News Nearby: New Brew Pub to Open in Dogtown

Two brothers have pooled their talents, and are working to open Heavy Riff Brewing Company, at 6413 Clayton Avenue in Dogtown. The 4,000 square foot brew pub is east of the Hi-Pointe Theatre in an old grocery store.

Jerid Safell, 31, worked for eight years for St. Louis University in medical purchasing. In the brewing business, he’s worked for six breweries and been head brewer, but didn't like someone telling him what to brew, and he didn't like that when he left he couldn't take his recipes with him.

His brother Justin, 28, also had a corporate job. He brews too, but his talent is in running the business. He's a councilman in St. John, where they both live.

“We started drinking beers one night, and said, why don’t we create an environment where we can both make a living?" Jerid said. "(Justin) won’t have to answer to anybody, and I can make the beer I want to make.”

Heavy Riff Brewing Company should be open by St. Patrick’s Day, when Dogtown will be packed with thirsty folks.

Justin said Heavy Riff combines two of their loves: beer and music.

“We don’t play music, but we appreciate it,” he said. “We’re going to have guitars hanging around the bar, and a lot of cool old concert posters,” he said. They also plan on a small stage for performers. They'll carry locally-made pizza, and won't mind if folks bring in their own food.

"We’ve been taking beer to festivals, we’ve already won our first trophy," Jerid said. "Best beer at the Augusta Bottoms Beer Festival. We have over a 1,000 people following us (on Facebook and Twitter) and we haven’t even opened our doors yet."

Jerid ran down some of their beers.

• American pale ale, called American Slang, brewed with orange peel and honey.
• Oatmeal stout, with hand toasted oats along with some dehusked carafe chocolate malt.
• Everything from classic 3 ½ percent session beers all the way up to 13-14 percent imperial stouts and barley wines.
• A lot of Belgian Beers. We’re a big fan of barrel aging. We’ll get used brandy barrels, bourbon barrels, unused oak barrels and age beer in them, sometimes with fruit and bacterial yeast that will make the beer sour.
• A hoppy blonde ale in the summertime.
• Five gas taps at all times. One will always be a good cider, that we make. One will always be a lightish beer. We’ll always put good beers on tap from around the world.