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Sprung!

Meddlesome Brewing Company Dad Jeans German Pilsner (Photo: Chris McCoy)

The leaves are green. The bugs are back. Mowers whine at all hours. That can only mean one thing: It’s time to change what kind of beer you’re drinking. 

Not hyperbole here: There has never been a better time to drink beer in Memphis than now. Taprooms and store aisles are flooded with more beers from more breweries producing more styles than ever before. You like rosé? We got you. Pickles? Dern tootin’. Milkshake? You betcha. Beer-flavored beer? Let’s get started. 

To survey the Memphis beer selection this spring, I invited the Flyer newsroom homies to my house. Shopped for nacho bar fixin’s. Then, I embarked on an epic beer run. 

I was a little surprised to see I was not the first customer at Buster’s Liquors & Wines when it first opened Thursday. I asked the very nice lady in “the pit” (that’s what they call the big cash register situation by the doors), and she directed me to Alton Ford. 

Ford’s job title? “Beer expert.” After shopping with him for 10 minutes, I knew he’d earned that. He said Memphians love to drink local and the palate trends toward IPAs and sours. But just like most places, Memphis changes its beers with the weather. 

“Drinking seasonally just fits with the temperature outside,” Ford said. “You’re going to get those darker beers in the winter and they’re going to get heavy, and you’re not going to be able to drink many of them. [Now] you want something that you can be out in the heat with.” 

At Joe’s Wines & Liquor, the always-great Sisco Larson pointed me to a panoply of new craft singles from Memphis breweries. He said, “Everybody drinks seasonally.” While there are some who drink Tiny Bomb as their go-to, “people love variety.” There has never been such an abundance of variety in Memphis as now, he said. 

“We’ve got better here — both brewed here and available here — than we ever have,” Larson said. 

My last stop was the also always great South Point Grocery. No beer folks were on hand to help me through my selection, but I barely needed them. Their shelves are always full of the best and newest beers — sporting a big, old, rocket-shaped neon sign with the word “beer” on it to guide you home. They have a great selection of locals but they’re often one of the first to get new beers that have just entered the Memphis market. 

Here’s how we make this guide: I get a bunch of seasonal beers. (We try to sample as many local breweries as we can but it’s impossible to cover them all.) We taste them. We write down what we think about them. We’re not beer experts. But we drink beer and support local beer. Our opinions aren’t technical, and beer folk may scoff. But we are a sample of the Memphis market. I say all of this to temper expectations here. So instead of saying “high-gravity,” we’d probably say, “This’ll get you fucked up.” Flyer-style. 

For these tasting events, I enlist a guide. The best brewers in Memphis have sat around with the Flyer crew over the years explaining things like, “What’s the difference between a sour and a gose?” and “Is this supposed to taste like bananas?” 

Memphis Filling Station’s Bryan Berretta and Toby Sells 

This year, Bryan Berretta, a founder and brewer at Memphis Filling Station (MFS), plied us through the sometimes murky waters of beer styles and flavors. MFS has been around since 2013 and opened its taproom doors this year. I asked Berretta if Memphis was developing as a beer town. “Yes, and it gets better every year,” Berretta said, “the diversity of the breweries and the camaraderie between the breweries, as well.” — Toby Sells

Meddlesome Brewing Company 

Dad Jeans German Pilsner

Crisp. Super dry. Dad Jeans remains a perfect pilsner, and perfect for spring.

— TS 

This was my favorite beer to return to as a palate cleanser after all the fruity, gimmicky beers. — Alex Greene 

When people talk about a beer that’s good to have after a hot day spent mowing the yard, this what they’re talking about. The German pilsner has a crisp, clean taste with just a hint of a bitter finish. It’ll bring a little flavor to your sweaty Saturday. — Chris McCoy

It’s like sneaking the last sip of your grandpa’s beer while he piddles around in the backyard to get away from your grandma. You can’t tell if it’s just a bit of water from the garden hose or a dribble of grandpa sweat or condensation from the bottle, but you can stomach it, just with a bit of disappointment. — Abigail Morici 

Hampline Brewing Company 

Memphis Natch Lager

Another beer perfect for spring. It’s a bit maltier than Dad Jeans. But good as hell when the beer is cold as hell.— TS 

It’s only 4.6 percent alcohol. I like that. It comes across light at first, but then reveals a deeper body as it lingers. — AG

