USA, MO: Old Bridgeview Brewing to open in a few weeks in Washington, MO

The St. Louis area's newest brewery, Old Bridgeview Brewing, is hoping to change the beer game with its community focus when it opens in a few weeks at 16 East Front St. in Washington, Missouri, the Sauce Magazine reported on December 17.

“The historic downtown Washington group wanted to help us find a location, and we ended up meeting Ed and Linda Mroz, the owners of this building, and we really hit it off with them,” said co-owner Tony Willson, who has about 20 years of homebrewing experience and also had the opportunity to work (for fun) alongside Dave Johnson of Missouri Beer Co. and Steve and Libby Crider of 2nd Shift Brewing. “We have great views of the river, and these great big garage doors so we can open up our inside to the outside. It's a really cool spot. You used to be able to see the old Hwy. 47 bridge, but they tore it down last summer while we were planning for the brewery.”

Unlike a traditional co-op where contributors put money into the business in exchange for their products to be sold, Old Bridgeview will pay homebrewers for their beer while providing opportunities to “community brewers that just wouldn't have the opportunity to open breweries on their own,” according to Willson. “We wanted to be able to showcase some of the phenomenal brewers that we've met over the years.”

The brewery will feature a total of 20 taps once it’s in full operation. Ten taps will offer Old Bridgeview’s products, ranging from pale ales and IPAs to stouts and saisons, while five homebrewers will be featured on a tap each. The other five will have options like oolong ice tea, kombucha, hard seltzer and more.

Tilted Skillet 2, a smaller version of popular Washington restaurant Tilted Skillet, will make the food, but the items – from smash burgers to wings and other typical bar food – will be different from the original restaurant’s menu. “It’s our favorite restaurant of all time,” he said. “We went after the owner Tom [Kent] aggressively to put a kitchen in; he’s a huge beer, bourbon and food connoisseur.” The plan is for Willson to “give him a list of things [he] wants to brew and Tom would develop food [pairings] around that.”

The 3,000-square-foot brewery will offer a bright, clean and industrial vibe. “It’s not your average dark corner bar,” Willson said.

The official opening is currently pending permit approval.

17 December, 2020