Cheers to beer: St. Louis exhibit shows the history of beer and breweries

ST. LOUIS — Budweiser may seem like a staple beer in St. Louis, but it hasn't always been that way.

"From Kettle to Keg" is an exhibit at the Missouri Historical Museum in St. Louis that showcases the history of St. Louis beer from 1809 to 1909. Western Brewery was founded in 1840 and produced the famous Lemp beer until Prohibition.

From the first beer brewed in 1809, the exhibition tries to showcase a positive image of beer in the city before Prohibition, said Sharon Smith, Bascom curator at the Missouri Historical Museum. This includes information about the underground cave system, which provided a form of refrigeration.

It also has authentic kegs and information on keg makers. Also on display is an aerial map, which shows the breweries along the Mississippi River and details the 11,000 saloons that were serving beer to around 490,000 people by 1875.

The exhibit is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Tuesdays. It continues until Jan. 4, 2009. For more information, call 314-746-4599.