Big Man Eats: Square One Brewery & Distillery, St. Louis, Mo.
After a fire destroyed the inside of the building, Steve Neukomm decided to open up a new restaurant, brewery, and distillery at Square One. Since 2006, the “classic phrase of starting over”, brings new life into a contemporary option in Historic Lafayette Square. Square One is nonetheless a must-visit after my recent trip as I thoroughly enjoyed my experience.
Rankings: out of 10 (1= Never ordering again. 10= Order every time)
Beer Pretzels- 8.1
Grilled Chicken Sandwich- 7.5
Pork Tenderloin Sandwich- 8.4
Imperial IPA- 8.2
Saison- 7.7
Overall Score of Square One Brewery & Distillery: 8.4/10
Continue for a full, in-depth review.
Full Review:
When going to a new brewery, I always want to get what my personal preferences are. IPAs are always what I reach for when drinking a craft beer as I feel like the depth of flavor is easy to pick out versus other styles of beer. Square One had many options for beer, so when ordering, I started with the Imperial IPA. Imperial IPAs are known for the strength of the hops, strong complimentary notes, and higher alcohol by volume. This option did not disappoint. The strong Amarillo, Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe hops created a smooth but powerful hop punch. To follow the bitterness of the hops, the citrus and warm spices balanced out the bitterness to create this crafted beverage.
Saison has a deep flavor profile within their class, often pairing strong fruit notes with spices. In this case, Square One’s Saison had a very deep fruit flavor on the front end, with clove and black pepper spice on the end. The dark color of the malt rounds this spicy, fruity, sweet beer all together into an enjoyable taste.
The Beer Pretzels were a great choice to start, with a crisp exterior and soft, flaky body. Both, the queso and mustard were great options to have with any pretzels. Great start to the meal.
The Grilled Chicken Sandwich was a solid sandwich, with chicken, bacon, green onion, and Swiss cheese. This flavor profile worked well together to create a solid option for not-so-adventurous tastes, but never-the-less, I enjoyed it.
As I walk into any restaurant or brewery, I take a gander at the specials board to see if it interests me. This was a time when it did. Square One had a Pork Tenderloin sandwich on special and I made the right decision. The special was thinly sliced pork tenderloin served with fresh romaine, red onion, dill pickles, Cheddar cheese, and a house-made Balsamic. This created a sweet, tangy, earthy bite that surprised me with how well they worked together.
The strong wood accents and brick creates a warm atmosphere that invited you in for a great time. The bartender Nikki was very helpful and knowledgeable about their menu, which always adds to the experience. All in all, I highly recommend Square One Brewery and Distillery and will be back again.
