Heavy Riff Brewing

Different kind of a vibe than some of the other brewpubs in the area. This place is dark inside and maybe more like a neighborhood bar. Beer selection is good but I wish they would offer a flight option to try more of their stuff. Roughly half of the beer menu is available in half-​pints but that’s still not the same.
I had their Irish Red. It was good but nothing that I could devote an entire paragraph to in description.
I also split an order of their sliders since they were serving a limited menu. They were also good but not great. We went with the brisket and the pork. I had expected the meat to be warm, the bread to have been toasted, something. Instead, it seemed as though it had all come straight out of the refrigerator. The coleslaw was excessively wet also and that made the sandwiches something of a mess to eat. The high point though… the St Louis bbq sauce. That was a perfect combination of sweet, smoky and spicy. That sauce is nothing short of amazing!

Love this place! The staff has always treated us well and they’ve been exceptionally nice to our daughter who lives in the neighborhood. It’s a great neighborhood bar and it has a shuffleboard table which is always a plus!
The food is good, the beer is good and I like that they have some of my favorite bourbons.

Mediocre food.
Inappropriate music blaring the whole time with nasty lyrics «F**k» word etc.
Beer was average. Tasting samples limited which was not normal for local craft breweries when you’ve just ordered $ 60(+) in food and drinks.
Inattentive staff, my wife and I were the only ones
there and we appeared to be a bother to the beer tender.
I’m currently just 8 breweries away from visiting all 22 STL craft breweries.
Heavy Riff will not be on my list of those I will revisit!

Apparently the poor staff at Heavy Riff is offended by my review. Apparently pub terms offend the poor folk. Well I’m offended by their offense. Gesh, time to grow up and put your big boy pants on. Kinda proves my point. And since we’re being all butt hurt and acting like children, I was offended by the offensive music. Rock or rock rap, or grunge music being played with Fbombs, barmaid is offened, but music inappropriate for the public isnt? Hummm. Save your money folks, there’s far better, and it’s clear this place is owned and operated by kids.

Went here while visiting STL a few days after St. Patrick’s Day. I ordered the Vanilla Coffee Underbrown and Happy Jack Pumpkin Ale. Both were so wonderful! Didn’t order food here because we were going out for dinner after, but from what I saw coming to people around us, seems to be really good!
Can’t wait to go back in a few weeks!

I really enjoyed the inside of this bar, from the cool band posters to the guitar head bar taps. This was part of a brew tour but I wish I could have stayed longer. We were told they also make their own BBQ so we got the smoked pork nachos and you could taste the smokiness, was awesome! Hefty helping for the price too! Guys behind the bar, super nice and seemed happy to have us sit up at the bar. They have a beer that seriously takes like vanilla coffee with an amazing finish. Awesome place, will be back to try their loaded brisket baked potato!

I had just stopped in while strolling around looking for a late lunch. It’s definitely a bar, but with serious eats!
I got the Smoked Reuben with a side of slaw. The slaw is excellent, and that’s always a good sign! Many restaurants don’t take slaw seriously. This was tasty, peppery, interesting and tasty slaw.
The reuben was the best I’ve had! Delicious, large, marbled rye bread, smoky corned beef brisket, sauerkraut not too overpowering.
You should stop in!
Recommended!

My friend and I were here this past weekend during a self-​guided brew tour of St. Louis. We had originally planned to go to Six Row Brewing, but we found out they closed in June and were in the process of relocating. This place was pretty awesome. Had the Velvet Brown Underground (clever name) and it was delicious as well as their IPA was pretty good. Didn’t have any of the food, but they offered free darts and shuffle board (although that was occupied all night). Good atmosphere and place.

