Beer and summertime compete in the same class as peanut butter and jelly; they just go together.
The summer sun warms you up and makes some a little grumpy. That’s where beer steps in. It cools you down and mellows you out. It’s simply irreplaceable in so many summer mainstays. Do you cheer on the Redbirds with a cappuccino? Do you stock your fishing boat with Earl Grey? Do you lounge around Loflin Yard with mugs of steaming hot cocoa? Didn’t think so.
Beer’s importance to what is an already hot Memphis summer led the Flyer staff to action. We could not sit idly by without letting our readers know their options. So, we geared up for our Summer Beer Guide.
Flyer reporter Toby Sells headed straight to Downtown’s South Point Grocery to stock up for an ultimate taste test of some of the best summer beers from Memphis breweries. Luckily, Garrett Metts, the director of alcohol sales with Castle Retail Group, was in the house that day last week. He guided our beer run, pointing out the city’s best, newest, and most summer-ific suds on offer (of which there are many).
Sells also perused the aisles of Joe’s Wines & Liquors to ensure no Memphis brewery was left behind. There, he wondered about summer beer trends. Like that summer jam you can’t escape (Remember the “Old Town Road” summer?), summer beer trends had the masses drinking juicy India pale ales one year. Another was the summer of the sour, and hard seltzers have reigned now for years. Chris Schirmer, beer buyer for Joe’s, predicts this year may be the summer of “beer-flavored beers” like basic pilsners, lagers, and kölsches.
“I think people are just resetting their palates or chasing the flavors has gotten old,” Schirmer says. “I think people just want a classic standby thing. You could eat steak all the time, right? But a good-old burger every once in a while is pretty satisfying.”
As we’ve said with each of our beer guides, we’re not beer experts. Flyer staffers are curious craft beer consumers, walking into their local grocery store or gas station to see what’s new. We’re not cicerones nor can we predict a beer’s IBU with a swig or two. We are average beer consumers with opinions to share.
But we always know we need help tasting these beers. Another beer-guide tradition has been the presence of a Memphis brewer at our tastings. They help us understand the styles we’re tasting and help us with questions like, “Is this beer supposed to taste weird?” This year, we tapped Memphis Made Brewing’s president and head brewer Drew Barton for help. He lit our path through the many styles icing in our cooler, all with his feet in the pool. Not a bad gig.
“We have some definite seasons here in Memphis needing some different flavors along the way,” Barton says. “A stout’s great when it’s 32 degrees outside … but you don’t want that stout when it’s 70 degrees hotter, like it is today at 102 [degrees].”
All the beers we tasted this year are from Memphis and all of them are widely available in stores. So you won’t have to go out of your way to find them. Memphis breweries have really churned out beers for just about anybody this year. So, use our beer guide to make a beer run of your own this summer. Get yourself cool. You won’t be disappointed. — Toby Sells
Ghost River Brewing Co.
Grindhouse Cream Ale
This brew brings to mind the workingman’s beers of my wastrel youth — Schlitz, Hamm’s, Falstaff — but with a creamier texture. This beer is old-school, and not bad. — Bruce VanWyngarden
The “cream” in this beer’s name is a little misleading (though I think maybe it’s a beer term?). Easy drinking on this one, mild flavor. Not at all what you’d consider creamy. — Shara Clark
It’s very smooth and inoffensive. I can easily sip this outside on a hot summer day, and it’s usually what I default to at Ghost River’s Wednesday night trivia, where I am almost every week. It’s fine! Grab a few and kick back. — Samuel X. Cicci
Memphis Made Brewing Co.
Dockside Wheat Ale
Dockside is a beer that smells like beer and tastes like beer, and nothing’s wrong with that. — Abigail Morici
For me, Dockside is an ideal summer beer. It’s not too heavy or filling, but it still has a lot of flavor. You could call this crisp, balanced, slightly hoppy brew “Fireside Light.” — Chris McCoy
This is the beeriest beer I drank during our tasting. It doesn’t show off. It just delivers the goods. A lighter version of Fireside that works well in the summer heat. — BV
Crisp, refreshing, perfect light beer to sip pool, er, dockside. It’s the one I came back for after our beer-tasting rounds. — SC
It’s another light, wheat smooth ale, but with just a little bit of heft to it that makes it stand out more than your typical summer beer. It’s described as a lighter type of Fireside, which everyone likes. So if you like Fireside, you’ll like Dockside. Enough said. Go get some. — SXC
This was the most enjoyable of the bunch, a welcoming beginning that isn’t sweet but pleasantly tart, and then settling into an agreeable aftertaste. — Jon W. Sparks
High Cotton Brewing Co.
