Missouri’s award- winning Niche (7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, MO), the acclaimed modern Missouri fine dining restaurant from the 2015 James Beard Best Chef: Midwest winner Gerard Craft, has partnered with Schlafly Beer, the Saint Louis Brewery to create a limited release collaboration beer of the Chestnut Mild Ale. Niche’s Executive Chef Nate Hereford offers a first taste of the beer with a special Chestnut Beer Dinner on Wednesday, December 16.
After the success of last year’s release, the two acclaimed St. Louis teams worked together again to brew the seasonal beer. The Niche chefs not only helped in the brewing process, but the teams at all four of Chef Craft’s restaurants roasted and peeled the over 200 pounds of local chestnuts.
Schlafly Beer Co-founder Dan Kopman sourced the local chestnuts from the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, the national leader in developing specialty crops for alternative income sources for family farms such as black walnuts, northern pecans, chestnuts, and more. While most other chestnut beers use a powder or dried variation, the freshly roasted Missouri chestnuts add a superior flavor to the Mild Chestnut Ale.
The partnership showcases both groups’ commitment to sourcing the best quality ingredients. Schlafly utilizes only non-artificial, non-chemical ingredients for their beers, and Niche underwent a progressive initiative in 2015 to source almost 100% exclusively from Missouri, as well as a bit of Illinois and Kansas, all within 150 miles of the restaurant.
Executive Chef Nate Hereford explains, “The team at Schlafly Beer really spearheaded the craft brewing movement here in St. Louis, and we always learn so much in this process. The collaboration also inspires our team to think about local ingredients in a different way. We’re proud to highlight local chestnuts on the plate, but it’s even more gratifying to offer our guests an exclusive beer as well and know we were part of the process.”
The four-course Chestnut Mild Beer Dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. for $50 (not inclusive of the price of the beer) on Wednesday, December 16. Executive Chef Nate Hereford’s menu will feature the following:
Parsnip Soup with chestnut cake, elderberry and sage
Whetstone Farms Duck Confit with sunchokes, fig leaf, ginger and raw chestnut
Suckling Pig with wheatberries, fennel and caramelized chestnut
Chestnut Tart with brown butter gastric and apple sorbet
The Chestnut Mild Ale will be available at the Schlafly Tap Room (2100 Locust St., St. Louis, MO) and Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave., Maplewood, MO) as well as Brasserie by Niche (4580 Laclede Avenue St. Louis, MO 63108) and Pastaria (7734 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton, Missouri, 63105) and other select St. Louis restaurants for a limited time.
About Chef Gerard Craft
Chef Gerard Craft is the executive chef and owner of Niche Food Group in St. Louis, MO. Craft has been a pioneer for the Midwest dining scene with accolades such as the 2015 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, Food & Wine Best New Chef, Food & Wine Innovator of the Year, Inc. magazine Star Entrepreneur and more. Craft opened his first restaurant, Niche, in 2005 at the age of 25 in the Benton Park neighborhood of St. Louis. Niche Food Group now includes four restaurants in St. Louis: creative cocktails at Taste by Niche (4584 Laclede, St. Louis, MO 63108), French bistro fare at Brasserie by Niche (4580 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, MO 63108), as well as his flagship modern Missouri restaurant, Nicheand Italian concept, Pastaria, both located at 7734 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton, Missouri, 63105.
About Schlafly Beer: Founded in 1991 by Tom Schlafly in St. Louis, Schlafly Beer is the largest locally owned and independent craft brewery in Missouri, proudly offering more than 50 unique styles of craft beer. The celebrated brewing company continues to define craft with a dedication to sourcing the best ingredients, supporting local sustainability and community efforts whenever possible, and delivering a superior beer experience from year-round to limited-edition styles. In 2014, Schlafly Beer’s production of 60,000 barrels of beer took place between its two brewery-restaurants, Schlafly Tap Room (2100 Locust St.) in downtown St. Louis, and Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave.) located in Maplewood. The Schlafly Tap Room was the first brewpub to open in Missouri since Prohibition and is housed in a restored wood and brick building on the National Historic Register. Schlafly Bottleworks offers free weekend toursevery Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12-5 p.m. on the hour, and every half hour on Saturdays. Schlafly Tap Room offers free brewery tours every Sunday. For a full listing of Schlafly Beers and for more information on distribution, visitwww.schlafly.com. Find Schlafly Beer on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Note: The above was taken from an official press release
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