Schlafly creates suds-inspired hotel rooms for its annual HOP in the City fest in St. Louis

Beer is a place. Beer is a culture, a city and a people. Brainy brands understand how to embrace backstories of community with their products. The best beers can even create destinations — places to visit like a smoke-filled, beer-soaked rock concert a la SweetWater Brewing Co.’s 420 Fest, a pilgrimage locale like Vermont’s venerated Hill Farmstead Brewery or a whale hunt like 3 Floyds Brewing Co.’s Dark Lord Day. Experiencing a beer at the actual brewery and/or at one of the brewery’s classic events brings the customer that much closer to your brand essence.

Schlafly Beer knows this. The famed craft brand from The Saint Louis Brewery draws thousands of visitors to its HOP in the City festival every year to experience the spirit that is Schlafly. It brews more than 50 different beer styles at the beer bash, matched with great eats, live music and unlimited beer samples. Schlafly even creates cool custom hotel packages to take the experience of visiting the fest to new levels of luxury.

This fall, the largest locally owned and independent craft brewery in St. Louis partnered with St. Louis-based hospitality leader Lodging Hospitality Management (LHM) to create suds-inspired rooms in conjunction with the HOP in the City fest at two of the group’s hotel properties — St. Louis Union Station Hotel by DoubleTree and The Cheshire. With features from brews chilling in the sink to beer-scented soap, the specialty suites are available for the festival on Saturday, Sept. 17. Package rates start at $175, a more than $500 value.

Wait, there’s lots more (including a robe!)

It’s not just beer. It’s classy cuisine and rad swag too. Guests will be greeted by beer and food pairings from Cheshire’s Executive Chef Rex Hale, like smoked pork ribs with gochujang, pickled radish and local berries paired with Schlafly Expo IPA, an exclusive release in St. Louis. The suites also include beer books for bedside reading, Schlafly swag for attending the HOP in the City festival, a growler of the exclusive HOP in the City beer, bottled beers on ice in the sink, a Schlafly robe and more. Schlafly also worked with sammysoap, a St. Louis company, to offer handmade beer-scented soaps based on Schlafly’s beer styles. The company creates all-natural, small batch soap bars and supports employment of adults with disabilities.

According to the press release:

“There’s something beer-related everywhere you turn in the rooms,” said Schlafly’s Ambasador Brewer Stephen Hale. “We wanted to encourage travelers to make St. Louis a destination for HOP in the City, and there’s no greater way to do that than partner with LHM’s hotels.”

The HOP hotel rooms include the following amenities:

• Overnight accommodations (20% discount rate)
• Beer and food pairings in-room
• Decorative hops adorning the bed
• Schlafly’s Keg Growler filled with the HOP in the City Festival Beer + two Schlafly pints
• Bottle opener keychain and “knucks” bottle opener
• Two pairs of sunglasses
• A copy of Tom Schlafly’s book, A New Religion in Mecca: Memoir of a Renegade Brewery in St. Louis
• Two Schlafly t-shirts
• Six-pack of Schlafly Beer, chilled in ice in the hotel sink
• Vinyl of one of the HOP in the City featured bands
• Spotify playlist of the HOP in the City bands for the in-room iPhone deck
• HOP in the City commemorative poster
• Schlafly Beer-scented soap from Sammy’s Soaps
• Schlafly robe
• 2 tickets to HOP in the City
• 2 Nalgene water bottles to rehydrate the following day
• $50 gift certificate for brunch at Schlafly Bottleworks for Sunday morning

The HOP Hotel Rooms at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel can be booked here for a rate of $314 and The Cheshire here for a rate of $175. General admission tickets for HOP in the City go on sale on Monday, Aug. 1 at www.schlafly.com/HOP for $30 per person.