The inaugural RiverBeat Music Festival drew throngs to the Mississippi last weekend. Most on the MEMernet agreed Tom Lee Park was amazing and the production value was second-to-none.
But being Memphis and that park in particular, detractors complained the crowd was smaller than Memphis in May’s Beale Street Music Festival and that hurt Downtown businesses. Others griped that ticket prices didn’t match the lineup.
Drama
If you are looking for a local drama rabbit hole to fall into, head over to the Memphis subreddit and look for “Fox and Cat Vintage drama.” The basic story is there to get you started. Then, follow the links to fall as far as you’d like. Yowza.
Beer Prediction
Posted to Reddit by u/etherian1
“Only a matter of time before someone turns Germantown Lumber into a brewery/tap room,” u/etherian1 predicted on Reddit.
It’s a fitting prophecy for our beer-soaked issue, focused on the winners of our 2024 Beer Bracket Challenge.
“First round on me for whoever can will this into existence,” wrote u/HeyYouGuuys.
Soul & Spirits’ Hoochie Coochie wins this year’s Beer Bracket. (Photos: Justin Fox Burks)
Soul & Spirits Brewery’s Hoochie Coochie IPA is the best craft beer in Memphis, according to the more than 800 voters of the Memphis Flyer’s 2024 Beer Bracket Challenge, sponsored by City Brew Tours, Eagle Distributing Company, and Cash Saver.
This marks the first time Soul & Spirits has won our challenge. The brewery had not yet opened its doors in 2021 when we last held it. Their win unseats Crosstown Brewing Company, who has held onto the VanWyngarden Cup since 2021. Back then, Crosstown’s Traffic IPA upended Meddlesome Brewing’s three-year reign atop the Flyer’s annual beer bracket contest with its 201 Hoplar.
Soul & Spirits takes home the prestigious VanWyngarden Cup.
Ghost River Golden took top honors in 2017, the first year of the competition. But it’s been IPA all the way since then. That’s five wins for an IPA — apparently the top style in Memphis — almost every year we’ve done this.
Since Soul & Spirits opened in 2021, it’s won top honors — Brewery of the Year — in 2022 and 2023 in the Tennessee Championship of Beers.
“Winning a competition against your peers is really cool but to have people locally vote for us — that this is their favorite beer in Memphis — that means a lot,” says Blair Perry, who co-founded and owns Soul & Spirits with her husband, Ryan Allen. “We’re still really new, so it is nice that people acknowledge that we’re around and like what we’re doing.”
Allen and Perry say Hoochie Coochie IPA started as an American IPA, “but it just turned into chasing a flavor.” When asked what flavor, Allen says “goodness.” Hoochie Coochie’s hops change from batch to batch, he says, based on what’s available.
“But just trust me, we’re going on a road,“ Allen says. “We’re going on a journey.”
Perry says they’re always chasing a “juicy, citrusy flavor with a nice bitterness that makes you want to keep drinking.”
As for the name? It’s fun to say, they note, and one of the first beers they named. But it also fit with the Soul & Spirits naming convention. Memphis-area music plays onto the labels and into the names of Soul & Spirits beers. So conjure up “I’m a Hoochie Coochie Man” by Muddy Waters next time you sip a pint and search the can label for song references.
Blair Perry, Ryan Allen, and the ever-famous writer Toby Sells
This year was completely different for the Beer Bracket. First up, we opened up the challenge to any brewery in Memphis, any size, whether or not they had beers in stores or not. That brought in Boscos, who, one could argue, blazed the path for craft beer in Memphis. The change also made room for some newcomers like Urban Consequence Brewing, Memphis Filling Station, Cooper House Project, and Memphis-area beer bar and brewpub, Mississippi Ale House.
Gone were any divisions that have, in the past, separated our bracket into very basic beer categories — light, dark, IPA, and seasonal. The beers commingled — stouts vs. IPAs, for example. Though, we made sure no two beers from the same brewery were seeded against one another.
In the end, we had 32 beers from 16 breweries. Each brewery selected two beers for random seeding. (I literally pulled the match-ups out of a hat.) These went right on our bracket. That bad boy was digitized, and over two weeks these beers faced off, fell out, or advanced to the next round.
The final round had Hoochie Coochie up against Cooper House Project’s Midtowner lager, which won a narrow victory over Hampline’s Tandem Pilot double IPA to make the finals. In the end, Hoochie Coochie emerged as the winner, edging out Midtowner by only 130 votes.
The Memphis Flyer Beer Bracket had more than 10,500 votes this year from states across the nation, though most votes came from Midtown Memphis.
You know we love beer at the Flyer. And we know you do, too. (Well, at least hundreds of local voters do, anyhow.) So, we felt a duty to let you know that state lawmakers had you on their minds this year. Here’s rundown of some legislation that could find its way to a pint glass near you.
The Law and Your Beer
It wouldn’t be a regular session of the Tennessee General Assembly if lawmakers didn’t change the way you drink, or try to, anyway.
Lawmakers thought about cold beer, drunk cops, and Sunday sales. They also thought about more serious matters like date rape and treatment programs for DUI offenses. Some ideas worked. Some didn’t.
