About Schlafly Bankside

The Saint Louis Brewery, makers of Schalfly brand beers, opened it’s doors in 1991 as the first new brewpub to open in St. Louis, MO since Prohibition. When we opened twenty-five years ago we had no business plan but we did have a vision: To make great beer and great food and try to have fun doing it. Twenty years on, our business plan is still almost as simple as our original vision: To make a wide variety of great beers, sell as much as we can in our local market, and throw great parties. Today, we are the largest locally owned brewery in the city. Every year, we brew around fifty styles of fresh Schlafly beer. We have a unique style for every beer lover.

The historic Schlafly Bankside was officially established in 2020 as we looked to expand our community-focused brewpub philosophy. The riverside structure’s history is rooted in the story of Westward expansion, sitting just a few steps from the original launching site of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The site of the building was originally identified as an ideal site for a gristmill in 1769 and was improved upon in 1788 by Pierre Choteau (Choteau being a famed St. Louis name). After a devastating flood, the building was converted into St. Charles’ first woolen mill in 1851. Over the next century, the building would see many different occupants and uses, from a prison ran by the Union, to a tomato canning facility. After a fire in 1966, the building was restored to what it is today.