Public House Brewing Company, 551 State Rte B, St James, MO 65559
phone: # 573-261-3333   website: publichousebrewery.com
Hours: Mon – Thu: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. | Fri – Sat : 11 a.m. – 12 a.m. | Closed Sundays

Experience before you go . . .

After almost seven months in Tucson it was time to head back to Naperville, Illinois. Our second night we stayed in Rolla, MO and on the way into town we start checking out breweries. Kat finds one that looks interesting and she gives them a call to make sure they're open and that they're okay with Darby our 10 year old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. The Darb as we sometimes call him is a fabulous dog! On these long car-rides he hunkers down in the back seat and then he starts to side his front paws up on the armrest right between us and that's where he stays. For 3 days and all 1750 miles, he's there either doing the nose poke or resting his chin on either one of our shoulders waiting for a head scratch. I could write a whole book on Darby. We got him about 8 years ago as a rescue dog and everyday has been a real treat having him as part of the family. He lives to chase the tennis ball! And even though he's slowing down a bit he loves everyone and his job is to let you know of incoming delivery guys....the bark alarm is working fine. So when Public House told us to bring Darby along we were like cool beans man, cool beans! If you haven't noticed I kinda got my own vocabulary, and yes, sometimes it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

So after a couple wrong turns we pull up on the Public House. We find a parking spot and head for the front sign where we do the patented front sign selfie. Now since this is Darby's first selfie, he's not diggin it too much. Now for me to lift Darb with one arm and do the selfie with the other proves to be somewhat of a challenge. But I pull it off with okay results and we hit the door. Tables and chairs to the left with a wrap around bar on the right that continues all the way down. Small stage for some live entertainment and there's actually someone setting up to start strumming and a singing. Kat, Darb and I are turning heads and it's not because of my flys open but because Darby is a chick magnet. Everybody wants to pet Darby and before you know it a small line is forming to have their turn at showing Darb some love. We settle in at the end of the bar on a couple empty stools and Darby squeezes in on the floor between the bar and the foot rail resting his head on the rail...like he's done this before. Dirk greets us from behind the bar and I hand him a HBT card and give him the 2-minute elevator speech and Bing, Bang, Boom Hoppin Brewery Tour strikes again for the 86th time and the 14th State....Missouri, or Missoura if you're from these parts. I order a Missoura craft beer flight and the pouring commenced to happening. Thorn and Heat Strawberry Wheat (4.3%, 12 IBU) buoyant, slightly tart and refreshing; Hide & Seek Hefeweizen - German Style (4.9%, 14 IBU) clove and banana with mild sweetness; Farmstand Peach Ale (5.3%, 16 IBU) easy drinking and mild; Frisco 1501 Historic Lager (5.0%, 44 IBU) light fruity, firm malt with toasty caramel; Elusive IPA - American IPA (6.8%, 60 IBU) smooth, very drinkable; Revelation Stout (5.5%, 43 IBU) dark chocolate, coffee and smooth.....yum!

Kat, Darb and I are having a great time and we all agree that this brewery is one of the friendliest ones we've been in. Everyone we met and talked to were the best and we felt like we were in someone's kitchen drinking beers and eating food. We ordered the hummus appetizer and followed that up with a very yummy hand tossed pizza and of course washed it all down with fab beers. I didn't think the place could get much friendly until David sat down on the empty stool to my right. First thing he said was, "when I got dizzy and fell over there and hit my head, I went to the hospital and this place had a fund raiser for me that paid all my medical bills and my X-rays alone were $$$, this place is just like family". David doesn't drink, the whole town knows David and loves him. He's middle aged and lives with his folks. David doesn't have a mean thought or word to say to anybody. He's happy to be alive and he loves to tell you about his hometown. At one point I asked him if he was the Mayor? And he said no but he knows the Mayor.

Pubic House Brewing is named appropriately because definitely the public makes it their home. It's a place for all to come to drink beer and eat food and get caught up in all the good mojo that seems to be a normal occurrence here at the Public House. Make a special effort to visit this brewery, you'll be glad you did and tell Dirk that Kat, Clyde and the Darb sent cha!

Until next time and remember.....

Go get'cha one!!!