Kirkwood Station Brewery - St. Louis, MO

Date of dining experience: June 17, 2015

Place: Kirkwood Station Brewing Co.

Location: 105 E. Jefferson in Kirkwood, MO

Appetizer: Famous Brew Master's Beer Cheese Soup ($4 cup) - A combination of their Sugar Creek Lager with real cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, perfectly blended with pureed vegetables and spices, then topped with their original pretzel croutons. This was absolutely delicious and a must-try if you ever eat here!

Entree: Bourbon Chicken ($16) - Grilled chicken glazed with a sweet Tennessee bourbon sauce and served with a baked potato and chef's fresh vegetables. This was a great meal and really went well with most of the beer options on the table.

Beers: Sampler Platter (10 different brews).
1. Grass Cutter - Cream Ale (ABV: 4.5%)
2. Sugar Creek - Lager (ABV: 4.2% - IBU: 9)
3. Blackberry Wheat - very light blackberry finish (ABV: 4.8% - IBU: 11)
4. Belgian Witte - unfiltered wheat beer (ABV: 4.8%)
5. Marzen - a German style amber lager also known as Oktoberfest (ABV: 4.6% - IBU: 23)
6. Midnight Train - a dark German lager also known as a Schwarzbier (black beer). This is a very light and easy-to-drink style of lager, so don't let the color fool you! (ABV: 4.8% - IBU: 23)
7. Big 5-Oh - a Belgian style saison/farmhouse ale (ABV: 7.8% - IBU: 28)
8. Oatmeal Stout - a very dark ale; much better than the one at Granite City (ABV: 6.2% - IBU: 50) --- This brew has a higher IBU than most Oatmeal Stouts, but you really can't tell by the taste.
9. Rye APA - an American style Pale Ale (ABV: 4.8% - IBU: 45)
10. IPA - an American style India Pale Ale (ABV: 6.3% - IBU: 65)

Of all these beer samples, I'd have to say my favorites were probably the Big 5-Oh, Marzen, and Rye APA, though the Midnight Train was also pretty tasty. My least favorite was definitely the Sugar Creek Lager; it's just a bland American light lager. The weirdest of these was the Blackberry Wheat, with an initial taste of a regular dark wheat beer, a slight bitterness in the middle, and just a hint of blackberry flavor on the finish/aftertaste.

My only complaint about Kirkwood Station is that the service was extremely slow, but it was also packed so I can't really complain that much. The service was great. My waitress was really nice and very apologetic when the kitchen got behind. The atmosphere was also very good, exactly what you would expect from a microbrewery.

Overall this was a fantastic meal with some pretty good brews. I'd say it's definitely worth at least one visit! Give it a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy!