Cozy taproom Little Lager to open soon in Princeton Heights

The exterior of Little Lager, located on Hampton Avenue in Princeton Heights.

At just 480 square feet, Little Lager – opening early fall in Princeton Heights – will be one of St. Louis' smallest bars. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in vision. "Rather than feel like a traditional beer bar, we strive to feel more like a café or cocktail bar," owner Manny Negron says. In other words, he's focused on the fine details: Take the shop's LUKR beer tower, for instance, which sports side-pull faucets. These specialty Czech taps work best for creating that perfect, fluffy head Czech Pilsners are known for. Unlike the tall draft handles seen in most bars, which utilize a pull forward, push back movement, each twist of the side-pull faucet must be precise.

Little Lager's LUKR draft tower.

Negron has had some time to develop this vision. He's been working in beer for nearly a decade, both in St. Louis and in other parts of the country. He's graced the likes of Wellspent Brewery and Old Bakery Beer Co., plus he was general manager at Craft Beer Cellar and a bartender and draft technician at Modern Brewery. Recently, he saw the chance to strike out on his own. "I've always wanted to open my own space," Negron says. "It allows me to be creative and pull together everything I've learned from working in the industry. I love the feel of a small business, and I look forward to being part of the community in a more impactful way."

Little Lager will tap lagers from all over the world – "everywhere local, domestic and international," Negron says – and carry canned brews and wines as well. The lineup will rotate constantly, but all beers will either be lagers (American Lager, Pilsner, Dunkel, etc.) – or "lager-adjacent" beers like Kölsch, Cold IPA, California Common "steam beer," Altbier and others. A few of Negron's current local favorites include Modern Brewery's Kings Oak Pilsner, Civil Life Brewing's Vienna Lager and Logboat Brewing Co.'s Bobber Lager from Columbia, Missouri. Negron notes he doesn't mind a Miller High Life every now and then, either.

An interior wall with memorabilia at Little Lager.

And as is somewhat typical of opening any establishment serving alcohol, the process of obtaining a liquor license for the spot has been arduous: "It forces you to either take personal attention away from your business or hire a professional to handle the process with no guarantee of success," Negron explains. Soon, though, Little Lager will be open from 3 to 11 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday; it has seats for 16 people so far, with room to add more.

If one thing's for sure, it's that anticipation for Little Lager's opening day has been building and building in South City. "Between the many South City neighborhoods and the St. Louis craft beer community in general, Little Lager has had nothing but well-wishers and an overall eagerness for opening day," Negron says. "[We're planning] a lot of events and proprietary beers. Communicating with local breweries to plan these things shines an optimistic light on the future but also inspires me to open an amazing spot." He adds: "If you haven't tried our first collab beer [with Modern Brewery], Kölsch Counts, you should! It's really good!"

Kölsch Counts, Little Lager's first collaboration beer with Modern Brewery.

Today, August 3, from 3 to 10 p.m., Little Lager is collaborating with Millpond Brewing on a "3 Pours" experience, where you can try Millpond's Czech Your Head Pilsner. Check out Little Lager on Instagram for updates and more information.

Little Lager, 5848 Hampton Ave., Princeton Heights, St. Louis, Missouri, 314-760-9481, littlelager.com

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