Tis the Season to Drink Fine Malt-Driven Ales

After several days of cold temperatures and a couple big holidays around the corner, many of us forgot that winter wasn’t even here yet. The winter season is now officially underway. There is no better way for beer lovers to survive cold temperatures than by downing imperial pints of malty goodness. Malt-rich beers nourish body and soul, and your friends here at the Civil Life are unabashed in our love of malt.


Somewhere back in prehistory, an anonymous hero remembered that bowl of porridge he or perhaps she left out in the rain. It looked O.K. and smelled … kind of interesting, certainly not bad. Hunger drove that soul to consume it. It provided satiety, but also a feeling of pure contentment. Naturally occurring yeasts had triggered the mysterious process of fermentation, and the first beer was “brewed.”


Naturally abundant water (generally a source of microbes if not boiled) was finally good for something besides bathing and irrigating crops. Later, hops would be used to bitter and balance a drink made from malted barley, which was somewhat sweet even after most of its natural sugars were converted to alcohol by yeast. Malted barely was and is the very heart of beer.


Here at the Civil Life, we celebrate malt in our beers, sourcing the finest traditionally malted and roasted barley and using it as the base of your favorite drink. You’ll never be served a glass of thin hop-water here. But in the cold months especially, we’ll offer you plenty of beers characterized by layered malt richness. All of the flavors you love in our beers—bread, biscuit, caramel, toffee, chocolate, and coffee—are from a variety of excellent malted grains.


The weather’s perfect for a pint of our holiday brew, Burton on Holt. Or enjoy a traditional ESB or premium bitter. Soon, our old favorite the Angel and the Sword will return (and we should have it in cans next spring). No matter which of our beers you choose this winter, you’ll be treated to layers of tasty, nourishing malt.


Wrap your Civil Life scarf around your neck and head to Tower Grove’s friendliest pub. Our warm and woody bar space is waiting. Malty beers, the most civilized regulars in town, and a variety of nourishing victuals are all you need this season. And when you can’t make it to the pub, visit many of the fine establishments in the area serving Civil Life beer.


This season, we invite you to join us in toasting how fortunate we are to have friends, family, and good beer. In good cheer and fellowship, raise a pint of ale and recall how human ingenuity turned an accident into an institution, a most civil one at that. Cheers!