Piney River Brewing Company has partnered with Craft Republic in St. Louis to get beer flowing from the Ozarks farm brewery all the way to the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers in St. Louis city, county, and surrounding counties.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to send our award-winning beers to the largest beer-drinking population in our great state,” Brian Durham, head brewer, co-founder and co-owner at Piney River Brewing, said.
Durham and his wife, Joleen, founded the brewery in 2010 with a small, one-third barrel brewing system on their 160-acre farm in South Central Missouri. The tap room and a portion of brewing operations are in a restored 75-year-old barn. The Durham’s brew today in a modern 12,000 square foot barn with a 15-barrel brewhouse with distribution across most of Missouri and Arkansas.
“Our vision has always been to brew excellent handcrafted beer that celebrates the Ozarks,” Joleen Durham said, “And we want to share that beer in places where others can enjoy the opportunity to ‘taste the Ozarks’ with every Piney River beer.”
Some of the year round beers available in 12-ounce cans from Piney River Brewing Co.
The flagship beer at Piney River Brewing Company is Black Walnut Ale and features wild, hand harvested black walnuts. Because Black Walnut Ale features Missouri grown black walnuts and Ozark well water, the Durham’s believe the beer represents two of the great native things to be found in the state.
“The water we use to brew our beer makes our beer extremely unique, and we also seek to highlight the Ozarks with our beers,” Brian Durham said.
In addition to the Black Walnut Ale, Piney River Brewing has year-round beers such as Bronzeback Pale Ale and Old Tom Porter that pay homage to the smallmouth bass and wild turkey abundant in the Ozarks. Float Trip Ale, Big Piney River IPA, and Current Situation IPA are a hat tip to float trips and the well-known rivers in the Ozarks where one might enjoy a float trip.
On the Piney River farm, the Durham’s use part of the old barn and original brewery location to make mixed fermentation beers using foeders made of Missouri oak and some wine barrels. The mixed fermentation beers are very limited production but also feature fresh fruit such as peaches, blackberries, and cherries.
Andy’s Root Beer, a non-alcoholic craft soda, was started by the Durham’s son, Andy, when he was about 6-years old with a desire to also “brew” something with his parents. The brewery began canning the root beer for distribution, and sales from the root beer are Andy’s college fund as a high school senior with aspirations for a career as a physicist.
The BARn and main brewery on the Piney River Farm in Bucyrus.
The Durham family knows that many St. Louis area residents will enjoy being able to pick up a six-pack of Piney River’s canned craft beverages closer to home. Joleen Durham noted that the Ozarks are the “playground” of many people in the St. Louis region, and the brewery has received many requests for regular distribution of the brewery’s brands in St. Louis and the surrounding area.
“We have friends and regular visitors in our taproom that call St. Louis home, but they also regularly come to our area because they have a small farm or a cabin on one of our rivers,” Joleen Durham said. “Many people in the St. Louis area appreciate the Ozarks, and they want to enjoy part of the Ozarks even when they can’t be there.”
Craft Republic will begin distributing Piney River Brewing in St. Lous City and County and St. Charles, Franklin, and Jefferson counties next week.
“Brian and Joleen have created an award-winning brewery in a beautiful destination setting in the Ozarks,” Brian Dix, president of Craft Republic, said. “We are thrilled to bring the Piney River Brewing products to the St. Louis metro area and know it will be an amazing partnership.”
Dix and his team are taking orders for Piney River Brewing products this week.
“We have known Brian Dix for many years, and we have watched his company grow,” Brian Durham said. “We are looking forward to working with the Craft Republic team, and we believe our brands will be in good hands that will provide good service to the retailers that want to carry our products.”
Inside the BARn tasting room at Piney River Brewing Co.
Piney River Brewing has received numerous awards for beers including two World Beer Cup awards, a Great American Beer Festival award, and US Open Beer Championship awards for beers and Andy’s Root Beer. The BARn tasting room is open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and the 160-acre beef cattle farm also has a nearly 100-year-old farmhouse that has been renovated for guests to rent out for the complete “Piney River Experience”.
