Urban Chestnut has a few locations throughout the city of Saint Louis, as well as a location in Germany. When a senior representative was visiting Germany to buy hops, he found a closed-down brewery about 12 miles north of Munich that he had an opportunity to purchase.

Because of this close relationship with this small German town, the management at Urban Chestnut has made a sincere promise to their drinkers that their procedures will stay true to their original recipes from European tradition.

Urban Chestnut seemed to be a brewery caught in the middle, unable to commit to either side of tradition or novelty. Their traditional beers are strangely placed at their Grove location. The energy efficiency and upscale neighborhood seem out of place given their commitment to old style recipes.

The tour was underwhelming and impersonal, as it was self-guided and lacked a pour to carry through the brewing facility.

I learned relatively little from the tour, though the bier hall was a unique opportunity to experience the UCBC experience. The brewery is surprisingly visible and the brewing vessels are engrained in the taproom.