This lager is probably my favorite Hampline product. It’s got a bit thicker mouthfeel than your average summer patio drink, and a fine, rich flavor. It’s a sturdy, balanced brew. — CM

Creature Comforts 

Spring (Belgian-style white ale)

Spring (the beer) shows the continued excellence of this Athens-based brewery. Tons of oranges on the can. Perfect amount of orange in the beer. — TS

Citrusy, floral, and fresh, but it’s not tart like the Lemon Radler NA. It’s a different kind of citrusy. It’s a nice dry, basic beer. Very quaffable. — AG

I’ll be frank. This beer doesn’t have much flavor. The mouthfeel is minimal. But you know what? I could see myself drinking way too many of these at a spring or summer music festival. — CM

I kept wanting to drink this, not because I liked it necessarily, but because with every sip came a sort of fizz that tingled on my tongue in such an anticlimactic way that had me asking: Is that it? — AM

Athletic Brewing Company 

Ripe Pursuit Lemon Radler (non-alcoholic) 

It’s good. It feels like a beer in your mouth, not beer-flavored water. — TS

Nobody does NA beer better than Athletic, and this is no exception. It’s got a subtle citrus flavor that sets it apart. Yummy, and very refreshing. — CM

Super tart, sorta sour, and not too sweet. Flavor-wise, this reminds me of a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. A sixer of those while porch swingin’ on a summer day in my 20s was perfection. As a newly old person in my 40s, this hits that nostalgic spot — but without the hangover. 

— Shara Clark

Memphis Filling Station

Crescent Wrench Rosé Farmhouse Ale (Saison)

Saisons are another rite of spring and the array of styles are wide. This one nails the rosé flavor. Bryan said if someone comes into MFS and says they don’t like beer, they give them this one. I can see why. 

— TS

This is a new way to have fruitiness in a beer, with a profile almost like that of wine. Quite intriguing, but I would probably just have wine if I wanted wine. 

— AG

I’ve had beers that were supposedly inspired by wine before, and I’ve never been very impressed. This one is the exception. It brings complex, fruity flavors to the table, but its dry finish means it’s not overpowering. It’s the rare flavored beer that won’t outstay its welcome. — CM  

“For people who don’t like beer,” said the drink’s creator. … I like this beverage. What does that say about me? What does that say about my beer reviews? This drink gives people existential crises. 

— AM

Flyway Brewing Company 

Bluewing Blueberry Wheat

I fell in love with this beer on a rooftop bar in Hot Springs. Now that it’s moved to town … I still love it. I do. We’re just … in a routine now. (Srsly, tho. A tasty choice for that friend who’s not a big beer fan.) — TS

The color is an attractive purple haze. But blueberries and beer do not mix for me. This leans into its fruitiness like a stack of flapjacks and that’s not for me.

 — AG

This blueberry beer is … blue. At least as blue as a wheat beer can get without adding food coloring. How does it taste? Not very blue. In fact, it’s kind of watery, with a distant suggestion of blueberries. It’s the LaCroix of beers. — CM

Southern Grist 

‘Mosa (mimosa-inspired sour ale)

It smells like orange juice when you pour it. (In a great way.) If you close your eyes and squint while you taste it … I don’t know, dude. It tastes just like a mimosa. (In a great way.) — TS

Okay, 5.8 percent alcohol. Whoa. A definite mimosa flavor. This is hazier than hazy. It’s cloudy, murky with mango. 

— AG

Another stunt beer that sticks the landing, this Nashville creation aims to taste like a mimosa and succeeds more completely than I could have imagined. (Did I just compliment something from Nashville? I must be slipping.) Having said that, it seems kind of redundant. If you’re in the mood for a mimosa, why not just have a mimosa? Also, it looks like Tang. — CM

Wellness Brewing Company

Intentional IPA (non-alcoholic) 

IPA-flavored water. — TS

Do you drink beer for a buzz or for the taste? Neither, you say? Well, you’re in luck! This NA option is mild for an IPA, with only a light punch to the taste buds and back of the tongue (does this work as another way to say “mouthfeel”?). Typical IPAs are a hops overload for me — like spicy Pine-Sol — so this toned-down version was actually tolerable. — SC

Wiseacre Brewing Co. 

