Jackson Street BrewCo in Perryville offers custom house-brewed beers and oven-fired pizza

Carisa Stark and Matt Ruesler are passionate about beer. Together, they own the Jackson Street BrewCo, located at 106 N. Jackson St. in downtown Perryville, Missouri. They opened the brewery in 2016, but Stark was already in business downtown.

"When I moved to town in 2013, there were 13 storefronts that were empty in downtown Perryville," Stark says. "I saw an opportunity to open up a great restaurant. Now there are no empty storefronts, and we occupy three of those storefronts with Mary Jane Burgers & Brew, our party room and Jackson Street BrewCo."

Ruesler worked for Stark as executive chef at Mary Jane Burgers & Brew, and had been a longtime home beer brewer. Though the restaurant doesn't serve the beer brewed by Jackson Street BrewCo -- the two are separate entities -- it's a quick walk over to the Tap Room to sample their craft beer.

"I always wanted to brew our own beer. Instead of opening a brewery inside Mary Jane Burgers & Brew, we went into the building next to us and opened a brewery together," Stark says.

Jackson Street BrewCo specializes in regional craft beer.

The wood fire stove at Jackson Street Brewco Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 in Perryville. Jackson Street Brewco offers wood fired pizza, appetizers, eight taps and 32 styles of beer they rotate.Andrew J. Whitaker

"It's always about brewing a good craft beer for people to enjoy, so we want to get as wide a variety as we can," Ruesler says. "When people come in, there is always something different on tap, and maybe something they haven't seen around. We try to keep things fresh and different."

They serve only beer on tap in the Tap Room, and it is, for the most part, brewed in small batches of 10 to 31 gallons. Ruesler says within the next year they plan to sell some select bottle brews from the Tap Room.

Stark says the Tap Room is busy every day it's open -- it's closed Monday and Tuesday -- and it's not just locals who frequent the place.

"The brewery is a destination brewery," she says. "We are seeing travelers from a large radius all around Missouri and Illinois, because craft beer is so popular right now."

Ruesler says he believes craft beers are popular because beer lovers are looking for something new.

A variety of growlers and beer related books are seen at Jackson Street Brewco Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 in Perryville. Jackson Street Brewco offers wood fired pizza, appetizers, eight taps and 32 styles of beer they rotate.Andrew J. Whitaker

"I think it's because it goes against the path already walked," Ruesler says. "People are looking for diversity within the beer that they drink. They are looking for opportunities to try new things, and to expand their palates and to see what else is out there."

They usually have about eight different varieties of beer on tap.

"Our tried and true recipes that we brew on a regular basis, they are our flagship beers and we brew those in larger batches," he says.

Some of those mainstays include a honey kølsch (a German-style hybrid beer, made with local honey), an altbier (also a German-style beer) and a pepper pale ale, made with poblano peppers roasted in a wood-fired oven.

"Those are hard to keep around," Ruesler says. "We also do several English-style beers, some Belgian-style beers and a ton of American-style beers, from brown ales to IPAs. Complete honesty -- it's more to the whim of what me and my other brewer want to brew."

A view inside Jackson Street Brewco Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 in Perryville. Jackson Street Brewco offers wood fired pizza, appetizers, eight taps and 32 styles of beer they rotate.Andrew J. Whitaker

He says there are some pretty unique brews, like "Squash Hoarder," which he calls an "anti-pumpkin" beer they offer in October and November, and an Imperial Coffee Stout, which is brewed using coffee from a local company.

"It's like drinking a shot of espresso," Ruesler says.

Many of the customers are young professionals, but they have a wide variety of customers -- all 21 and older, of course.

"We get older customers to younger adults, 21 or 22, who are looking to dive into craft beers and learn," he says.

Where there's beer, there's usually pizza. At Jackson Street BrewCo, it's made with toasty crust using the wood-fired oven. They also offer snacks, a few sandwiches and small plates, but make no mistake, the emphasis is on the brewskis.

ANDREW J. WHITAKER ~ awhitaker@semissourian.com Brewmaster John Sadler pours a beer at Jackson Street Brewco Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 in Perryville. Jackson Street Brewco offers wood fired pizza, appetizers, eight taps and 32 styles of beer they rotate.

The brewery holds some engaging events, like trivia on the first Wednesday of every month.

"That's really fun, and we do live music every Thursday, as well," Stark says.

Information about what bands are playing is posted on the Jackson Street BrewCo Facebook page and on the website, www.jstreetbrewco.com.

Plans for the future include an outdoor expansion.

"We're building a patio, so we can have a beer garden," Stark says.

A view of the brew kettles at Jackson Street Brewco Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 in Perryville. Jackson Street Brewco offers wood fired pizza, appetizers, eight taps and 32 styles of beer they rotate.Andrew J. Whitaker

The Tap Room is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m. A 15-ounce pour runs $4 to $6.50, with the average being $5 to $5.50. High alcohol content beers are at the top end of the price range.

"We want people to get to know us and come try our beer. Come see us and see what we're doing" Ruesler says. "We kind of do things a little different than everyone else, but with some familiarity that other breweries do as well."