From Bryce Eddings,
Your Guide to Beer.
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Nestled on a side street, just a block off of busy Kirkwood in St. Louis is the WmD Alandale Brewing Company. The little brewpub is one of a handful of breweries that are working to make Anheuser-Busch just another of many St. Louis brewers. It may be a while before watery American Lager no longer dominates the St. Louis beer scene but in meantime good beer lovers can turn to Alandale and the other local brewers for more variety and flavor in their brew.

I stopped by Alandale early on a Saturday evening to check out their beers. The brewery is located in Kirkwood, a busy and charming community just west of St. Louis. The main street, Kirkwood Road, is full of small specialty shops and on the weekends hosts a popular farmer's market. Alandale fits right in and offers a nice spot for shoppers to stop and relax with a freshly brewed beer and good food.

The Beers

Platinum Blonde Lager - This is the classic cross-over beer that many small breweries feel obligated to brew so the Budmillercoors crowd will have something to drink. The beer is pale straw colored and clear. There's a faint grainy sweetness in the nose. I was surprised to find flavor and even a little character in the glass but not much. After all, this is an American Light Lager and as such is sweet, thin and has no hint of hops.

Amber Ale – I was told that this one of the more popular beers at Alandale. It is light brown and clear. I couldn't detect any aroma. The flavor displays a bit of hops although the overwhelming impression it left was a generic sweetness. I can understand why this would be a popular beer at a brewpub. It’s a wildly inoffensive beer with subtle flavors and a light character; a good companion for any food.

Kölsch – I am always impressed with a brewer that has the guts to try a tough style like Kölsch. Alandale deserves credit for producing a respectable example of the style. The Köbes in Cologne might turn their noses up at the idea of a Missouri brewer trying to reproduce their beloved style and, if they could be persuaded to taste it, they might complain that it's too hoppy but I enjoyed it. The beer is clear with a nice, yellow color. The head quickly falls, leaving a collar around the edges that paints a very nice quilt down the sides of the glass as it is drunk. I picked up subtle whiffs of apple in the nose. The flavor is hoppy but not overly so. Overall, this is an enjoyable beer.

American Wheat Ale – Full disclosure: I hold this style in only slightly higher regard than American Light Lager; which is to say I’m not a fan. Alandale’s version is super light yellow and a bit hazy; obviously unfiltered. The nose is very sweet and I swear I picked up notes of jelly beans. The first drink was a surprise. The mouthfeel, though light, has the characteristic silky feel of a wheat beer and the flavor is full with hints of banana. Although this is no Hefeweizen, it’s head and shoulders above most American Wheats. It tends toward cloying sweetness but with a lemon this could be a nice beer.

Doppelbock Lager – The color of this Doppelbock is lighter than I’m used to for the style. It is clear and copper with a nice quilting head. The nose, like most of Alandale’s beers, is sublte although I did pick up hints of chocolate. The flavor is sweet with hints of chocolate and a warming alcohol prescence. Once the tongue becomes accustomed to the 9.5% alcohol this beer can become a bit cloying but overall it’s enjoyable.

India Pale Ale – This IPA is a typical American interpretation of India Pale Ale. It presents a citrusy nose. The body is clear and light copper colored. The flavor is a nice break from the sweetness of most of Alendale’s other brews with American hops dominating.

Oatmeal Stout Ale – This stout is nice and black like a good stout should be. It shows clear and amber at the edges with a nice head. It has a silky mouthfeel with a sweet flavor puncutated with hints of coffee and a grainy bitterness at the end of the drink.

Everything Else

The atmosphere at Alandales is that of a relaxed pub. It has a big bar area, a dining room, and outdoor seating. We sat at a booth in the bar area where a couple of TVs were showing the ballgame. The St. Louis Cardinals were playing so the room occasionally erupted with cheers or groans and not a few insults hurdled at the refs by the patrons and wait-staff alike.

Alendale's menu consists of typical pub grub. My party ordered from the sandwich menu. The portions are generous and they come with thin sliced, homemade potato chips. (I only point that out because I’m particularly fond of homemade potato chips.) Our server told us that they make very nice stout steamed mussels although I can’t find them on the menu just now. My wife was very pleased with their Triple Chocolate Stout dessert. According to the menu it is “a rich and dreamy mini-chocolate bundt cake topped with coffee ice cream and drizzled with their very own dulce 'de leche.” It comes with Oatmeal Stout.