Sky Dog Chelada

Sky Dog is the best light beer in America. That’s according to the gold medal Wiseacre took home in the best American Light Lager category at the Great American Beer Festival. Boom! This is the chelada style. I went full michelada with a bottle of Clamato. As if this beer needed any more rizz … but dang! If that’s your kind of thing, this is your kind of thing. — TS

Pretty good for a pre-mixed version of the classic Mexican beer/lime wedge combination. But why? I like squeezing real lime into my favorite Mexican beers. And I avoid the salt. But if you were in a rush to slam back a beverage without pausing to squeeze a lime, I guess this makes sense? — AG

Wiseacre has a genuine hit on their hands with Sky Dog. It’s well-balanced perfection with only 99 calories per can. It guilds the lily with a touch of lime and salt. This was by far my favorite beer from our tasting. — CM

This is like making a salsa that has an overpowering taste of lime and salt and you’re wondering why no one likes it and you’re trying not to let your feelings get hurt but they are and now there’s a beer that tastes just like it so you feel validated because now you know that lime and salt are good flavors but also you’re confused because surely your salsa wasn’t that bad if people are willing to drink a drink that has an overpowering flavor of lime and salt? And then it’s like do you need new friends? Can Sky Dog be your new friend? — AM

Grind City Brewing Company

Krispy Treat

It’s a fun one-off! While the motivation is perplexing, this beer smells and tastes like Rice Krispies Treats. Fun stuff. — TS

Maybe poured over a bowl of ice cream, or you could make a beer float with this. The marshmallow was enough to put me off. But marshmallow plus a hint of sulfur is really a losing combination. — AG

Nope. — CM

Ice cream wastewater that smells like a dog fart so bad that it would wake a dog up from the deepest of slumbers. — AM

Crosstown Brewing Company 

Vision Board Mixed Berry Sour

It’s a solid sour. I’ll drink it in the winter for a spring-y pick-me-up as I watch snow fall outside the Young Avenue Deli. 

— TS

It’s a very grown-up mixed berry. It’s subtle, I’ll give it that. But it’s still berry. 

— AG

This beer smells like the beloved candy Smarties. It also tastes like Smarties, and I mean that in a good way. — CM

Picture Valentine’s Day from your childhood: candy hearts, Sweetarts, Smarties — all those chalky candies that made your stomach churn with delight. Now imagine that liquified, but also imagine the bitterness you felt when you were the only one in third grade who didn’t get the “You Are Pawsome” card with the holographic puppy from Jessica C. You’ll feel done dirty after this drink. Cue the stomach churning as the sugar rush fueled by resentment (for this drink? for memories of Jessica C.?) ushers in a pounding headache.— AM

Hampline Brewing Company

Cherry Bomb (sour)

“It’s like a sweet-sour cocktail with rock n roll sensibilities,” says Hampeline’s website. Yep. The cherry flavor was juuuuuuusssst right, too. — TS

Of all the fruity beers, I much prefer the cherry because of that sourness. It almost reminds me of the ‘Mosa one; it has that combination of fruity and bubbly that’s like a mimosa. But I prefer the Cherry Bomb because it’s tarter. — AG

I think part of the recent popularity of sours is because of their versatility. If you’re going to add a non-malt, non-hops flavor to your beer, sours provide a good base to work from. The Cherry Bomb proves the rule, with a tastefully applied hint of cherry at the end. I liked it, and I generally don’t like cherries. — CM

Hi Wire Brewing Co. 

Wickles Hula Pickle Beer

Pickle beers have been a thing for a minute. Never tried one. This one from Hi Wire comes with a magic trick. The pickle smell when you pour it disappears from any pickle flavor in the beer. Wha? 

— TS

I like eating pickles with beer, but I don’t need it all together. And the pineapple in this is a deal-breaker for me. This is the beer version of Jumping the Shark. It’s trying too hard. It’s like, “Let’s throw pineapple in there; then everyone will be happy!” But it’s not win-win. It’s lose-lose. Commit to the pickles. — AG

Okay, listen up. This is an intervention. I know we’re out there searching for new flavor combinations, and that’s an admirable frame of mind. We all applaud that. — CM

WHERE IS THE PICKLE? YOU SAY PICKLE; I EXPECT PICKLE. — AM

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. 