No Cold Beer for You
Rep. Ron Gant (R-Piperton) knew his legislation “got quite the buzz,” a phrase pounced upon by another GOP lawmaker with “no pun intended!” Har har.
That legislation would have banned the sale of cold beer at stores. So you don’t have to go back and make sure you read that right, here it is again: That legislation would have banned the sale of cold beer at stores.
But when Gant first spoke about the bill, he said “the buzz” about banning cold beer sales was moot. It was part of the original legislation, but after meeting with stakeholders across the state (probably meaning lobbyists for retailers), it was no longer part of his proposal.
He clarified this during an early committee review of the bill. The intent was never to target 12-packs or 24-packs, it was on “high-alcohol, single-serve containers.”
“Some people have educated me on this,” Gant said. “They call them 2x4s or tallboys. You see them laying on the side of the road where they’ve been obviously thrown out. So, we know that they’re being abused, and people are drinking these, and not making it home to enjoy at their house.
“So, there was never going to be any intent — by me as the sponsor — to take away the right and the privilege for the good actors of being able to buy a 12-pack or 24-pack and take that home as responsible adults. I just want to make that clear, you know, for the record. So that everybody feels at ease. But none of that is included in this legislation.”
And feel at ease they did, it seems. Those hard headlines that read like “Proposed Tennessee Bill Bans Selling Cold Beer” (from VinePair) had softened to jokier ones like “Tennessee’s Cold Beer Ban Bill Is Officially On Ice” from Nashville’s News Channel 5.
For many, though, the idea seemed in range and on-brand for the GOP. Memphis Reddit users called it “stupid shit” and “bullshit” and that (sarcastically) these lawmakers were “tackling the real issues.” It also reminded them of another GOP fave: gun control.
“But … but … beer is an inanimate object,” wrote u/Boatshooz. “It doesn’t drink itself. And we don’t need to pass further laws that just hurt responsible drinkers, we just need to enforce existing laws.
“I swear I’ve heard that same argument from those same legislators about something else … can’t remember what it was. Why are they taking the opposite stance with beer?”
The law would, however, create a new group to study alcohol consumption and abuse in the state, with a report due annually. Gant said (but didn’t cite sources for his information) that drunk driving and alcohol consumption has surged in recent years. The bill was passed by the legislature but had not been signed by Gov. Bill Lee as of press time.
Sunday Sales
You’ve been there, probably. You’re headed to your Sunday Funday, walk into the grocery store only to find the beer section dark, maybe with shades drawn over them or a lock on the cooler door.
Then it hits you. That backward-ass state law says I can’t buy beer here until noon. You may even have a thought about some pious state lawmaker sitting in a church somewhere, praying that the law will somehow nudge you out of the beer aisle and into a pew somewhere. Well, those beer lights will remain off on Sunday mornings, at least for another year.
Nashville Democrats Rep. Bob Freeman and Sen. Jeff Yarbro tried to change that. They described the bill simply as “the alignment of the sale of alcohol on Sunday to every other day of the week.” They said many sporting events are overseas and on different time zones. Some venues, they said, would like to sell alcohol to those who want to watch them.
The only real vocal opponent of the bill was Rep. Tom Leatherwood (R-Arlington), the former Shelby County Register of Deeds. He tried hard to marry the Sunday-sales legislation with another Freeman bill focused on preventing sexual assault.
He called them “twin bills” even though they could not have been more different. But still he told his GOP colleagues that limiting Sunday sales could save a life, and someday, maybe, end up on your end-of-life sizzle reel.
“Now, any of us that have drunk the alcohol [yes, he said the alcohol] before … it will just naturally reduce the natural defenses of some. It’ll increase the natural aggressiveness of others,” Leatherwood explained. “Hence, it’s good to be aware of what can happen, as we will hear more about later. If you vote no on this bill, you may never know what young lady you save from sexual assault and harassment, to use the language coming up. You may never know. But then again, on the other hand, in that final judgment we will all face, you may find out who you save by voting no on this bill.”
For his part, Freeman tried to separate the two, saying, “You should be able to drink responsibly without being raped.”
Loaded Cops, Loaded Guns
Sen. Joey Hensley swore he had no idea where the idea came from or how it ended up in his legislation. But there it was, raising almost as many eyebrows as the cold beer ban: We were going to allow drunk cops to carry and use concealed firearms.
“As introduced, allows law enforcement officers to carry a firearm when under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances and certain other circumstances,” reads the bill description on the state website.
Hensley said all he wanted to do was allow everyone to carry weapons on college campuses, for crying out loud. (That idea didn’t even get the support of his GOP colleagues. The bill failed.) The drunk cops thing was added without his knowledge, he told Fox 13. But there it was in black and white pixels and the damage was done.
“TN GOP probably: Wait guys, I’ve got an idea,” tweeted Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville). “I know Missouri one-upped us with their bill arming 3 [year olds], but I think we can counter with arming police officers who are drunk or high. Hear me out on this one …[three clown emojis].”
One supporter, though, over on a forum at tngunowners.com had another take.
