Review: O’Fallon Brewery O’Bar

When it comes to enthusiasm for craft, O’Fallon Brewery is less than subtle. Discontent to have its motto “We Love Beer” simply emblazoned on all the awnings outside, the rallying cry is also stamped on merchandise, stitched into servers’ T-shirts, plastered all over the website and legally trademarked for good measure. They do love beer, and the proof is in the product, making the new O’Fallon Brewery O’Bar Tap House and Grill a welcome addition to Maryland Heights.

Nestled in a nondescript office and manufacturing space a few blocks away from Westport Plaza proper, the single-story O’Bar looks like a packing plant or sub-regional storage facility. But curbside is where the bland ends. Packed to the gills on a Saturday night, the massive, modern industrial Bierhall teems with the energy and laughter of a frat keg party. What the 130-seat taproom lacks in warmth and Old World, reclaimed-wood coziness, it makes up in steel, looming windows, copper-clad tabletops and ubiquitous flat-screen TVs. Roughly 20 taps line the oh-my-God-sized bar that is so shiny and bright, you might need to turn away to readjust your vision after entering.

If you hate beer, you should leave. If you hate beer but are too stubborn to leave, you’ll still be able to quell the inner voices with a cocktail or three from the stone-wrapped bar, which is stocked with a nominal selection of standard spirits. A few of what my ex called “fun vodkas” are employed in O’Bar’s beer cocktail menu: The Fuzzy Orange melds O’Fallon’s Wheach beer with 360 Mandarin Orange vodka; and the Pumpkin Pie, a rich dessert cocktail, pairs O’Fallon Pumpkin Beer with 360 Madagascar Vanilla vodka. There’s also a small selection of wines, but you’re better off focusing on the beer.

O’Fallon isn’t a newcomer to the local brewery scene, having launched in 2000 and garnered a cult following at bars and regional retail outlets since then – and for good reason. Few breweries can consistently push out products that are both unique and approachable. A flight is the best way to explore what O’Fallon has to offer. Four substantial 5-ounce pours are served up and introduced by your server on arrival. The everyday beers menu is a good starting point with standard offerings like the crisp Wheach and spicy, tasting-room only O’Bar amber ale. Mix a few of the lighter options with their more substantial, seasonal cousins like the Pumpkin Beer or the King Louie toffee stout. It’s worth the small upcharge to include some special selections from the Brewer’s Stash and barrel-aged menu. The latter featured the Imperial Pumpkin Ale, a 10-percent ABV beer that will make a believer out of anyone on the fence about pumpkin, though a tall pint of O’Fallon’s elegantly smooth Pumpkin Beer is itself worth the journey. If there were a suggestion box, I would stuff it with requests to move the Pumpkin Beer to O’Fallon’s everyday beer list.

A restaurant this place is not. Skip the lame, warmed-over ribs and the floppy, flavorless French dip sandwich. Instead, focus on simpler beer-friendly fare, mixing and matching a few small plates. Order the Mainly Meat flatbread featuring mozzarella, marinara, pepperoni, house sausage and bacon, and get the pretzel plate: Companion pretzels with a hearty O’Fallon Gold cheese dip, honey mustard and a creamy Dijon-Sriracha aioli.

In the end, there’s nothing at O’Fallon as satisfying and deliciously gourmet as what’s in your pint glass.

O’Fallon Brewery O’Bar
45 Progress Parkway, Maryland Heights, 636.474.2337