Urban Chestnut’s Urban Research Brewery (The U.R.B.) NOW OPEN!

It’s a holiday miracle! Urban Chestnut’s much anticipated Urban Research Brewery (U.R.B.) is open for business! Beginning TODAY, Wednesday, December 14th, at 5pm until 8pm, The U.R.B. will begin conducting “consumer-driven” beer research. What exactly does that mean? After all, this is a novel concept for us in the Lou. Well, for $1, you can purchase three to four, (2) ounce samples of small, test batch beer and evaluate the beers via their smart device by interacting with Urban Chestnut’s proprietary digital survey system. The consumer feedback will then be used to directly influence UCBC’s largescale production. That’s right, you get unreleased beer and get to say whether it should make it to market or not.

Every week we conduct taste panels at the Grove Brewery where we sample existing beers, new beers, and explore new flavors. However, that panel is limited to a few employees. With The U.R.B. we’ll have access to essentially a limitless panel of tasters, who will all be uniquely sensitive to different aspects of beer. - Co-Founder, David Wolfe.

While all of that is quite exciting, it isn’t just about audience participation. The U.R.B. will also be home to a small, pilot brewery that Urban Chestnut’s brewers will use to brew its test/experimental batches of beer. The plan is to brew anything & everything at The U.R.B., where UCBC Brewers will have access and expectations to experiment with new hop varieties, malt types, fermentation techniques, fruit & spice additions, and combinations of all of the aforementioned. The 2 bbl brewing system, designed by Hölzl Brautechnik in Austria, provides UCBC brewers with a platform for learning and innovation without limits.

The 2-bbl pilot brewery is set up similarly to our other three breweries, so it gives us the flexibility to replicate our current processes & recipes. It also provides us with the capability to easily scale up a recipe for production on our larger brewing systems, when we land on a winner (new beer). - CoFounder/Brewmaster, Florian Kuplent.

If you’re like us, you’ll see this as one of the biggest jumps in innovation in the STL beer scene. Beer connoisseurs and casual enthusiasts alike can enjoy test flights and full pours of other select Urban Chestnut beers at The U.R.B., currently open Wednesday through Saturday from 5-8 p.m. There’s also a pizzeria side of The U.R.B. as well, and you’re welcome to take you beer with you to enjoy the test beers along with a slice of old-world, New York-style pizza. That pizzeria is open daily from noon to 8 p.m.

The U.R.B is located across the street from Urban Chestnut Brewing at 4501 Manchester Ave. in The Grove.

Get ready, gang. We’re in for some fun!

Cheers!