“I know many seem to find fault with the concept of being armed and drinking, but really, as long as you’re not impaired,” wrote a user named Defender. “If you feel that strongly against it, maybe we should allow cars at bars or restaurants that serve alcohol.”
Date Rape
Rep. Freeman’s legislation (discussed earlier here) on alcohol and sexual assault passed this year, was signed by Lee, and will go into effect in January. That law will require anyone who serves alcohol to the public to take a course on the role of alcohol in sexual assault and harassment and on recognizing and reporting signs of human trafficking.
“If any of you remember, several years ago, the horrible rape case on a university campus here locally where a bunch of men carried a passed-out woman past 20 or more individuals that allowed it to happen,” Freeman said. “Not one of them stopped, said anything, felt empowered to do it, [or] understood what they could say.”
After this, the Safe Bar Tennessee program was developed by the Sexual Assault Center of Middle Tennessee. The program’s slogan is “See Something. Do Something.” Such training is already underway in Nashville, including some 50 bars Downtown, Freeman said.
Odds and Ends
Right now, certain folks under 21 can taste alcohol legally in the state. But they can’t drink it. Make sense?
Motlow State Community College, Jack Daniel’s, and Uncle Nearest have developed an associate’s degree in distilling that could produce more professionals in that industry’s workforce. Tasting the product gives students “real-world, practical experience” to “meet the critical need for their industry.” But they have to spit it out.
If you get a third DUI or BUI, you’ll have to wear a transdermal patch that will send a report to law enforcement if you have a drink. The main part of this legislation reduces jail time for the third DUI. Yet that only serves to give more time to commit to a 28-treatment program.
But the stranger, kind of Big Brother-y part of the law would make you wear that tattletale patch under your skin (so many questions) for three months or until your case is resolved, whichever came first. It goes into effect in July.
A bill would have yanked the alcohol license of a venue that served someone who later got into a car wreck that killed someone. It failed. Another bill sounds like it’s from the Prohibition era. It would have reduced “from two to one the number of credible witnesses who must be present when a law enforcement officer destroys an illegal distillery, a still, fermenting equipment, or related property.” It failed, too.
Do you want to bring your untrained support animal into restaurants?
Do you want a week in July to be a time of prayer and fasting in in Tennessee and seeks God’s hand of mercy healing on Tennessee?
Well, the Tennessee General Assembly has some good news and some bad news for you.
Hundreds of bills are filed each legislative session. Not all of them rise to the height of debate. Nor do all of them pertain to all Tennesseans. Remember when the ladder became the state tool? Oh, and hot slaw is on the way to becoming a state food.
Here are some bills now under consideration in Nashville are bold, specific, and sometimes just plain odd.
Speaking of specific, this bill allows adults to carry pepper spray, tasers, and “similar devices” (whatever those are) on college campuses. Oh, and those colleges can’t make rules against this, either.
“…it is not a criminal offense for an adult person to carry or possess pepper spray, a taser, or another similar device for purposes of self-defense when on property owned, operated, or in use by any college or university board of trustees, regents, or directors for the administration of any public or private educational institution…”
Protestors here like to close the Hernando DeSoto Bridge. If this bill is passed, the penalty goes up to a Class D felony. And anyone “who suffers loss or injury” from the road obstruction can sue those who do it.
This one’s already passed the full House (not the show).
It “prohibits emotional support animals that are not trained, or being trained, to perform tasks or work for a person with a disability from indoor areas of food service establishments.”
Just….here: ”Designates the period of July 1, 2024, through July 31, 2024, as a time of prayer and fasting in Tennessee and seeks God’s hand of mercy healing on Tennessee.”
The bill, ”authorizes a member of a homeowners’ association for a neighborhood in Williamson County with at least 300 single family residential homes and two or more gates restricting ingress and egress to the neighborhood to request a report from the board of directors for the homeowners’ association regarding criminal activity in the gated subdivision.”
Maybe you thought I was kidding about the beer thing, too? Nope.
This bill “prohibits a beer permittee from selling at retail refrigerated or cold beer.”
It is now referred to a committee in the Senate. However, the bill lost several sponsors in the House last week, not a great signal for its passage. Phew.
Special bookmarks in the style of the event poster will also be for sale.
If you like beer, books, and nostalgia, you better book it to Soul & Spirits Brewery this Saturday for the brewery’s first-ever Skol-astic Adult Book Fair.
In case you didn’t catch on to the pun there, Skol-astic is a nod to those Scholastic book fairs from childhood, with the “skol” part being the Scandinavian word for “cheers.” “We wanted to recreate that feeling of being so excited to buy new books, but with beer,” says Blair Perry, who planned the whole shebang with her friend Mandy Martin. “We wanted to create an event that is very different than any other event in town and that is geared towards people who love books because a lot of times readers are kind of introverted” — and sometimes introverts want to be social, too.
For the day, Martin and Perry were able to get all the bookstores and book vendors in town to set up shop at the brewery, with each focusing on a “niche style of book,” says Perry. Friends of the Library, the nonprofit that supports Memphis Public Libraries, will sell used books; Novel will bring bestselling contemporary fiction while Burke’s Book Store will bring books by Memphis authors and a classics collection. Online vendors Cafe Noir (which is set to open a brick-and-mortar location later this year) and DeMoir Books & Things will sell BIPOC classics and Afrofuturism books, respectively. Plus, South Main Book Juggler will bring children’s books and YA novels.
