As we reported last week, O'Fallon Brewery (26 West Industrial Drive, St. Charles; 636-474-2337) is in the midst of a huge expansion. On top of that, it's just release the first full-time brew since 2010: Zeke's Pale Ale. In our experience, pale ales tend to be a gateway to craft beer. Only drink Budweiser? Try a pale ale, you'll be enjoying a smooth IPA in no time.
See also: O'Fallon Brewery's 10-Day IPA: A Gut Check Taste Test
Somewhat surprisingly, O'Fallon doesn't already have a pale ale offering. Its original brew is the O'Fallon Gold, a light golden ale that is perfect for a summer sip or the casual drinker. O'Fallon's signature beer is probably the Pumpkin Beer, a fall classic available September 1.
Zeke's will join the Gold, Wheach, Smoked Porter, 5-Day IPA and Hemp Hop Rye as a full-time offering. With the onset of warm weather, we were pretty excited to crack open a Zeke's for the first time.
It reminded us a lot of Schlafly's Pale Ale -- we probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test. But hey, we're fans of Schlafly's version, and it's nice to switch it up sometimes. Hopefully we'll be able to sample Zeke's on draft when the Maryland Heights brewery and bar opens up in 2015. Until then, we'll take the bottled version. At 5.1 ABV, it'll be perfect for the debut of spring day drinking.
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