USA, MO: Senn Bierwerks scheduled to open in St. Louis next year

Former brewers at Morgan Street Brewery are investing $2 million to open their own St. Louis brewery in 2017, St. Louis Business Journal reported on March 17.

Senn Bierwerks will consist of a 20-barrel production facility, tasting room and beer garden, and will distribute ales and lagers in four-packs of 16 ounce cans, according to President Dustin Chalfant, who founded the brewery with his wife, Kristen Chalfant, and James Hellmuth. They’re investing “a little north of $2 million,” Dustin Chalfant said, to get Senn up and running.

No location has been announced yet, but Chalfant said he’s confident the company has a location where it will lease and possibly partly own. Senn expects to announce its location in six weeks, he said. Senn Bierwerks will have a staff of seven or eight.

Hellmuth and Chalfant are Morgan Street Brewery alums. Chalfant worked there for four years, serving as head brewmaster and director of operations. He left Morgan Street in April to start a consulting firm, working with Six Mile Bridge Beer and local distributor Artisans Celler. Hellmuth left Sun King Brewing in Indianapolis to start Senn Bierwerks with the Chalfants.

With dozens of other craft breweries in St. Louis, Chalfant said Senn Bierwerks’ fun, community-driven environment and quality of beer will make it stand out. He and Hellmuth have about 35 international accreditations in brewing in addition to their combined 20 years’ experience, he said.

Beer is in Chalfant’s roots. His mother’s family consists of longtime brewers and his fourth great-uncle emigrated from Germany and opened his own brewery, Senn and Ackerman Brewing Co., in Kentucky in 1877.

18 March, 2016