“For every $10 that you spend [on books], you’re going to get to pick from the little freebie bags like you did as a kid,” says Perry, adding that every time you purchase a beer, you’ll also get entered into a raffle for a bigger prize. “Every 30-ish minutes, we’re going to be drawing a ticket for a free prize that our vendors have donated.”
The brewery is also releasing a special beer for the book fair. “It’s a surprise,” says Perry, “but I’ll say that it’s bookish-related, so something that you would enjoy drinking while you’re reading.”
Perry and Martin have also partnered with Amy Dobbins of Mint Cream Market, who has recruited literary-themed vendors and local authors to discuss and sign their books, while Paper Plate Pavilion and Tacos Mondragon will have food available for purchase.
And, don’t worry, there will be a quiet space for those who want to read (and drink) in peace in the Low Tones Room, which also happens to be where the brewery hosts its Beers and Books Club every first Friday of the month. “We don’t tell you what book to read,” Perry says of the club. “We just provide a quiet space for a couple of hours for anybody to come in and read.”
Skol-astic Adult Book Fair, Soul & Spirits Brewery, Saturday, August 12, 1-7 p.m.
Temperatures roller-coaster dipped into the cool stuff last weekend promising no more 80-degree days until Memphis in May and the exact right conditions to bend an arm under a dark, toasty/roasty fall beer.
For this, Memphians, you are in luck. New beers keep pouring into new Memphis-area taprooms. When Cooper House Project opens in Cooper-Young (hopefully soon!), Memphis will be home to 12 craft breweries. It’ll join Ghost River, Beale Street, Boscos, Crosstown, Grind City, Soul & Spirits, Hampline, High Cotton, Wiseacre, Memphis Made, and Meddlesome. Consider that only two craft breweries — Ghost River and Boscos — operated here nine years ago.
New beers are pouring into Memphis-area stores, too. Craft breweries from other markets are expanding their distribution circles, and new stuff is showing up on our shelves. Think of all the Nashville beers we can get here like Bearded Iris and Southern Grist, Urban South from New Orleans, and Deschutes from Bend, Oregon. This now also includes several non-alcoholic beers from brewers who want craft flavors without the hangover.
Toby Sells (left) with Soul & Spirits owner and master brewer Ryan Allen.
For this year’s fall beer guide, we rounded up a bunch of beers you can find around Memphis. This includes some from other markets and does not include every local brewery. Some breweries just didn’t have anything new that we’ve not written about already. We found our beers at Cash Saver and South Point Grocery (thank you, Taylor James!), both known for their wide selections. But you can find most of the beers in our tasting most anywhere.
Some brewers haven’t liked all of our staff comments in past beer guides. But our crew was asked to be honest. We taste and take notes, not as beer experts, but as typical Memphis craft beer consumers. (I mean, we don’t even have Untappd accounts.)
But we did have expert help. As in years past, we had a guide to help us understand the different styles and pick out flavors. This year, Ryan Allen, co-owner and master brewer at Soul & Spirits, shined a light on our path forward. He joined us in an undisclosed Midtown backyard as a few Flyer staffers drank beers from a cooler and wrote about them for work. Hell yeah.
There are plenty of beers to love on this list — and we did love some. But don’t take our word for it. Go grab a light jacket and a dark beer for yourself. — Toby Sells
Athletic
Athletic Lite, light lager, 0 percent ABV
Ever leave a sixer in a hot car, discover it later, then put it back in the fridge? This reminds me of that — like a flat, forgotten Miller Lite. Not much flavor, but an easy drinker if you like playing pretend. — Shara Clark
It’s a light beer with no alcohol. Which I guess is like chewing on a candy cigarette in a cigar club. But to be fair, some people really like candy cigarettes. — Samuel X. Cicci
A non-alcoholic beverage that seems sort of pointless. Slightly fizzy, like LaCroix water. Yellowish color, like water that’s been, er, used. I’d prefer a LaCroix. — Bruce VanWyngarden
There’s nothing there and I guess that’s the point. It’s barely-beer-flavored fizzy water. — Toby Sells
The recent technological advances that have made decent-tasting NA beer possible are welcome. There’s a lot of good brews out there that won’t mess with your sobriety. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. Why make an NA beer taste like the lite beer designed to make 4.2 percent alcohol content more palatable? This beer makes me long for the bold flavors of tap water. — Chris McCoy
This non-alcoholic beverage is like drinking Holy Water from church, except the wrong fingers have been dipped in the font — fingers that have been in places God doesn’t approve of — so there’s a tinge of something that shouldn’t be there, making you question if this thing that’s supposed to be “good” for you is actually worth the way it goes down so smoothly. — Abigail Morici
Meddlesome
Memphis Style Lager, light lager, 4.5 percent ABV