Came to St. Louis with the goal of sampling some local beers. This place is where a hipster vampire would go to have a pint – darkly-​lit, hip guitar-​lined walls, awesome indie/​alt music playing. I like their vibe. Even for noon on a Saturday, this place was still pretty dark inside. Not complaining, just saying. We sat in a booth by the window so we could get a little more light. The beer selection had good range. Upon a recommendation, we tried the Vanilla Coffee Underbrown – WOW. Not heavy or sweet, and just the right dose of vanilla flavor. Probably one of the best I’ve ever had.
The food was delicious. Vegetarians, fear not. This place offers smoked tofu and seitan. I opted for the BBQ Nachos with seitan (nachos topped with cheese, bbq beans, corn/​peppers, green onions and smoky seitan). Food came out quickly and was hot. Pretty much everything was perfect about this place. My only quip is that you had to place your order at the bar. Seeing as the place was pretty empty, I didn’t see why table service couldn’t be provided by one of three bartenders. I also observed this policy loosely employed. A table of older patrons came in and the bartender provided table service to them. Respectful, yes. Fair, meh.

This is a pretty good brewery not many people have heard about. They have a pretty good selection of beers for all different kinds of people. It is normally not to busy but busy enough to make you not want to try a different place. Personally, their best beers are the velvet underground and the vanilla coffee velvet underground. Their food menu is also pretty good if you are looking for a nice dinner. I have only eaten here once but their verde chili and pineapple corn bread is so good!
The downsides of this are some of the people working behind the bar. The first time I went here I had several beers on my tab that I clearly didn’t order so a $ 20 bill went to a $ 50 bill real quick. It was just a hassle trying to talk to the person and telling him that I didn’t order those drinks. Then another time I asked a person about a style of beer and they had no idea. I feel like that is very important to know if you work in a brewery.
Regardless of the flaws, the beer is good and it’s a nice place to hangout if you are in the area and want to have a relaxing time.

This place has a really cool vibe. The shuffleboard is a lot of fun and it was pretty quiet for a Friday night. The Vanilla Coffee beer is amazing, and I don’t even like dark beer. I wanted to make a milkshake of it. We only had appetizers, but the turkey and pork nachos were delicious. The beer bread was really good but the sauces were all frozen which was extremely weird and kind of ruined the bread. The jamabalya was also just okay.

Fantastic brisket options. Their microbrew selection is second to none. I highly recommended the Vanilla Coffee Underbrown.

Heavy Riff is a fairly new brewery in the Dogtown neighborhood. They have a good variety of beers to try and the bartender is generally happy to give you a small taste of a beer to help you decide which one to try. I really enjoyed the Velvet Underbrown and their red ale (don’t recall its name).
They have decorated the place with rock and guitar memorabilia. Each of their beer taps looks like the neck of a guitar. There are concert posters from various rock shows framed on the wall.
You can also play shuffleboard here.

Checked out heavy riff brewing a couple weeks back with a couple friends. We dropped in on a rainy Monday evening so it wasn’t very crowded. Very cool ambiance here and the bartender was really friendly and helpful in describing their beers!
I had a few different options but the velvet underbrown was definitely the best and a very memorable beer — I would go back just for this alone!!! Everyone enjoyed their beers and one of my friends had a spicy asian pork wrap that he was very pleased with — also, he mentioned that it didn’t let down on the spice which I can appreciate!
Aside from the beers and food, heavy riff has an area for darts and shuffleboard as well — this combination makes it really enjoyable and it’s a great spot if you’re close to Dogtown! I know we’ll be back!!!

This is one of my favorites! They have a great Velvet Underbrown and the Vanilla Coffee Underbrown is also really good. Food has always been hot and delish! I’m not a fan of not having a waitstaff especially when it’s busier but if its not crowded its fine. They do not currently sell growlers (disappointment).
Will I visit again?
YES

Out of food at 7 on a Saturday night WTF???
Wanted to like this place, but that ruined it. Come way early apparently.

