Hard Rockers Inimical Drive Give a Frothy Rundown of their Top 10 Beers

Inimical Drive is a St. Louis group dispensing a tough-as-nails diet of metal, metalcore, and hard rock, and sloshing it all down with some premium brews. The quintet shreds, and beats the hell out of their bass drum, while vocalist Joel Colby hops between guttural screaming and soaring melodics, taking audiences on an electric ride that does not for even one-millisecond lack energy. The band’s expert pacing makes for easy listening – assuming your headbanging abilities are on point – as songs naturally ebb and flow, most markedly in the vocal styles, and everything flows pours extremely well…which brings us to the next point.

After grinding pummelling metal for 18 years, Inimical Drive has some experience with beer; I mean, it’s basically in their name. These guys know their way around a keg, flat, 40oz…whatever. There’s even a beer named after their latest EP, Enemy, which recently dropped on August 21st. Fittingly, with new benchmarks to celebrate – musically and hoptastically – Joel and the boys are joining us for lip-smacking Top 10 as they run down their favourite brews. Overflowing with entries from Missouri and Illinois, Inimical Drive helps listeners everywhere expand their palettes with some standouts from the American Midwest.

10. American Standard Lager – Stag Beer – Belleville, IL (originally)

“If this list was by consumption alone and less of the craft list… Stag may take the cake. Your standard go-to golden brew has made a comeback in the area and has our hearts as the ones “holding down the second fridge,” as they say!”

9. Northern English Brown Ale – Hopskeller Brewing – Waterloo, IL

“Flavorful dark beer with roasted coffee, chocolate, toffee, and caramel notes. The excellent combination of flavors make it a great dark ale.”

8. American Brown Ale – Civil Life Brewing – St. Louis, MO

“A great tasting brown with some coffee and cocoa notes. Sometimes a roasty, almost ‘nutty’ flavor. A lighter drinking, darker ale.”

7. Incarnation – 4 Hands Brewing – St. Louis, MO

“Mosaic hopped IPA and it is delicious. Sharp tones and a little heavier finish make this a strong favorite in the IPA game.”

6. Vanilla Cream Ale – Exit 6 Brewery – Cottleville, MO

“This took us by surprise! Tons of flavor but without the heavy. One of the brewery’s best selling beers. Surprisingly light and just damn delicious! Would definitely say that its (positive) element of surprise is good reason for its popularity. Vanilla Cream it is!”

5. Let’s Go Blues! – Stubborn German Brewing – Waterloo, IL

“Coffee blueberry wheat beer. Nice smooth wheat with just enough coffee and blueberry flavor for some kick. Again, not overpowering. Even non-coffee drinkers have enjoyed this one.”

4. Divided Sky Rye IPA – 4 Hands Brewing – St. Louis, MO

“A spicier Rye than most. Floral notes with the bite from pepper along with the rye give it an extra spicy finish. Can’t say I’ve had anything close to this flavor in a Rye.”

3. Absence of Light Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout – 4 Hands Brewing – St. Louis, MO

“A milk stout brewed with peanut butter, with chocolate and caramel malts. A bit heavy, but it has a bold flavor and finishes sweet. A great tasting stout for the cold months. Delicious beer and no surprise: Four Hands Brewery is on the list multiple times!”

2. 2 Beans One Dream – Stubborn German Brewing – Waterloo, IL

“We know, this is another cream ale with vanilla. But both stand out so much between multiple band members it had to make it on the list. This guy has coffee in addition to vanilla to make this vanilla cream ale smooth drinking. Just enough flavor from the coffee to compliment the vanilla.”

1. Inimical Drive’s “Enemy IPA” – Exit 6 Brewery – Cottleville, MO

“What’s that you say? Inimical Drive in the form of a beer? We could not think of anything more fitting and neither could Exit 6! We have a beer. Did you see…? It has our name on it! It’s an IPA by us and it’s number one in our books!”

Artwork for ‘Enemy’ by Inimical Drive