The can art reminds me of a ’90s-style Mead folder, but the beverage itself gives strong shower beer vibes. Lather up the shampoo, crack one open, and throw it back while the water washes the day away. This one’s a winner. — SC
It’s a nice, lighter malty lager. If you like lagers, go for it. But you’re gonna buy it anyway since the can is so fun with its minty-party-shenanigan-chic aesthetic. — SXC
This 4.5-percenter is right down the middle of my comfort zone. Tastes like beer, friendly and non-aggressive. I could see myself sitting down with a few of these. — BV
It tastes great. Now with that out of the way, let’s talk about the can. To holler at the ’80s Memphis design group on a beer can will delight any who appreciate obscure Memphiana. If you think it looks like Saved by the Bell, well, that’s fun, too. — TS
This beer is what you think you want when you order a domestic light beer. Because of Memphis’ great water, and being fresher than your average corporate beer product, it’s got a sharper and better flavor. — CM
The Memphis Style has the vibe of a crouton. We like croutons. But do we love croutons — that’s the question. — AM
Southern Grist
Parallel Fruited Sour, sour, 0 percent ABV
This is another NA, which is good because you’ve got to be sober to say its name three times fast. Flavor- and texture-wise, this seems like nothing more than a fruit puree — or what you get in one of those bottles of daiquiri mixer. — SC
It’s bursting with passion fruit and raspberry, but not super sour, which I want in my beers. Also, it has no alcohol. Which I guess is like choosing to inhale a fruity candle in a hookah bar. — SXC
Another non-alcoholic brew that is in no way reminiscent of, well, beer. It’s pleasant tasting, but to me, this is a soda. — BV
This is one of the best NA beers I’ve ever tasted. It’s got the mouthfeel of a regular beer, and the flavors are tasty but not overwhelming. Most importantly, it’s not too sweet. — CM
The best snack when you’re in kindergarten is that cherry chapstick that you sneak a little nibble of, and this drink will take you back to those naughty moments — as if the chapstick-eating folk at Southern Grist melted down the worst chapstick, plastic tube and all, to find a new evil way to capitalize on nostalgia. — AM
Doc’s Cider
Sour Cherry Cider, sour, 6 percent ABV
This tastes like an Alabama Slammer Clubtails (those cheap, gas-station, 10-percent malt beverages) or a Black Cherry Four Loko. And if you’ve got more than two bucks to spend on booze, this is not a good thing. — SC
This sour-cherry concoction tested my gag reflex. Never bring this near my face again. — BV
This is the opposite of thin. It covers your tongue and palate with a sort of cherry medicine film. Do not recommend. — TS
UhhhlllllAAAAHHHHCHHA [yucky sound]! — CM
It’s like drinking the weirdly pink liquid that drips from a teeny tiny hole in a Febreze-scented garbage bag filled with rotting fruit and used Kleenex as you drag it to your garbage bins. — AM
Urban South
Red Nose ReinBeer, fruited wheat, 5.4 percent ABV
The first sip gave me a little “Oh!” — light with a warm, spiced aftertaste. Subsequent sips sorta felt like peeling back the wrapping paper on a Christmas gift then settling into disappointment once you realize it’s just a pair of socks. — SC
Grandma got run over by a reinbeer while walkin’ home from our house on Christmas Eve. The suspect was a fruity wheat, with notes of cranberry, cinnamon, and brown sugar, but witnesses reported that the spices overwhelm any fruity taste. — SXC
I didn’t want to like this. But it’s Christmas in a can, really. Light on the cranberry flavor, heavy on the cinnamon and brown sugar. The taste turns flatter the more you drink, though. — TS
Urban Artifact
Xmas Pickle, sour, 4.3 percent ABV
What’s the dill with all these odd new beer types, eh? It’s a smooth, light, pickle-based gose. Little bit of salt, a nice clean pickle scent, a bit of tartness, but overall it doesn’t go too heavy on any of the strange flavor mixes. — SXC
It’s much like I’d imagine drinking the brine from a pickle jar would be, only with bubbles. It’s got some salt, as well. Might go well with a cheeseburger or something, but I would not drink this sans food. — BV
Ryan [Allen from Soul & Spirits] said pickle beers are on the rise. I ain’t tryna drink this all afternoon, but it’s crazy different and fun to explore. I bet it’s great with fried chicken. — TS
I wasn’t aware of the pickle beer trend before this tasting, and I’m not sure I’m on board with it. This one smells like a pickle more than tastes like one, and it’s by far the saltiest beer I’ve ever had. Bottom line: It’s not as bad as it sounds. — CM
Soul & Spirits
Polk Salad, fresh-hopped IPA, 6.1 percent ABV
The vibe: You’re sitting in a field, breeze blowing against your face, sipping a cold, carbonated herbal tea. Fresh hops here really gave this a crisp, clean drinking experience. Best IPA I’ve ever tried. — SC
This is a better IPA, made from fresh hops (grown in Memphis!) and packed with fresh greens. Not bad. And that’s coming from an IPA-hater. — SXC
This is the freshest beer I’ve ever had. Maybe I would not have described it that way if Ryan hadn’t told us about the fresh-hop process, but dang if I can’t taste it. My notes say “just so fucking good.” — TS
