Sarah Baraba

Perennial Artisan Ales, part of the recent boom in new St. Louis craft brewers

- When Eater asked me this week to discuss what was hot right now in St. Louis, I had the answer immediately: our booming craft-beer scene.

So it's not a surprise that St. Louis is one of the finalist cities in this poll to determine "BeerCity USA 2012", which is being overseen by homebrewing guru Charlie Papazian. Voting is open through Sunday, May 13.

Page through for more tidbits.

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St. Louis is up to its ears in microbreweries. Everywhere you turn, there's a festival, tour or tap house promoting all the hops you can drink. So is all hope lost if you have the urge to brew? Luckily, even within this saturated market, drinkers and brewers alike are welcoming to brewers who are trying to step out of their garage and into your local bar.

Though new East Wind Brewing Company is facing this beer-heavy market, one factor sets them apart from the sea of breweries in their path -- they're opening in the metro east. Husband and wife Eric and Keva Lee have just signed the papers on a space in Staunton, Illinois, a one-stoplight town about 40 miles northeast of St. Louis. The Lees, along with father Harold and brother-in-law Jason McCoy, are hoping to engage those along Route 66 and distribute via taps throughout the metro east, while keeping East Wind Brewing Company all in the family.

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Erika Miller

A pint of Magners served up at The Dubliner.

With March 17 right around the corner, Gut Check's thoughts turn to pub food, leprechauns and all things green. St. Patrick's Day is a festive occasion in St. Louis, with revelers flocking to celebrate in Dogtown and area pubs. And like most holidays, one of the best parts of the day is having an excuse to enjoy a pint (or many pints) of Guinness.

Pints of the popular stout and tumblers of whiskey are Irish staples, so it's no surprise that most other Irish drinks feature one or both ingredients. To prepare you for a day of imbibing on St. Patty's Day, Gut Check has compiled a list of five Irish drinks that are sure to put a pep jig in your step.

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The 8-Bit Bar concept proudly boasts bits, beers, sprites and spirits.

Social media fuels a lot of things in this day and age, but perhaps nothing quite like the modern-day nerd. After only four or five days on Facebook, Timothy Scherer's geek bar brain child, The 8-Bit Bar, has already garnered more than 1,000 fan page "likes." Scherer, along with the help of his significant other, Claire Franke, and a team of volunteers, launched a Kickstarter project this past Friday, March 9, to make his nerd-themed drinking dream come true. After a few days into the 34-day campaign, the project has nearly 100 backers and has raised more than $5,000 of its lofty $68,000 goal.

About nine months ago, Scherer began to hatch his business plan after being inspired by an out-of-place occurrence while bartending at the International Tap House in Chesterfield. While working on a slow Sunday morning, he decided to put Star Wars on the bar's TV screens and noticed an influx in comfort and conversation.

The 8-Bit Bar plans to provide "bits, beers, sprites and spirits," including a full menu of twenty craft beers styled after Dungeons & Dragons; fifteen to twenty classic arcade cabinets; a book and board game library, and, perhaps most importantly, the option to enjoy such sci-fi shows as Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead in lieu of sporting events on the big screen.

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via Facebook

OK. Lots of stuff coming across the wire today -- including the very cool news of a local chef appearing on a new Bravo food show (more on that very soon!) -- so let's clear the decks of some more tidbits from the past few days.

- Monday's "Tidbits" mentioned two more food trucks for St. Louis' ever-growing fleet. In fact, while I was off last Friday, I missed mention from Feast of a third new food truck to be introduced soon: Feed Me Banh Mi, from two recent MBA graduates of Missouri State University.

- Craft breweries might be second only to food trucks in growth locally over the past year or so. STL Hops has word of another: Heavy Riff Brewing Company, which plans to open this summer in Dogtown.

Actual test can of "Lime-Rita".

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Screenshot: www.cicerone.org

With the ongoing boom in the craft-beer market, the once simple beer list (Bud? or Bud Light?) can seem as intimidating as the fustiest tome of Bordeaux verticals.

That's where a Cicerone -- or, if you like, a beer sommelier - can come in handy.

The Cicerone program is an independent (and trademarked, hence the capital C) service that certifies a small number of beer experts in three different levels: certified beer server, Certified Cicerone and Master Cicerone.

Local distributor Major Brands recently had three members of its staff complete the Certified Cicerone exam. Gut Check caught up with one of them, Mitch Turner, the director of training and development, to learn more about the program.

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The patio at Chuy Arzola

​- WIth Dr. Gurpreet Padda and Ami Grimes having opened Diablito's Cantina nearby, changes were sure to follow at their other Mexican restaurant, Chuy Arzola (3701 Lindell Boulevard; 314-644-4430). Chuy Arzola is now essentially a bar, with a limited menu of such drink-friendly food as nachos. In this new format, Chuy Arzola is open 5-10 p.m. Monday through and Saturday. Any doubts that Diablito's is now the focus? Chuy's number redirects you there.More >>

​The ownership meetings at the Saint Louis Brewery, maker of Schlafly beer, are about to get a lot more crowded.

Schlafly, which just last month celebrated its twentieth anniversary, announced today that a group of thirteen local investors are purchasing a 60 percent stake in the company. Cofounder and current president Tom Schlafly will retain a 20 percent stake and become the brewery's chairman, while co-founder and current COO Dan Kopman will have at least a 10 percent stake and be CEO.

Eligible employees will be able to purchase part of the remaining 10 percent stake.

Wesley Jones and John Lemkemeier, cofounders and managing partners of the local private-equity firm Sage Capital, and Spencer Finney, also of Sage, lead the investor group, which also includes Schlafly's first cousin, David Schlafly.

(h/t: Post-Dispatch beer guru Evan Benn)

Inside the Soulard Iocation of International Tap House

​- STL Hops floated the rumor and a few minutes later Evan Benn of the Post-Dispatch confirmed it: International Tap House, a.k.a. iTap, is looking to take over the former Pasta House Co. space at 313 North Euclid Avenue in the Central West End. This would be the third spot for iTap after Chesterfield and Soulard.

An attempt earlier this year to open a Brothers & Bar Grill in the same spot foundered due to neighborhood opposition.

- Also, in last week's review of St. Louis Wing Co. (9816 Manchester Road, Rock Hill; 314-962-9464), I noted the only true drawback: no beer. That's changing. Owner Bobby Tessler tells me that restaurant has received its liquor license and will be serving beer -- Anheuser-Busch products, in bottles -- as early as this weekend.