After about a year and a half of teaching other people how to brew beer, the J2 Brewing boys are setting up their own microbrewery.

Standard Brewing Company is targeting an August opening in the former Fuddruckers space at 12322 Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights, according to Jeff Harlan, one of the two J’s of J2. (The other is Jeff “Jonesy” Jones.) And with almost 5,000 square feet to fill up, the two Jeffs and some partners will also be opening up a pub and pizzeria, with total seating of about 150.

The microbrewery will open with a 3½ barrel system, with initial offerings of a blonde ale, IPA, hefeweizen and stout. Four more varieties will follow, including two rotating seasonal beers – and four on-premise taps will feature other St. Louis craft beers.

“We’re not going to do distribution at first, but the plan is to do that in two or three years,” Harlan says.

The deal for the space includes the huge billboard that faces Interstate 270. “We’re going to have the largest craft beer sign in St. Louis,” Harlan says. That should appear around the beginning of July.

Visitors to the St. Louis Microfest in Forest Park on May 1 and 2 will have a chance to sample the blonde ale and IPA, but if you’re interested, be sure to get there early – the two Jeffs’ brewing capacity is still limited.

Details about the restaurant’s chef, menu and operations are still being worked out, which isn’t surprising given that the new endeavor just popped up on Facebook and Twitter last week. As for the name – “We want to set the standard for session beers locally,” Harlan says.

Standard Brewing Company

12322 Dorsett

standardbrewingstl.com

Facebook: Standard Brewing Company

Twitter: @StandardbrewStl