It starts with a great nose. The initial taste is light and crisp, with a bold finish. The fresh hops linger longer and add more complexity than you get with your average West Coast face-melter. This is one of the best IPAs I’ve ever tasted. — CM
Ghost River
Dunkelweizen Ale, Dunkelweizen, 8 percent ABV
It’s got a bit of a clovy taste. A lot of Ghost Rivers have a sameness to their taste, but this one breaks the mold. Kudos to the brewer. — SXC
This has a dark, caramel-ish initial taste. The texture is soft, almost melted buttery. A hint of dough. Not for every taste, but will hit the spot for many. — BV
Ryan de-mystified Dunkels for me, saying they’re basically Hefeweizens with darker malts (and that “Dunkelweizen” literally translates to “dark wheat”). This one has those banana flavors and lots of suds. Fun to drink, and extra points for crop circles on the can! — TS
This new “dark wheat” is one of the better offerings from the venerable Ghost River label. It goes down smooth, but be warned: It’s got an exceptionally high alcohol content. You can get yourself into trouble with this one. — CM
Have you ever licked the cracked side of a plastic Mardi Gras bead that’s lost its shine and sits in a puddle of spilled beer? Well, now, you don’t have to; this drink will do the trick instead. — AM
Wiseacre
Strizzle Bier, IPA, 6.2 percent ABV
Yipes. Bye-bye, taste buds. I think they were burned off by the bitterness. — SC
Wiseacre makes so many good beers that I don’t feel bad saying I don’t like this. It’s a weird fusion of IPA and brown ale, and I’m not sure those two styles ever truly reconcile. — SXC
Solid brew with a clean slight bitterness that isn’t off-putting. This one suits the season just right. — BV
IPA bros like myself (self-burn), rejoice! Your fall beer is here. It’s bitter, even a little fruity, and definitely all IPA. — TS
Not much nose, followed by a weird, muddled taste profile. It’s bitterness without context. Strizzle is a rare miss from Wiseacre. — CM
This tastes the way sliding a finger along a freshly Pledged table feels but without the pleasant lemon scent. — AM
High Cotton
Chocolate Rye Porter, porter, 5.5 percent ABV
This is just begging to be made into a beer float. Is that even a thing? Well, it is now. Gimme a mug and a scoop of vanilla, please. — SC
As a kid I used to go to my grandmother’s and attack the bowl of 85-percent Ghirardelli chocolate squares. This beer reminds me of those, a bitter and oh-so-slightly-sweet meld of chocolate flavor swirling softly amidst the dark porter. Truly heavenly, and the perfect fall/winter beer. — SXC
It smells just like coffee as I bring it up for a sip. It tastes like the holidays. If ReinBeer above is the fun, gaudy Christmas party with lil smokies and Dirty Santa, this beer is the classier sit-down, roast beef dinner with your well-to-do cousins. — TS
This is the kind of beer I’m in the mood for when the leaves are falling. It’s well-balanced, not too sweet, with a complex set of flavors. This is one of my favorite beers from a Memphis brewery. — CM
Yum! Nutter Butters in a cup. This would make a great boozy milkshake. — SC
My notes, verbatim: “Fuck it. I love the shit out of this beer.” I couldn’t help it, even though I don’t usually like these beers and wanted not to like this one. I can’t explain the magic that converted me, but it was there. — TS
It’s got a great nose, it pours like motor oil, and the flavor is deep and satisfying — somewhere between a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and a pecan pie. Those brewers up there in Nashville are making great beer. — CM
Hi-Wire
Chocolate Coconut Bar 10W-40 Imperial Stout, stout, 8 percent ABV
It’s a silky, creamy chocolate imperial stout with a bit of lingering coconut. I expected more of a Mounds bar-esque taste. Not quite as good as the chocolate rye porter, but solid if you’re a stout fan. — SXC
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. The coconut goes way over the top here and turns the candy bar flavor into suntan lotion. — TS
As a fan of stouts, chocolate cake, and coconuts, this sounds like it should be right up my alley. But it’s just chewy and thick and not much else. I’m not sure I even tasted the coconut. Meh. — CM
Soul & Spirits
Smoke Stack, smoked dark lager, 5.7 percent ABV
Ever played musical chairs around a campfire to avoid the smoke blowing in your eyes? But every time you move, it follows, permeating your hair and clothes and your entire respiratory system? That usually sucks, but while this tastes like inhaling a smoke cloud, it’s a bold beer, and I’m here for it. — SC
The smoke hits you right up front, like when the wind from a fire pit wafts your way. It’s meant to emulate Memphis barbecue, and like Memphis barbecue, it’s a slow burn. Not a beer to crush, but could go well with a rack of ribs. — BV
Ever had a beer that’s smoky like a good scotch? Made with Tennessee barley roasted over mixed hardwoods intended to evoke the flavors of Memphis barbecue, this one was a new experience for me. Not sure I could have more than one at a sitting, but this is an excellent beer. — CM
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.
<i>Flyer</i> writer, Toby Sells, and Memphis Made Brewing president and head brewer, Drew Barton, stand for a photo during last week’s beer tasting.
