringing to market this Saturday.

Buila Family Farm - Kale, Arugula, Salad Mixes & Lettuce, Cabbage, Radishes, Spinach, and a few Cherry Tomatoes

El Chico Bakery – Slices of Tres Leches Cake

Farrar Out Farm – Lamb, Pork and Eggs

Kakao – Valentines Treats

Live Springs Farm – Whole Frozen Chickens (their last until May)

Ozark Forest Mushrooms – Fresh Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms, Rutabagas, Sunchokes

Silent Oaks - Spinach, Scallions, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Garlic, Bok Choy, and Kale

Sunflower Savannah – Ground Lamb & Lamb Stew Meat

Weidner Farms – Sweet Potatoes

For those of you who wonder what Robert Burns is most famous for, think about that song everyone sings on New Year’s Eve. That’s correct! Burns’ Night is our annual, extraordinary celebration of the life, works and spirit of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). Celebrated on, or about, the Bard’s birthday, January 25th, the event is ideal for brightening up the cold, wet and dark St. Louis winter evenings.

While the event begins in earnest at 5pm, the festivities truly kick off when a procession of pipers and drummers escort a ceremonial haggis and pint of Scotch Ale throughout the Schlafly Tap Room.  Immediately following the piper parade, our kilted co-founder, Tom Schlafly channels the spirit of Robert Burns’ as he recites an original poem from atop the Tap Room bar. Naturally, we cook up some extraordinarily delicious Scottish food, and round out the festivities with the best Celtic musicians in St. Louis.

Always a fun, loose evening, the event encompasses the whole of life’s emotions in one evening. There is the serious thought provoking speech (of course laced with humor) along with song, nostalgia, merriment, satire, wit, happiness and sadness. Truly an extraordinary evening.

Free and open to the public.

    •    5pm - Haggis, cock-a-leekie soup, neeps & tatties, shephard’s pie, scotch eggs, and sticky toffee pudding will all be available for sale upstairs in the Club Room (cash only).

    •    6pm - The PARADE OF PIPERS, Haggis, and Scotch Ale begins and Tom Schlafly addresses the masses with his annual poem conjuring the spirit of Robert Burns from all three Tap Room bars.

    •    7pm - DUDDY BREEKS play live in the Club Room.
 

We expanded this year’s event in response to popular demand. Expect this year to include more beers and more people, and to offer some wholesome food as well. We will be slinging chili and soft pretzels to keep you warm and to mop up those samples.

Advance tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Schlafly Bottleworks. Tickets will be $30 the day of the festival, but don’t wait, this event may sell out.

Here’s the 2012 Cabin Fever Beer List
(as always, beer lineup is subject to change)

• American IPA
• Barleywine
• Bière de Garde
• Black IPA
• Blackberry Mead
• Bock
• Christmas Ale
• Coffee Stout
• Doppelbock
• Dry-Hopped APA
• Grand Cru
• Hefeweizen
• Imperial Stout
• India Brown Ale
• India Wheat Ale
• Irish Extra Stout
• Kolsch
• Maibock
• Oatmeal Stout
• Pale Ale
• Pilsner
• Pumpkin
• Quadrupel
• Raspberry Coffee Stout
• Rye IPA
• Schwarzbier
• Scotch Ale
• Singel
• Smoked Porter
• Southern Hemisphere IPA
• Strawberry Cider
• Strawberry-Cocoa Porter
• Tripel
• Vanilla Milk Stout
• Winter ESB

Tom Schlafly said, “The agreement with Wes and John meets the criteria we set back in June of 2010, when we first discussed a succession plan for ownership of the brewery. Senior and long-term employees will be able to purchase stock in the company; and I’m transferring a majority interest to local investors committed to keeping the business in St. Louis.”

Mr. Schlafly will initially retain an interest of approximately 20% and serve as Chairman of the Brewery.   Dan Kopman, Co-Founder and current Chief Operating Officer, will own at least a 10% interest and serve as Chief Executive Officer.   Ten percent (10%) of the business will be available for purchase by eligible employees.

Mr. Jones said, “We are highly impressed by the business Dan and Tom have built over the past 20 years and the outstanding beers they produce under the Schlafly label.  Added Mr. Lemkemeier, “We look forward to Dan and Tom’s continued leadership of St. Louis’s largest locally-owned brewery.  We also welcome the Schlafly employees’ having the opportunity to participate in the ownership of the business they have helped to build.”

Mr. Kopman said, “I’m very pleased by what Wes, John and their investor group bring to the table.  Their focus on joining with management teams in long term investments in successful businesses makes them the right partner for us.”

The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc. has been producing fine craft beers in St. Louis since 1991 and recently celebrated its 20thh anniversary.  It sold over 42,000 barrels of beer in 2011, representing growth of more than 20% from the prior year.  In 2010, the most recent year for which data are available, Schlafly was the 42nd largest craft brewery in the United States.  

Schlafly Beer senior staff pictured with new investors, John Lemkemeier, Wes Jones, and Spencer Finney.

