Right Proper and Schlafly Plissken

Where in Town: Right Proper Brewing Company, 624 T St. NW

Price: $6/12 oz.

Snake’s On a Grain

Film director John Carpenter famously shot his 1981 post-apocalyptic action flick Escape From New York in St. Louis. In it, we see Kurt Russell (aka “Snake Plissken”) running down streets that resemble Berlin in 1945: crumbling and lined with burned-out, abandoned buildings. The kicker, of course, is that Carpenter captured St. Louis exactly as it was, no special effects required. One of the structures featured in the film stood empty for decades, until 1991, when Schlafly Tap Room moved in as a beacon for change. Last April, when Schlafly’s brewers attended the Repeal of Prohibition Festival in D.C., they befriended their counterparts from Right Proper. Soon enough, there was talk of collaboration, and now, we have the result: Plissken, affectionately named for the one-eyed badass.

Apocalypse Wow

Plissken, a 4.6 percent alcohol farmhouse pale ale, was brewed in April and released during SAVOR week earlier this month. While Schlafly is known for a creative, expert use of hops, Right Proper has gained fame for its flavorful use of yeast—a forensic beerologist would find both sets of fingerprints all over Plissken. The beer, brewed with a Saison yeast and Galaxy and Lublin hops, is medium-bodied and lightly carbonated. A sniff suggests peach, tangerine, and hay, while Plissken’s flavor is akin to a citrus scone: sweet pastry with a mix of juicy and tart fruit. Wheat and flaked oats provide a creamy, cloudlike texture that is nothing less than heavenly. Sound good? The beer is now pouring, but only at the Schlafly Tap Room in St. Louis and Right Proper in Shaw. It’s well worth a trip and a tipple, but you’d better hurry—it’s going fast.

Photo by Tammy Tuck