Razz Wheat
If you had blindfolded me and told me to smell this beverage, I would’ve said you had a cup of crushed Smarties that had been sitting in the bottom of your backpack long enough for the plastic wrapper to have tainted the candy ever so slightly.
So imagine my surprise when I found this drink not to be sweet and plastic-y but to taste like the ghost of fancy bread, the kind that is exclusively showcased in the bakery section of a grocery, not shelved in the bread aisle where the lighting is dimmer and the dust bunnies crawl on the tiled floor, where a curled hair has been fossilized in the latest waxing of the tiles. No, this bread was above average, and its ghost is enjoyably average. — AM
The most remarkable thing about this beer is the smell. The fruity nose holds the promise of a bright flavor, but the taste is not as intense. The effervescent mouthfeel is refreshing. — CM
Did someone drop a SweeTart in this? The initial hit was sweet, but that didn’t linger. Still an easy drinker. — SC
An ale! With raspberries! The opening taste is an odd sensation. It hits me with a fruity texture that almost makes me feel like I’m sipping juice, but that drifts away quickly. After that, it’s a pretty solid wheat beer. I do like raspberries, but when I see razz, I need more razzle dazzle in my can. — SXC
It’s light. It’s drinkable. But it has a soapy taste to it (on that first drink, anyway) that tastes artificial somehow. — TS
Grind City Brewing Co.
Tiger Tail (malt liquor)
Tastes like penny-flavored cotton candy spun in an ashtray. — AM
Okay, I was expecting something like Colt .45 — brutal and efficient and quick to the rim, like Penny Hardaway in his prime. But this is more like a Larry Porter third-down call. — BV
Knowing before trying this that it was a malt liquor, I assumed I’d be comparing it to a Colt .45, however, as the can describes, this beer has a “thin body” and might be too easy to drink for its 7.5 percent alcohol by volume. There’s a slight banana aftertaste, which the expert here says could be a result of fermentation. — SC
The taste is bold. The body is thin just like the can will tell you. There’s a corny flavor to it that — whatever it is — is not my thing. If you’re crushing these 7.5-percent beers at a game, this Tiger may have you by the Tail by the fourth quarter. — TS
Hook Point Brewing Co.
Afterburner Red (Irish ale)
Drinking this ale is like accidentally getting warm bath water in your mouth after the local government has issued a warning of brain-eating amoeba in the water supply. You’ll swallow it absent-mindedly, only to regret it when the aftertaste hits. — AM
I love a good Irish red beer, and this one delivers the malty goodness I’m looking for. Dryer than most reds, this has almost no aftertaste. This is the Collierville brewery’s best product yet. — CM
This one is darker than the others we’ve been drinking. It’s got a roasty after-burn and a hearty feel. Not the beer I’d pick for July in Memphis, but it would go great around a fire pit in November. — BV
You want plenty of thrust when you hit the afterburners, although this concoction isn’t too distinctive but gives a nice enough ride. — JWS
Hampline Brewing Co.
Cherry Bomb Cherry Amaretto Sour Gose
If you had to engineer red snowball syrup to be strong enough to pave the streets of Memphis, I’d start with the Cherry Bomb as a template because, my oh my, the cherry flavor is way too strong and so sweet that it feels like my teeth have been tarred over in sugar. — AM
With too much carbonation and a sickly red color, it looks like a cherry-flavored Emergen-C. This is a beer that wishes it was a seltzer. — CM
I’ll preface this by saying that I’m not a fan of sours, and it’s certainly a personal taste issue, but this one’s a little too funky, absolutely sour, and has a not-so-faint hint of cherry lozenges. — SC
My grandkids would love this sour candy mouthfeel. For grown-ups, not a nice thing to have as an aftertaste. — JWS
Meddlesome Brewing Co.