Download the Media Release

Download Schalfly Succesion Plan FAQ and Bio’s

January 6, 2012 is the 600th birthday of Joan of Arc, the peasant girl from eastern France who heard mysterious voices that guided her in leading the French army to several important victories over England in the Hundred Years’ War. Shortly after her 19th birthday, an English tribunal put Joan on trial for heresy, two of her more egregious offenses being cutting her hair short and wearing men’s clothing. The court rejected her defense that she did so order to protect her virtue by looking less attractive to men. Because of her heinously heretical behavior of dressing like a man, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen on May 30, 1431.

January 6th is also the 100th anniversary of the grand opening of Central Library in Downtown St. Louis. This library is the jewel of The St. Louis Public Library system, with which I’ve been very involved for 27 years, having been appointed or re-appointed to its board of directors by four different mayors of St. Louis. Central Library is currently closed for renovation and is scheduled to reopen by the end of 2012. The cost of the project is expected to be around $70 million, which is less than one third of the amount Albert Pujols considered inadequate compensation for continuing to play for the Cardinals. The newly renovated library is expected to serve St. Louis for at least another 100 years, ten times longer than the duration of the contract rejected by Prince Albert.

Although Pujols is no longer a Cardinal, Schlafly Beer still has something in common with him. Both he and we have inspired unauthorized, knock-off merchandise all over the world. As evidence of this proliferation I’m including a photograph of an alert reader (AR) named Sarah Ehret that was taken by another AR named Ann Kuttenkuler. What makes the picture significant is that it was taken in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I am not making this up. Although Schlafly Beer isn’t sold within 8,000 miles of Chiang Mai, somehow a T-shirt with a facsimile of our logo ended up for sale in a stall there. While many of us were celebrating the fact that this counterfeit product puts us in a league with Coach, Chanel, Gucci and fake Rolexes, Sarah Frost was indignant. As the designer who created our logo, she was rightly appalled by the many deficiencies in the phony version of her artwork.

Counterfeit apparel in Thailand

Speaking of talented artists, there may be some ARs who were not aware that part of Central Library was designed by Michelangelo. Granted, the renowned Florentine artist never actually came to St. Louis, which was founded 200 years, almost to the day, after he died in 1564. He did, however, design the ceiling of the magnificent reading room in the Laurentian Library in Florence. Cass Gilbert, the architect who designed Central Library, later copied this design for the ceiling in the Periodicals Room in the Library. I would note that Gilbert’s copy of Michelangelo is more faithful to the original masterpiece than the unknown Thai pirate’s copy is to Sarah Frost’s oeuvre.

As most ARs probably know already, the Laurentian Library was commissioned by the Medicis, one of the most powerful families in history. In this colorful clan, few were more manly than Countess Caterina Riario Sforza de’ Medici (1463-1509), who was highly respected, but also feared and reviled. She was a courageous warrior who fought a ferocious battle against Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI, both of whom have been discussed in this space in the past. Like Joan of Arc, Caterina donned a suit of armor in order to fight her battles. Unlike Joan, preserving her chastity probably wasn’t her highest priority.

Catherine the Great of Russia (1729-1796) was another formidable military leader who didn’t place much of a premium on chastity. After enduring 17 years of a marriage that probably wasn’t consummated, she climbed onto a white stallion and led 14,000 soldiers to dethrone her husband Peter, the czar. Having engaged in numerous extra-marital liaisons during her marriage to Peter, she later started hooking up with increasingly younger men on shorter term bases. The rumor that she died as the result of an extra-species affair with a horse has been thoroughly debunked and was probably propagated at the time by French aristocrats with salacious imaginations.

Catherine the Great died a few months after the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who lived on the opposite side of Europe and also had a reputation as a libertine. ARs will already know, without my writing anything further, that we’ll be celebrating Burns’s 253rd birthday at The Tap Room on Wednesday, January 25th. As in the past, the evening will feature poetry, bagpipes, Scotch Ale, haggis and men in kilts. Unlike Joan of Arc, these men won’t need to worry about being burned at the stake for cross-dressing.

Matt Perlow worked with Tom Schlafly when the brewery was just a gleam in Tom’s eye and has been a regular since the Schlafly Tap Room opened in 1991.

 Mark Naski has been a regular at the Schlafly Tap Room since it opened in 1991.

 Tom Sweeney was one of the very first Schlafly employees and helped open the Schlafly Tap Room in 1991.

Colonel Al Hunt brought Schlafly Beer to the Officers Club bar at Scott Airforce Base.

Rachelle L’Ecuyer is Director of Community Development for Maplewood, MO.

Bill McClellan is a columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch and Schlafly Tap Room regular.

Joe Edwards, owner of Blueberry Hill, shares what it was like to be the first account to sell Schlafly Beer outside of the brewery.



