Date of dining experience: June 14, 2015
Place 1: Epic Pizza and Subs
Place 2: International Tap House (iTAP) - Soulard
Location 1: 1711A S. 9th St. in St. Louis, MO
Location 2: 1711 S. 9th St. in St. Louis, MO
Yes, these are two different places, two very different places. They happen to be next door to each other in the same building, sharing a bathroom at the back.
A little background: Epic Pizza and Subs pretty much only sells food. International Tap House definitely only sells beer. You can place your order and pay for it at the counter of Epic Pizza and they will deliver it to your table next door at iTAP. Yes, seriously. I know, right?! It's completely amazing and more places should do this type of thing. iTAP does have four locations. This particular location is the one in Soulard (in case you look it up online). This iTAP offers 44 rotating draft beer options. Some of the other locations have more and some have less, but all four locations boast literally hundreds of bottled beer options from around the world.
Pizza: 14" Margherita ($16) - tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and sliced tomatoes. Absolutely mind-blowing pizza. Not only is the best Margherita pizza I've ever had, Epic Pizza has the best pizza of anywhere I've ever had, period. The crust is absolutely perfect: not too thick, not too thin, not too greasy, etc. Delicious!
Draft Beers (at iTAP):
1. Schlafly Summer Lager - German-style Helles (ABV: 4.5% - IBU: 17) - only available April through August. For those that don't know, Schlafly is a St. Louis brewery.
2. Unibroue Blanche de Chambly - Belgian (Witbier) White Ale (ABV: 5% - IBU: 10) - Blanche de Chambly made the #10 spot on the Wine Enthusiast list of the Top 25 Beers of 2014. Blanche de Chambly has earned 22 medals and awards, with the most recent medal being the silver in 2011 at the World Beer Championship held at the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute. Blanche de Chambly was the first refermented white beer brewed according to Belgian tradition in North America.
Unibroue is located in Canada and is probably my favorite brewery. My #1 favorite beer is their La Fin du Monde. The Blanche de Chambly is very similar to La Fin du Monde and was described to me as being the "little brother." They are very close, but you can definitely taste the differences in ABV and IBUs.
*FYI (for comparison): La Fin du Monde is a Triple-style Golden Ale (ABV: 9% - IBU: 19). To this date, La Fin du Monde has earned more medals and awards, including some of the world's highest honors, than any other Canadian beer. La Fin du Monde has earned 30 medals and awards, with the most recent being the bronze in 2011 at the Denver International Beer Competition, the gold in 2011 at the Mondial de la Biere (World of Beer) in Montreal, and the platine (platinum) in 2011 at the World Beer Championship held at the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute.*
I digress... (sorry about that, I got a little excited for a minute).
The atmosphere at iTAP is absolutely fantastic and the bartenders work their way around to the tables for orders as well. It's a lot easier to do that at iTAP because all they sell is beer. The person who delivers your pizza is from Epic Pizza, but getting your pizza delivered is the last you'll see of them.
These two places are a must-try in the St. Louis area. I recommend trying them both at the same time! The best pizza ever and hundreds of beer options... yeah, it sounds like the best night ever.
Give these places a try for yourself and let me know what you think. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Enjoy!
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