Heavy Riff. What can one say about such a place? I’ve been going to Heavy Riff since they very first opened and I have enjoyed watching it’s evolution. To me, it will always be that neighborhood spot where I can roll through and have some beers before I head home. They always have an amazing selection of brews and play great music. I can literally hang out for hours without becoming annoyed! Its an amazing thing as this doesn’t happen often for me.
The beer selection is now primarily their own offerings. I’ve tried about 6, 7 umm maybe 9 of the 12 that they have and have not been disappointed. As a matter of point they have a full bar which not all breweries posses. This has worked out well for me in the past having people meet up here as not all can appreciate their beer (for whatever reason…). I believe they have some wine as well.
I must say, I’m impressed by the food they have now. I always did like being able to bring my own food back in the day and was dubious when I heard they were going to serve dishes of their own. Most recently I stopped through and had their smoked reuben and was completely blown away. It is probably the best reuben in the STL right now. I mean really, its f’n delicious and I dream about it. Not only that they have vegan and vegetarian options which is huge. They have house smoked seitan and tofu which you can get in sandwich or salad form. My wife had the smoked seitan sandwich and the seitan was on point. The only point of issue was that there was only some raw cabbage thrown on the sandwich as if it were an afterthought. Certainly some sort of vegan slaw could be constructed to place on top of it. Which would also and a second vegan side to the menu but I digress…
The point being is that I could go to Heavy Riff at any time of any day and be satisfied. Its just one of those classic places I treasure within our community that I will come back to over and over again. Live long and prosper, Heavy Riff.

We stopped in here after a long run through forest park. The atmosphere was great and the owner was the one serving beers, he was very friendly and good with suggestions. I think I need to go and try it again on a Friday or Saturday when the owner said it was always busy! The beers were fantastic and flavorful, the food was just ok, which is why I am giving it three stars. The menu isn’t that large, and although it is a bar, the nachos could have been better. The BBQ sauce selection was great and took the nachos flavor up a notch! I will definitely be going back before going out with friends or after going out to have some more of their beers and perhaps when I try something else from the menu I’ll edit my review. The potential here is great!

Great place, cool workers, yummy food. I’m a big fan of the half-​pint option for beer, as I often am not really in the mood for a tall glass of the stuff. The BBQ nachos with pulled pork were tasty, and all three BBQ sauces at the table (Saint Louis Blues, Pineapple Head, Kansas City) were good.
Just a heads-​up, it gets kind of hot in here when it’s crowded.

When I’m back home in St. Louis, I like to stick to what I know… Schlafly, the pubs of Soulard, and some toasted ravs & St. Louis-​style pizza to name a few. But last night on the eve of Thanksgiving, I found myself roaming Dogtown for a friend’s birthday, where Heavy Riff Brewing was our destination.
Walking into Heavy Riff for the first time, I was greeted by an unexpected punky, but classy, ambiance. The Mighty Mighty Boss Tones were blaring on the stereo, and I knew that if my high school self had been able to get into bars, he would have been jealous. Beyond the music, guitars line the back of the bar, at least the spots that are unoccupied by taps. And if you’ve been going to see live music any time in the past 40 years, you might just encounter a tour post from a show you saw back-​in-​the-​day, be it Zeppelin, Cream, or Anberlin. This place is a rockers paradise, but it’s by no means a place that attracts only the ‘tattoo crowd.‘
Atmosphere aside, you can’t have a great brewpub without great beer, and that’s where Heavy Riff truly excels. The last ounces of alt rock nostalgia can be found on craft beer list, with a play-​on-​words menu including ‘Velvet Underbrown’ and ‘Dark End of the Wheat.’ This is a place where you’ll want to get a sip of your buddy’s beer, otherwise you might feel like you’re missing out! I got the Dark End, a caramelly dark American wheat, and was thoroughly impressed with the distinct flavor. Getting to delve into the seasonal ‘Vanilla Coffee Underbrown’ was also a treat, and definitely a reason to come back for a glass of my own.
Although my time in the gateway city will be short on this visit, there is ‘No Doubt’ (pun intended) that this was right new place to check out. Rock on, Heavy Riff Brewing!