• 12-14-91   Ebenezer’s Christmas Ale
  the predecessor to Winter ESB
• 12-16-91   Oatmeal Stout

•  12-21-91   Wheat Ale II
  we used Roman Numerals to identify the batches for many years

• 12-27-91   Pale Ale
• 1-3-92       Pilsner

…And on it went, more of these brews, only three unitanks, no brite tanks (we used Grundies) Scotch Ale, Irish Stout, Maibock, and one-hundred kegs of Boulevard Beer to see us through while we caught up on brewing. Tom Schlafly and I actually drove to the freight company to fill my pickup truck with Boulevard kegs one Saturday because we were nearly out. It was hard to catch up back then. As Tom Schlafly recalls: “Dan stood on the bar to announce that we had run out of beer, prompting the chant,  “We drank ‘em dry. We drank ‘em dry.”.”

Then two years old, Boulevard Brewing Co. was the Schlafly Tap Room’s answer to serving local craft beer after we were quickly “drunk dry” in our opening days. Click on the image to see a photo gallery of archival Schalfly images.

 
Despite our annual observance of December 26th as the official anniversary of the birth of Schlafly Beer, the various opening dates and dry runs in 1991 actually happened like this, to the best of our recollection:
 

• Friday, December 20th
  Open for the first dry-run for the restaurant, free dinner for family and friends; the beer lines and glycol were hooked up about fifteen minutes before opening time.

• Saturday, December 21st
  Open for the second dry-run, lunch and dinner.
• Sunday, December 22nd
  Closed for a needed day of rest and recovery.
• Monday, December 23rd
  Open for business to the public, low key and not too busy, needed to re-stock the kitchen. This was unannounced and we had a few customers, but not too many.
• Tuesday, December 24th
  Second day open to the public, also lunch and dinner.
• Wednesday, December 25th
  Closed for Christmas.
• Thursday, December 26th
  Open for beer and pretzels only. The guest list included a variety of local dignitaries; press; more friends; many politicos; folks from Peper Martin; lots and lots of folks.
• Friday, December 27th  
  Open for business. Lines were out the front door, which was to the left of the biergarten gates. We had only the main dining room back then, the ramp entrance was through the biergarten, which was an open dock at the time. The restrooms were where the north half of the kitchen is now, with payphones along the wall that is now a prep area. We eventually cleaned up the Club Room (no name then), and the stairs were extremely steep and inside the main dining room, crossing where you enter the dining room now.

 
We had Wheat Ale and Hefeweizen only, pints and 10 oz., no POS system for ordering, servers just told the bartenders what they wanted. Great fun. One time Schlafly brewer and later, Art Director, Sara Hale recalls that hosts had to write down what people looked like so they could find them, or simply go around yelling names; on crowded nights. A bullhorn was even used once since the place was so packed; that was fun too.
 
Best to all,
Stephen

From now until the end of the year, Schlafly beer will be pouring from all twelve tap handles at Bigelo’s Bistro in Edwardsville. The Bigelo’s Tap Takeover begins tonight with a Cask of Old Ale presented by Schlafly co-founder, Dan Kopman.

Anniversary “Party Central” shifts from Edwardsville to downtown St. Louis on December 22nd, when we kick off four days of 1991 beer prices and special anniversary concerts at the Schlafly Tap Room. These free concerts feature both old and new friends and take place in the Club Room.

Finally, this week we introduce the world to our much-anticipated fourth and final beer in our 20th Anniversary Series, No.20 Volume 4: Southern Hemisphere IPA. Created by our current generation of Schlafly brewers, this IPA is kettle-hopped and dry-hopped with a unique hop from Tasmania, called Galaxy.   This strong, aromatic hop is distinctly different from traditional Pacific Northwest varieties.

Look for No. 20: Volume 4 to go on draft at the Tap Room starting December 22nd. It will also be available for sale in 750ml bottles at both breweries the same day or shortly thereafter.

Schlafly brewers; Jared, Brennan, James, and Emily felt pretty good about their contribution to the Anniversary Series. Drew was in Texas, Augie was covered in bees, and Derek doesn’t smile.

The Tripel style originated from Trappist monasteries in Belgium. Its golden color can be quite deceptive, because it is definitely a strong beer. The alcohol content of a Tripel typically ranges from 7.5%-10%abv. Another very distinctive thing about Tripels is their yeast-derived flavors and aromas. The Belgian type yeasts used are very distinctive and produce complex fruity and spicy characters.

The recipe for Schlafly Tripel has its roots in a homebrew recipe of Kip Innes. Kip’s homebrewed Tripel took Best of Show at the 1998 Saint Louis Brews Happy Holiday Homebrew Competition. There have actually been very few changes to the recipe since the original was brewed.

Our Tripel clocks in at 10%abv (on the very high side of the typical range.)  As you are enjoying this beer, you will notice a complex marriage of fruit (orange, banana, apple), spice (cloves), and alcohol. You will also detect a supportive malt character and a balancing bitterness.

Beers like this are truly a drinking experience. Hopefully you can make a trip to the Taproom to enjoy the draft version of this beer. Also, pick up a couple 750ml bottles. They would make a great gift for the beer lover in your life (or for yourself!)

Cheers,
Augie

If you would like to geek out a bit more on Tripels, here is what the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) has to say about them: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style18.php#1c

And if you want to geek out really hard, pick up a copy of Stan Hieronymus’ book “Brew Like a Monk”. It is an amazing collection of knowledge concerning Belgian style monastic beers.