Trail Pass IPA (non-alcoholic)

The Sierra Nevada website describes this beer as having a “silky malt body and clean hop bitterness.” I haven’t had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in years, but this NA was distinctly Sierra Nevada. It’s skunky and mouth-puckeringly bitter. Ever thought about dipping an old sock into pine cleaner, letting it dry, then stuffing it in your mouth? Now you’re parched and all you can taste is pine needles. Does that sound enjoyable to you? Does it?! — SC

Soul & Spirits Brewery 

Bring It Home (Bavarian helles lager)

“Hell-uss” or “hells”? I got two different answers and figured out it doesn’t matter. Helles lagers are synonymous with spring beer. You should bring this one home. 

— TS

This is a generic tasting lager, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But this particular lager doesn’t elevate itself above a traditionally crowded field. It’s another good music festival beer. — CM

Memphis Made Brewing Company 

Tan Lines (kolsch brewed with tangerine)

Another great example of a fruit-flavored beer with juuusssst enough fruit. Another great rec for friends who “don’t like beer.” 

— TS

You expect the tangerine flavor to bring a wave of sticky sweetness, but that’s not what happens. This 5.1 percent ABV beverage surprises by balancing out the tangerine with a hoppy bitter finish. It’s an intriguing change of pace. — CM

Fry up some wonton strips because this beer is duck sauce in a can. I like duck sauce, and I like it with my wonton crispies. Maybe this is the closest I can get to drinking duck sauce in a socially acceptable way. — AM 

Memphis Filling Station

Muffler Belt Milkshake IPA

Just pouring this one I could tell it was gonna be dank af. It’s an orange milkshake in a can with alcohol. Even the vanilla ice cream is there. Pour it in a coconut and add a pineapple slice and one of those little umbrellas. Perfect for the Secret Beach. — TS

Soul & Spirits Brewery 

Love Vibration Milkshake Mud Island Ale

It’s smoky and thick. Not my thing. But it does show the incredible variety of beers made in Memphis and the incredible talent of the brewers who make them. — TS    

Tastes like a long, uncomfortable, one-sided conversation with your coffee-breathed neighbor as she smokes her cigarette. Mosquitos are biting your ankles, it’s hot, pollen is getting between your toes in your flip-flops, and the combo of the smoke and the coffee is just giving you a headache as the sun sets. You want to make it stop, but you don’t want to be rude. So you keep listening (and you keep drinking). You’ll avoid this one next time. — AM 

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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: RiverBeat, Drama, and a Beer Prediction

Posted to Facebook by RiverBeat

Memphis on the internet.

RiverBeat

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.

Agreed. Second round on us.

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Cover Feature News

IPA All the Way

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.

Eyebrows raised everywhere. Headlines stacked up. Message boards dripped with disbelief.

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.

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News News Blog News Feature

Odd Bills: Lawmakers Take Aim at Cold Beer, Service Animals, and the United Nations

(Credit: Blake Guidry on Unsplash)

Do you want keep buying cold beer from the store? 

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. 

HB 1909 

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…”

HB2031

This one does have bearing in Memphis. 

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. 

HB 1635 

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.”

 HJR 0803

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.”

You thought I was kidding. 

HJR 0849

Also here: “Urges the United States to withdraw from the United Nations.”

SB  2153

This one is so specific, it sounds personal. 

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.”

HJR 0689

So, just…like…keep on doing what we’re doing, I guess. 

The bill “urges Congress to keep the power to declare war and for the National Guard to be protected from executive power.”

SB 2636

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. 

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Skol-astic Adult Book Fair

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.

Categories
Cover Feature Food & Drink News

Fall Back, Drink Forward

Photos: Chris McCoy

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

Tailgate

Peanut Butter Milk Stout, sweet/milk stout, 5.8 percent ABV

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

Categories
Cover Feature News

Summer Suds

Photo: Dmytro Denysov | Dreamstime.com

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

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Wiseacre Expands Distribution to Indiana and Missouri

Credit: Wiseacre

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.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Consumer Alert: Testing the Polar Vortex Beer Fridge

CREDIT: Toby Sells

Toby Sells

Voting has begun for the Memphis Flyer’s 2021 Beer Bracket Challenge. The city’s nine (nine!) breweries are squaring off once again in our 5th annual March-Madness-style competition. Let your voice be heard!

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 stupid awful 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?

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Wiseacre Adds Five States, New Year-Round Beer

Wiseacre Brewing Co.

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!”