By Shree Bhattessa
The Scene staff
Forest Park students need only cross the street to enjoy a fresh meal and hand-crafted beer, and they can get a 10% discount with a St. Louis Community College ID card.
Brew Hub Taproom opened at 5656 Oakland Ave. in March of last year. It replaced the Highland Pub & Grill.
Brew Hub is a restaurant and brewery. It serves burgers and other sandwiches, pizza, appetizers, salads, desserts and “flights,” which allow customers to choose three items from a list of tacos, kabobs, stuffed pretzels, dips and spreads.
“There’s always something new to try here,” said General Manager Kara Donsky.
The menu changes periodically as James “Otto” Ottolini, head of brewing operations, concocts new beers, which he calls “dabbling in the art and science of brewing.”
Beers range from traditional flavors to those that “step outside the box,” according to bar manager Sarah Portell. Some are made with fruit.
“If you think you don’t like beer, it’s a good way to get yourself into beer,” she said.
Beers now on tap at Brew Hub include a strong ale called “The Dude;” “Bringing Sexy Bock”; and Donsky’s personal favorite, “Cologne Cowboy,” which is named for Cologne, Germany, where Ottolini gets the yeast.
“There’s nothing fancy about it,” says Donsky. “It’s just good beer.”
Another popular beer is “Gooey Butter Blonde,” which tastes like gooey butter cake.
“No one else is really doing that right now,” Portell said. “… That’s a lot of what makes us unique and makes us special. We have things you can’t find anywhere else.”
The help at Brew Hub includes Gwen Schweiss, 17, who attends both Lafayette High School and the Meramec campus of St. Louis Community College. She plans to pursue a degree in chemical engineering.
In the meantime, Schweiss is interning with Ottolini.
“I’m here to learn whatever I can as an outlook into the field I will be working in,” she said.
Donsky describes the workspace as “Otto’s science lab.” It includes several large tanks, which are visible through windows facing Oakland Avenue.
Ottolini studied craft brewing at Washington University.
“Otto is a big part of what makes us special, because he is a wealth of knowledge,” Portell said.
Sahra Schweiss, Gwen’s mom, is a regular customer at Brew Hub.
“It’s a wonderful resource next to (the) Forest Park location … that can introduce students to a wide variety of beers, and styles, and interpretations,” she said.
Sahra Schweiss usually orders a burger, which she customizes with grilled onions and bacon.
Brew Hub also offers choices for vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free dieters, and there’s a kids menu. All food is fresh and never frozen, according to staff.
Specialties range from the veggie pizza with fresh spinach, red onion, oven-roasted tomatoes, portobello, mozarella and red sauce to nacho pizza with seasoned ground beef, nacho cheese sauce, cheddar and mozzarella mix, diced fire roasted jalapeños, pico de gallo, tortilla chips, and cilantro cream drizzle.
The menu was recently updated to add stuffed-pretzel flights with a choice of jalapeño beer cheese with bacon, garlic herb cream cheese, spicy grain mustard or cinnamon glaze.
Portell describes Brew Hub clientele as a “mixed crowd,” including “beer nerds,” families and businessmen staying at the hotel next door. People who live in the neighborhood show up to watch football and hockey games on multiple TV sets. Management plans to start hosting live music and trivia nights.
“We would love to see more community college students,” Portell said.
Happy hour is from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, when customers can get house-brewed beers for half price. The building also has space for private parties. For more information, visit tapbrewhub.com or call 314-833-5453.