Tom Schlafly is chairman and one of three founders of Schlafly Beer, also known as The Saint Louis Brewery, the latter a ballsy name to adopt when the brewery opened in 1991 and the city was as much known as the home of Budweiser as for the Cardinals or the Gateway Arch.
The Schlafly name is more known to some for the notorious conservative Phyllis Schlafly, who long waged war against the Equal Rights Amendment, and won. But she lost, or rather her heirs did in 2018, two years after she had died, in a dispute over the brewery filing for a trademark over the Schlafly name.
Tom Schlafly and his immediate family doesn’t appear to share the politics of his late aunt. Schlafly still writes a monthly column at the brewery’s website, Top Fermentation, and appears to be an erudite fellow. The brewery celebrated its 34th anniversary yesterday, with 1991 prices in effect. It steers clear of politics; it will happily sell its beer to anyone anywhere along the political spectrum. (Still, a long-standing unofficial slogan around the taproom is, “Great Taste, Less Phyllis.”)
There are four locations around the city, the brewery distributes to 18 states and D.C., brews some 30,000 barrels annually and 60 or so different styles. Here’s a screenshot of the recent taproom offerings:
Though their parents left this afternoon, the grandkids are still here for a couple more days, and both granddaughters liked this one. So did I. It seemed not unlike—if not quite with the brilliance of—yesterday’s Harvey’s Christmas Ale. It poured out a lovely, clear, ruby-colored brew, perhaps with a tinge more red than the Harvey’s. And it has, likewise, an appealing toffee nose, a sturdy mouthfeel, with perhaps somewhat less of a brisk finish.
If once a regular offering from Schlafly, for some reason this year’s brew represents a return after a seven-year abeyance. It’s said to be brewed with spices, though none are specified. Seven years ago the ingredients were said to include orange peel, juniper berries, ginger root, cardamom, cloves and honey. And this is supposed be the same beer.
We know the malts are Pale, Caramel, Munich and Chocolate, and the hops the English variety Northdown. Not a lot of spice seems to come boldly through in the flavor, but no matter, the whole is certainly a worthy sum of its parts. One could hope that the brewery doesn’t take another seven-year pause with the beer, because it’s quite nice.
Name: Christmas Ale
Brewer: Schlafly Beer, St. Louis, Missouri
Style: Spiced Winter Warmer
ABV: 8% ABV
Availability: Seasonally, in 18 mid-west to eastern states and DC.
For More Information: www.schlafly.com
[December 27, 2024]
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