Schlafly Bottleworks

Schlafly Bottleworks makes sustainability part of their business plan, incorporating ideas of environmental stewardship in everything from chemical use (they use Better Life products wherever they can) to food sourcing (they get almost everything locally during the growing season). They even have a solar farm on their roof and an urban farm on their property!

The animal products Schlafly uses in their food come from local, pasture raised animals, lowering the carbon footprint of meat consumption and supporting the local economy. They offer plenty of delicious vegan and vegetarian options for non-meat eaters, including a black bean burger, vegan chili, and tofu tikki masala. Even the coffee and tea they serve comes from Fair Trade and Direct Trade sources. Of course, most people come for the beer, which is brewed onsite and is the pride of St. Louis.

Their urban farm is impressive – the parking lot-turned-foodscape provides all of the tomatoes for the restaurant during the growing season, as well as greens, herbs, and more. Their farmer’s market goes year-round, providing local vendors an opportunity to sell their produce, cheese, meat, and more to residents. The market even takes SNAP and Double Up Bucks, allowing low income residents an opportunity to get fresh, local, healthy fruit and vegetables. Landscaping for the brewery and restaurant includes native plants to attract pollinators to their garden, providing habitat for migratory animals like butterflies.

The spent grain, leftover from the brewing process, is given to local farmers to use as animal feed, preventing organic material from going to the landfill. They compost  kitchen scraps in their garden and customer scraps (the little that’s left) with Total Organics.

Schlafly Bottleworks is a participant in GiftAMeal, a program that markets restaurants while feeding the hungry in St. Louis. On the GiftAMeal app, each time someone takes a photo at a partner restaurant, a meal is provided to someone in need through Operation Food Search.

Schlafly Bottleworks is an institution of Maplewood’s walkable, bikeable, collaborative and fun Green Dining District.  It’s a beautiful and unique dining and drinking experience, and an excellent place to take visiting friends and relatives to show off one of STL’s finest breweries.