The St. Louis Brewery, which is throwing a party next weekend to celebrate -- and pour -- the 40 or so styles of Schlafly beer it produces each year, is about to unveil a new brew, this one custom-made for Pi Pizzeria.
Schlafly Pi Common received state approval this week; it was kegged on Tuesday and should be on tap at Pi's three dine-in locations -- in Kirkwood, the Central West End and the Delmar Loop -- by the end of next week.
St. Louis Brewery co-founder Dan Kopman says this beer marks the start of a series of collaborations with local restaurants, similar to the way the brewery has worked with Schnucks to produce specialty beers for its Culinaria and other markets the past two years.
"Now we are working on two chef/publican collaborations that are draft beers," Kopman says. "The Schlafly Common Beer for Pi is the first. We have scheduled a collaboration with Bigelo's Bistro in Edwardsville for their anniversary this fall, and we are actively working on others for 2011."
Although Schlafly's American Brown Ale is poured as the house brew at several bars and restaurants, this new Pi Common beer is the first one Schlafly made for one restaurant account.
Pi owner Chris Sommers says he was drawn to the California common beer style because of his restaurant's ties to that state -- both he and executive chef Marc Baltes spent time working in San Francisco, which is where Sommers discovered the cornmeal-crust pizza that would become Pi. He also says he likes that the style presents "a full-flavored, moderately hoppy beer" that can appeal to a range of beer drinkers.
"We are proud of our diverse beer lists, but to have such a delicious offering that our guests can get nowhere else?" Sommers says. "Our teams can't help but get excited about Pi Common."
Sommers and his employees got a sneak preview of the beer Tuesday night during Pi's company party in Forest Park. The verdict? "Everyone loved it," Sommers says. "(Brewers) Stephen Hale, Brennan Greene and the rest of the team nailed it."
Common beer, a style popularized by Anchor Brewing Co.'s Anchor Steam, is brewed by fermenting lager yeast at a higher temperature than other lagers. You can read some theories about how the California common style came to be referred to as "steam" beer.
Pi Common is brewed with five types of malts as well as Marynka and Chinook hops. It contains about 5 percent alcohol by volume.
• UPDATE (5:13 p.m.): Pi and Schlafly are planning a release party for the beer at 9 p.m. on Sept. 23 at Pi in the Loop, 6144 Delmar Boulevard. As noted above, Schlafly Pi Common will likely go on tap at three Pi locations late next week; this date is just for the official kickoff.