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
Photos: Chris McCoy
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
Beer drinkers rejoice: the Wiseacre craft beer empire continues to grow. Earlier today, the brewery announced plans to extend its distribution to the states of Indiana and Missouri, making its beer now available in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
Five of Wiseacre’s year-round beers — Ananda, Bow Echo, Gotta Get Up to Get Down, Puffel, and Tiny Bomb — will be sold in the new states, along with seasonal and specialty releases.
“My brother Davin and I also have a very personal connection to St. Louis, in particular, because that’s where our father is from,” said Wiseacre co-founder Kellan Bartosch. “We grew up going to St. Louis for Blues hockey games in the winter and Cardinals games in the summer. Hitting up Ted Drewes Frozen Custard and places on the hill like Rigazzi’s for toasted raviolis was an important part of our childhood. It’s thrilling to think that you could have authentic t-ravs and a fresh-from-the-tap Wiseacre beer at the same time!”
Wiseacre had already built up a following in the two states after brewmaster and co-founder Davin Bartosch had produced collaborative beers with St. Louis-based Perennial Artisan Ales, 2nd Shift Brewing, and Rockwell Beer company, as well as Indianapolis-based Sun King Brewery.
“When I was living in Chicago brewing beer for Rock Bottom, there was a ton of connectivity with Indiana breweries which led to great relationships and travel to visit friends’ breweries,” added Davin. “The state is full of world-class breweries that have created an amazing beer culture alongside bars, restaurants, and smart consumers. It is an honor for us to begin distribution there this month.”
It’s hard to imagine now, but it’ll get so hot this summer that some reporter somewhere will fry an egg on a sidewalk or bake cookies on the dash of a parked car.
Such illustrations of heat border on cliche. They’ve been done to death because they work and, let’s admit it, they’re kind of fun.
But sidewalks and parked cars lack a real utility. Would you eat that egg? Would you leave cookies on the dash as a shortcut for dinner-time desserts? Sounds like domesticity done by Bear Grylls.
This stupidawful polar vortex is an extreme (and unprecedented) weather event in Memphis. It’s mucking things up from the interstate to the airport and it’s freezing and bursting pipes and causing falls and, well, the list goes on.
But this weather event has one up on extreme hot temperatures. It offers at least one utility. This polar vortex is a beer fridge.
I popped a few room-temperature cans out back a few nights ago. The temperature was 1 or 2, definitely in the single digits. That polar vortex cured those warm beers (and cured my warm-beer blues).
However, I was not in a beer-mergency. I had cold ones on deck — my outside boiz could take their sweet time. But then I thought, “what if this was a beer-mergency? What would Bear Grylls do?”
There are time-tested methods to quickly chill your oat soda cold, pulled-from-a-Rocky-Mountain-stream kinda cold. The towel wrapper in the freezer method works. Trust me. But I wanted to see how well Mama Nature did it.
Toby Sells
An instant-read thermometer told me it was 71 degrees in my house. The beer was 68 degrees. The temperature outside was 16 degrees.
After five minutes, the beer had cooled to 66 degrees. In another five, it had cooled to 54 degrees. Another five, it was down to 50 degrees.
This part got boring. I was busy. So, I waited another 10 minutes before checking again. It had only cooled to 49 degrees. But at least we were getting somewhere.
Not all beers have to be served teeth-busting cold. Most of them are not supposed to be served that cold. Bud Light (and those like it) should be served at around 38 degrees at the coldest, according to the Home Brewers Association (HBA).
The local IPA I was testing? The HBA says those should be served between 45 degrees-50 degrees. Another 10 minutes, the beer was down to 42 degrees, perfectly quaffable by the HBA guidelines.
So, the Polar Vortex Beer Fridge (patent pending) got the job done to standard in 35 minutes. The beer was plenty cold enough to enjoy it.
Serving temperatures all have to do with aroma and flavor. But I’m not snooty. I like a cold, cold beer. So, I let my beer cool even more. In another 10 minutes, the beer had cooled to 37 degrees and I could hear the Busch beer jingle: “Busch. Beer. Head for the mountains with, Busch. Beer.” I was headed to the mountains but with better beer.
The cold temperatures will definitely turn your warm ones cold. It’s not instant but it works. Hey, we gotta take vortex wins where we can get ’em, right?
Wiseacre Brewing Co. has a new year-round beer, a new variety pack, and it will soon expand into five new states — Kentucky and New Jersey in February, and Colorado, North Carolina, and South Carolina in March.
The Memphis brewery announced the plans Tuesday. The expansion comes after the completion of the company’s new 40,000-square-foot facility in Downtown Memphis late last year.
Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Bow Echo is the new year-round beer from Wiseacre. The hazy IPA joins Tiny Bomb, Ananda, and Gotta Get Up to Get Down in Wiseacre’s full-year lineup. The company describes the beer as having “notes of citrus and tropical fruit and a fluffy texture derived from oats.” Davin Bartosch, Wiseacre co-founder and brewmaster, said the beer is a “child of MemFresh, the rotating series of small-batch IPAs we’ve worked on for a few years.”