Mango Funk Yoself (Berliner Weisse sour ale)
Mango Funk Yoself is essentially the lackluster juice presented to you at the healthy family’s house as the well-intentioned mom tries so hard to convince you that it’s a substitute for dessert, but you and she both know it’s not. It’s really not. This drink makes you wish you stayed home. — AM
For me, the problem with fruit-flavored beers is that the first sip tastes good, but by the time you finish, you’re sick of it. If you like a sweet beer, this one will satisfy. What does passion fruit taste like, anyway? — CM
It’s a sour. But, I’m not sure it tastes like a sour? My co-worker said it would be great as a mimosa mixer, so I’m going to shamelessly steal her line and use it here, and collect my paycheck without a care in the world. This is a nice fruity light beer. It’s like taking a juicy IPA, minus the hops. If you’re just looking at it in a cup, it looks like juice. But what a name! — SXC
What the hell is with all this gawdamn fruit beer? (Old Man yells at cloud.) This one is pretty tolerable, as these things go. (And I wish they would … go.) Kinda mimosa-ish, so it could pair well with brunch. — BV
I can hear my colleagues harrumphing over these fruity beers. They can go funk themselves. This is delicious. Also, is this the best beer name of the summer? Or the best beer name of all time? — TS
Crosstown Brewing Co.
Dog Days Pink Lemonade Shandy
The shandy is a European cocktail that mixes beer with a citrus juice or ginger ale. Expertly balancing the elements, this version is eminently drinkable. It’s a refreshing, low-alcohol alternative for a hot afternoon. — CM
It’s a tart little petal plucked from a sunflower. — SC
It tastes exactly as advertised! A pink lemonade shandy that’s a smooth and sweet summer drink. Not quite my cup of tea, but probably a good entry point to the habit for those who aren’t huge beer drinkers to begin with. Oh wait, the “dog days of summer,” I get it now! — SXC
Pink lemonade shandy: Fruity beers make me grumpy, but this one is acceptable for its kind. Certainly not as bad as it sounds. I did not gag. — JWS
Soul and Spirits Brewing Co.
Proud Meri Hazy Pale Ale
If, out of a hungry desperation, you’ve sucked on a lemon cough drop that you’ve found in your pants pocket after it’s made its rounds in the washing machine, then you’ve basically had this session hazy pale ale — though, you’re more likely to get a rush from the cough drop that’s likely contaminated by laundry detergent than this drink with a 2.9 percent alcohol by volume. — AM
Hoppy, but not to excess; a fortified taste, but with one of the lowest alcohol contents of any beer we tried. This beer felt like a compromise, not sure of exactly what it wanted to be. — CM
At 2.9 ABV, this session beer offers the hoppy flavor of an IPA without any fear of getting an actual buzz. — BV
It’s not a super hoppy beer, which I’m fine with. And being a session variety, it’s only 2.9 percent ABV, making it better suited to these long summer days and nights. I’m not an IPA guy, but I wouldn’t mind finishing off one of these tall boys. — SXC
I am an IPA guy and there’s a lot going on right here. The session IPAs are fine, I guess, but I never really got into them like I did with, say, Coke Zero. Something was missing: flavor. Proud Meri’s got it, though. — TS
Beale Street Brewing Co.
Dark NinJA Rises (IPA)
Absolutely not. — AM
The can looks super cool, and the name means business. But the beer itself is nothing special. — CM
The can design is as mesmerizing as a Ja Morant triple double. The beer inside is more workmanlike. Think Kyle Anderson Euro-step with a slo-mo finish. — BV
I’m never quite sure what kind of flavor blast I’m going to find inside a Beale Street Brewing can. It’s pretty crisp, and there are a ton of fruity flavors battling it out when I sip it. Again, not sure I’m the audience, but heck, I’m here to support Ja, so I’ll finish it. — SXC
So they’re going for the Ja thing, and, like Mr. Morant, it’s nice enough. But not as distinctive as you’d expect of an All-Star — certainly not a slam dunk. — JWS
Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Puffel Hazy Double Juicy IPA
This hazy IPA comes on strong in the flavor department. The 9 percent alcohol content is readily apparent in the mouthfeel. It comes in a 19.2 fl. oz. can, so this is the beer to have if you’re having only one. — CM
This thing is the hammer of Thor, with classic IPA flavor cues. It packs a punch at 9 percent alcohol by volume, so you best be careful when indulging in a can of this stuff. Or, you could just drink 6 Proud Meris. — BV
Gives you that IPA mouth-pucker. If you’re an IPA fan and want to get totally blitzed, this 9 percent [alcohol by volume] tall boy is for you. Don’t forget to drink some H2O. — SC
This one has a distinct personality, is thoroughly agreeable, and provides a pleasant aftertaste. — JWS
I will admit I had a hazy boi summer (or two). Even though I ain’t ’bout that life no more, Puffel reminds me of why I loved these juicy, fruity beers to begin with. They’re fun to drink. Period. And with Wiseacre’s big-ass can of Puffel, the fun will last in this never-ending summer. — TS
