Civil Life Brewing Company

10/21/2026

US OPEN CUP FINAL IS TONIGHT! Wednesday, October 21! Come see us at the ole pub and support the lads as they take on Columbus!!

10/21/2026

Huge Wagyu Wednesday Bonus as St. Louis City SC takes on Columbus tonight at 7 pm for the final of the US OPEN Cup! Come watch them here and eat Wagyu Burgers!

10/14/2026

You know the drill. Come see us on Wednesday and have a Wagyu Burger and add that ole pint of CL for $5! $19 gets you both and that surely is one of the best deals in town. Cheers!

10/12/2026

I hope you will give this Craft B**r and Brewing Magazine Craft B**r and Brewing a solid read as Dylan plays a big role in the article and rightfully so.

One of the keys to our (sort of) success has been our brewing team led by Dylan. Dylan, Mike and I founded the Ole Civil Life 15 years ago and the fact they are still making the b**r here is a big reason, we still get to do what we do. I often tell people, it's rare these days for the same people to be making the b**r you love the same way for 15+ years now.

The craft b**r market is going through some "right sizing" changes and I'll be honest when I say that as much as we love the American Brown, it also presents some unique scenarios. First of all, Brown as a category of all b**r sales is under 2% of total b**r sales. Now we do exceptionally well in that category but it is still a small fraction of overall b**r sales. Second, in a majority of pubs/restaurants you are likely to get one tap handle if you are lucky (Thank you to those that carry us!) and therefore due to American Brown's popularity a lot of people do not get exposed to the wide range of solid b**rs the brewing team (Dylan, Mike, Dustin and Dave) put out.

Many people are surprised to learn that we produced a lot more b**r in 2019 than we do today. Oddly in 2019, we only had draft available in the market and today we sell a large amount less (-700 Barrels = 1400 1/2 bbl kegs) and it's split between both draft and cans now. Somehow we continue to push on but as most brewers say these days, "It isn't pretty." Distributors don't care that we are "local" as they care simply about a number on a spreadsheet. An increasing number and it stays, a decreasing number and it goes. Quality of product does not factor in to their calculus. Ease of sale with little work on their part is the sweet spot of success. Sure we wonder what that tastes like these days, At least, we do know what great b**r taste likes.

I kindly ask that if you believe in us, please continue to ask for us when you are at your favorite pub or restaurant. And when you see a Civil Life b**r on tap, please it means the world to us if you would have one or two.

We'll keep pushing on here and keeping our standards high. We don't know another way to do business. We all believe in this place and very much appreciate your continued support.

Come see us at the ole pub when you can. Invite your pals down for a pint and some food, put away those zombie making hard-sell phones and let's have a chat at the pub. You'll be glad you did.

And don't worry, the Civil Life is like those dinosaurs in Giraffic Park. We'll find a way well as long as you are by our side.

Easy to drink and simple to brew yet complex in flavor, American brown ales reward the newcomer as well as the old hand.

10/09/2026

SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY 10/11 Please come to our 3rd Annual Wurst Party! We operate on this menu only for the day but it has been a huge hit the last three years.

It's the Wurst Party you have ever been too and people love it!

10/07/2026

COME TO THE 3RD ANNUAL WURST PARTY THIS SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY OCT 11

It's been a huge hit the last two years and it's a good reminder that once the Wurst Party Happens you know Soup Sundays are around the corner!

Soup Sundays Start Sunday, November 1st!

10/07/2026

It's Wednesday, and if it's Wednesday it's Wagyu Wednesday!!!

Come see us! Enjoy our expansive patio and have some fun at the ole Civil Life.

Cheers!

09/30/2026

Thank you for coming out to celebrate our 15th Anniversary "Parade" celebration and for believing in the Civil Life! People are always shocked when I tell them we actually sell about 700 bbls less of b**r than we did in 2019 but we somehow are still finding a way to exist and sometimes we even thrive! And it's because of you and our incredible staff that makes the b**r, serves the b**r and prepares the great food we put out! Thank you for all of you that continue to ask for (when you don't see it) and buy (when you do) the Civil Life when you are at your favorite pub or restaurant! It's a crazy competitive market and this means the world to us.

As soon as the "parade" was over, I told myself, that the 2nd Civil Life Parade was the last Civil Life "Parade"! If you have attended our Anniversary Party in the past you know that it is a skit driven event and I don't think I could write a more fun and completely exhausting play. It's never rehearsed (pretty obvious) and it's always written the week of the event. This one was written Wednesday and re-written Friday and by Saturday morning there are always jokes added as I do my final before show review. By the end of it, I truly hope the memory stays with you long enough that you remember the Civil Life when you need a place to go or b**r to drink or food to eat. Looking back at the pictures and seeing all of you smile, will always be the fuel I need to keep this place going.

As the owner of the Civil Life, I wear a lot of hats or costumes, as you will see in the below parade and Tyler Small's ability to capture it is second to none. Bill Streeter is working on video for it as well. A huge heartfelt thanks to Tyler Small for the incredible photos of the parade and events on Saturday! You can find him on instagram (tylersmall314). Please hit him up for any big event you are having!! I am so honored to also call him a friend as our daughters have been good friends for quite some time being in both day care and grade school together and our paths cross at St. Louis' best event Northside Community Housing's Trap Run!

The Civil Life Anniversary Party skit is always written a few days prior but some planning does have to happen early. In true, Jake (me) fashion, typically the whole play gets written on Wednesday or Thursday of the week of the event and then completely re-written on Friday and sometimes even Saturday morning. There were several jokes "Burton on Holt" that were added the morning of during my final review. It's an exhausting and rewarding process, kind of like running the Civil Life.

I dedicated the parade to my friend Mike Hines and I'll leave you with this from one of my spoken parts.

"I want to dedicate today’s parade to my friend Mike Hines, who passed away a few days ago. Mike was as fine of a man that has ever lived. There is a pint in the pub for him today, his name is spelled in scrabble letters where he sat and filled out NY TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLES. Mike NEVER missed an anniversary party and he so believed in the Civil Life. He’s glad you do too. "

Drink Civil Life B**r and love each other. Thank you for your support!

Photo collection by SMALL Productions

09/30/2026

It's Wednesday, you know what to do! Come see us. Eat tasty Wagyu burgers!

Thank you to everyone that made it out to our Anniversary party and our "parade"!

09/27/2026

It is with a much open heart we say thank you to all that made it out to our 15th Anniversary Parade. It’s a long road for small businesses these days and somehow we keep finding a way. We know the reason why and it’s because of all of you that believe in us. Thank you! We are closed Sunday Sep 27th to rest and regroup and chart our course for the next 15 yrs!