“There were a lot of happy IPA fans when we launched the series, and we’ve learned a ton about ingredients and processes on hazy IPAs over those years,” Bartosch said in a statement. ”So, we decided we’d better pump up the volume — literally — and make it available year-round. And, thanks to our new brewery, we have the capacity to get Bow Echo to fans in Memphis and beyond.”
Can’t decide on just one Wiseacre flavor? With a new variety pack coming soon, you won’t have to choose. Look to store shelves soon for a pack that includes Ananda, Gotta Get Up to Get Down, Tiny Bomb, and a rotating seasonal beer. Sun Bump Belgian Wit will be the first of the rotating seasonals.
Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Wiseacre will soon be available in 14 states total, after the expansion into the five new states. The company’s beers are now sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
“In light of COVID, we’ll hold off having events at bars and restaurants for now so we can continue to follow safe business practices for our staff, distributors, retailers, and customers,” said Kellan Bartosch, Wiseacre co-founder. “And while this launch will look very different from those in the past, we are no less excited for it!
Wiseacre Brewing Co.
“We will start shipping beer to new places with the promise that there will be a true on-premise launch down the road when it’s safe. That may be in the summer or it may be well after, but we are committed to bringing the excitement of a market launch when the time is right.
“In the meantime, it is thrilling that, even in these times, we have distributor partners, retailers, and customers in far away places who can’t wait to drink Tiny Bomb and the rest of the Wiseacre family of beers!”
Hook Point Brewing Company is due to land in Collierville by the end of the month.
Hook Point has been flapping its wings in the region for the last three years, distributing its flagship beer Flat Hat American Ale to liquor stores and restaurants.
The beer brand was established in 2017 by veteran naval aviator Mike Sadler, who wanted to follow his quest for adventure after his military retirement. He aimed to create a brand from the term “flat-hat,” which originated from the early days of Naval aviation and means “unauthorized, low-altitude flying” or, broadly speaking, to fly outside the rules.
“As the story goes, a pilot was flying very low down a road and hit a pedestrian on the head, crushing his top hat, hence, the term ‘flat-hat,'” says Sadler. “For us pilots, it was not about being reckless, but about pushing yourself, testing yourself, and being adventurous. Our Flat Hat is meant for those adventurous, active-lifestyle individuals who want to live life full-speed.”
Sadler’s son had been working in the beverage industry and was subsequently linked to a brewery in Atlanta called Second Self Beer Company. From there, a recipe was developed for Flat Hat: a dry, light-bodied ale that could “cool you off without slowing you down.” For the next three years, the beer would be brewed there and distributed here, as well as in northern Mississippi and Nashville.
By 2018, Sadler knew he wanted a home base where he could brew the beer himself. He thought Collierville would be just the place, in part because he lived in the area for 14 years, but also because Collierville didn’t have any breweries.
“Meddlesome was the first to bring something outside of Memphis,” Sadler says. “But there’s still nothing in the southeast. There were a lot of people driving, sometimes every couple of weekends, to taprooms in Downtown Memphis. I thought this would be a good spot that would be convenient for people in this part of town.”
So Sadler leased a 16,000-square-foot building at 184 S. Mount Pleasant and enlisted the help of fellow military veterans and award-winning brewers Jay Marchmon and Stephan “Tank” Emswiler to help develop new recipes and tweak existing ones.
Six additional core beers were created, all of which center around aviation themes: Inky Barley Scottish Stout, Haze Gray New England-style IPA, Cat Shot Kolsch, Skyhook West Coast IPA, 3-Wire Belgian Tripel, and gluten-free Hangar Queen Bitter.
Only Flat Hat has been distributed here so far, but the group has used local festivals and tastings to introduce their newer creations to the public.
One of the crowd-pleasers has been Inky Barley. Named after a bombing range in California, the full-bodied stout features notes of chocolate and coffee with a hint of smokiness.
Two other favorites: Haze Gray and Hangar Queen. “There were people who didn’t know that Hangar Queen was gluten-free when they tried it,” says Marchmon.
Hook Point is working on developing non-alcoholic beverages like n/a beer, kombucha, soda, and nitro cold brew coffee. Some of these may be used in brew recipes. “We’re definitely going to be using the coffee in some of our stouts and porters,” Marchmon says.
Sadler hopes to be open for business by October 31st, but due to Collierville laws requiring that 50 percent of the gross revenue come from food and because of COVID-19 restrictions, they will be open only for curbside service.
Eventually, they may add a restaurant to the Collierville location, but Sadler has also considered opening a taproom in Downtown Memphis.
“There’s a building in place, and a developer interested in bringing us in,” Sadler says. “We’ve had some discussions. But before I commit, I want to get this place up and running.”
Now, Flat Hat can be found at various liquor stores and restaurants. For a full list of locations and information on the grand opening, visit hookpointbrewing.com or flathat.com.
Hook Point Brewing Company is located at 184 S. Mount Pleasant, Collierville.
Toby Sells 
Toby Sells 
Wiseacre Brewing Co. 
Wiseacre Brewing Co. 
Wiseacre Brewing Co. 
Wiseacre Brewing Co. 