by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
The duo just wanted to share the good news. Dan Tripp and Matt Fair loved to brew beer and cook pizza. They wanted to share it with their friends, family and Bible study group. They hosted brewing parties every month where those close to them would gather to sample their latest creations and enjoy each other’s company.
“Our Bible study was reading the book ‘Flesh’ by Hugh Halter,” says Dan, co-owner of Good News Brewing Co. “And the idea I took from the book was instead of inviting people to church, you should focus on inviting them to your house, neighborhood and community and just build relationships.”
That ethos eventually became the backbone of Good News Brewing Co. What started as a passion project rooted in community and faith has grown into a staple in St. Charles County’s craft beer scene known for its simple approach: beer, wood-fired sourdough pizza and a welcoming space for all.
Dan and Matt first met in that Bible study group and quickly began brewing together. As their monthly parties gained popularity and they perfected their pizza and beer recipes, they wanted to spread the good news to even more people. They found a small space in northern O’Fallon to open their first brewpub in 2016. The tight quarters limited how much food they could cook, so pizza — using Dan’s sourdough crust and Matt’s sauce — was their obvious choice.
It didn’t take long for others to start flocking to Good News. “We became so successful that we had to contract another brewery to make our beer,” says Dan.
They added a second location serving pizza and beer on the Katy Trail in Defiance a few years later to meet their brewing needs, for the time being. Since then, Good News has expanded rapidly. The former Augusta Brew Haus became their primary production facility. They also added locations in St. Charles, Wildwood and Alton, Illinois.
But despite growth, their mission remains to share good news through quality beer, delicious pizza and community gatherings. Dan says while their roots are in faith and they host Christmas Eve services, they’re not a church. “We’re not asking people if they know Jesus every time we pour a beer,” says Dan. “But we’re trying to share the good news in creative ways. We want to create a cool gathering space for friends and families.”
Central to Good News is their pizza — specifically, sourdough, wood-fired pizza made with the same care as their beer. Dan has been a bread maker for years and his sourdough starter is still used in every pizza they serve.
“We’re not a restaurant or a bar. We’re a brewery that makes wood-fired pizza,” says Dan. The menu is deliberately small to maintain quality. “If we’re going to do a few things, we’re going to do them exceptionally.”
One of the most popular pizzas offered at Good News is the Vampire Deathwish. Dan’s dough is hand-stretched to approximately 9 or 10 inches and is spread with their housemade garlic sauce. It’s then topped with spinach, feta and mozzarella cheese before taking a 90-second spin inside one of Good News’ 850-degree, wood-fired ovens. “There’s so much garlic in that sauce we figured it could kill a vampire,” says Dan.
Dan’s favorite pie is the Buffalo chicken. Spicy Buffalo sauce is the base of the pizza, which is topped with chicken, mozzarella and red onion before going into the oven. It gets a ranch drizzle over the top just before it is served.
Other popular pizzas include the meat, banana pepper pepperoni and barbecue chicken. Customers can always customize their pizza. They also have pizza of the month specials. Nonpizza options at Good News include a pretzel with mustard, garlic cheese bread and the house salad featuring spinach, feta cheese, dried cranberries, red onion and poppy seed dressing.
On the beer side, Good News keeps it classic with their year-round offerings. They offer six core beers at all locations, including their top-selling Belgian White, Perfect Storm Pale Ale and Local 636 Hazy IPA. “A lot of breweries chase trends. We wanted our house beers to be the ones we started with — the ones we were proud to make in our basement,” says Dan.
They also offer seasonal beers that rotate throughout the year. That focus on simplicity and consistency, both in beer and food, is what Dan credits for the company’s longevity.
In the same way Dan and Matt loved sharing the good news at their monthly brewing parties, their reward today isn’t seeing their beer on store shelves — though that’s a thrill — but in seeing families and their pets gathered over a pizza and games on a Good News patio or inside with the garage doors opened.
“That’s what excites me most,” says Dan. “It’s people choosing to spend their time with us, week after week.”
