Bridge Night (Abby Turns in Her Thesis)

Old Rasputin

I drink a lot with my wife. In fact, she often encourages me to drink. However, it is a rare occasion where our schedules are both open to go out drinking together where we can drink unabated. I play softball 3 days a week and she is perpetually training for marathons. Therefore, tonight was very special for both of us! We were also out to celebrate the culmination of her thesis work and the printing out of her final document making the night all that more memorable. We decided to indulge in some tasty brews from Bridge Bar in downtown Saint Louis. Bridge carries a dizzying array of craft beers both local and imported. This was a rare opportunity for me to try some beers that I have never had before.

Pranqster

First up, North Coast Brewing Company's Old Rasputin. This is a very dark Russian Imperial Stout with a strong coffee overtone. The bubbles left a distinct line between the black beer and the frothy white delicious head on this beer. The Old Rasputin clocks in at a stagger inducing 10% ABV and it hides it well making this beer very drinkable and enjoyable without tasting too alcoholic.

I decided to keep with the North Coast beers for my second beer of the night; I decided on the Pranqster. This is a deceptively flavorful beer that was described as a Belgian golden. This beer had the golden color you would expect from a Budweiser or similar golden colored beer. However, this brew packed the punch you would expect in a Belgian style wheat beer, coming in at 7.6% ABV. It had a sharp, fruity and yeasty taste over a drinkable body. All in all, not a bad beer. My only real critique of this beer would be that it was too bubbly for my tastes.

Pursuit of Hoppiness

My next beer, I decided on Grand Teton Brewing Company's Pursuit of Hoppiness imperial red ale. I was intrigued by this beer's 100IBU's using all American style hops and I had very high hopes that I would like this. Unfortunately, this beer felt very unbalanced to me. I liked the color and the aroma was sublime, however, the bitterness of the hops dominated the sweetness of the grain too much. I will admit, I was already feeling pretty "saucy" from the previous two beers, so perhaps my palate was not in such great shape! I may have to revisit this beer somewhere down the line when my judgment is a little clearer!

Bridge is an exceptional place to get good beer. They have an amazing selection of tap and bottled beer and the atmosphere is perfect for sipping on some hard to find brews. This is one of those places you want to go to when you want to showcase that you can find good beer in Saint Louis! Incidenatally, they also have a very nice food menu filled with food that pairs nicely with the beers they have on hand. The bartenders are all very knowledgeable and can easily suggest a food pairing with the beer style you enjoy. I would highly recommend anyone who loves beer to visit Bridge at your next opportunity! You can follow them on Twitter HERE, like I am!

After three relatively strong beers, I felt like I needed something substantial in my stomach, so we headed over to the Bleeding Deacon for some delicious pub food. I had the Fish and Chips which were served with deep fried capers which gave a shockingly nice touch to the fried fish and fries. Abby had the Veggie Philly and said it was also very good. I have yet to be disappointed by the food or the beers at the Bleeding Deacon. Speaking of beers, while I noshed my fish I guzzled a Founder's Red Rye PA which was not as good as their IPA but was still enjoyable.

As always, if you would like to follow me on this Drinking Adventure, please click on the link on the right where you can subscribe to my feeds. you can also follow me on twitter at @williepawn or friend me on Facebook. You can also email me here. I am also keeping a compiled list of beers tasted HERE that you can look at.