Fall beer made in Memphis

Cold and dark, the fall weather is falling in line with our favorite fall beers. Autumn brings big transitions. Tropical IPAs and shandies give way to stouts and porters, those golden, carefree rays of summer unable to penetrate their contemplative depths. Yes, drinking seasonally is about variety, says Clark Ortkiese, co-founder of Crosstown Brewing Co., but it’s about seasonal psychology, too.

“As the seasons change, our psyche changes,” Ortkiese says. “Your mindset is so different. As you get towards winter, you get more complacent. We’re all kind of hunkering down.

“In the summer, you’re at the pool or you’re at a concert; you want a beer that you’re going to carry with you. It’s crushable. You want to have lower gravity because you’re having fun with your friends. In the winter, you are more likely to be sitting, cold in a bar or at your house, and you’re drinking something strong. So you want to sip it. You want to get that alcohol buzz.”

For this year’s fall beer guide, we rounded up a bunch of the best Memphis seasonal beers. All are available in cans almost anywhere you can find finer beers.

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 comment, not as beer experts, but as the typical Memphis beer consumer.

But we did have expert help. This year Ortkiese helped us to understand the different styles and to pick out flavors of the beers we tasted in an undisclosed Midtown backyard as a few staffers drank beers from a cooler and wrote about them — as part of their job. Hell yeah.

There are plenty of new and seasonal beers to love on this list — and we did love many. But don’t take our word for it. Light out into the dark cold and taste some for yourself. — Toby Sells

Meddlesome Brewing Co.
Stupid Good Seltzer
Sassy, tangy, light. If TikTok was a drink, it would be Stupid Good. — Bruce VanWyngarden

Oddly enough, it’s fitting that we began our Fall Beer Guide tasting with a hard seltzer. True, it’s not actually a beer, but Meddlesome’s Stupid Good Seltzer comes on like the last hurrah of summer. In Memphis, home of Falsetober, where the seasons are indecisive at best, one last sip of summer isn’t out of place. Still, this would taste better poolside or after mowing the lawn. Bring on the falling leaves — and the darker beers please. — Jesse Davis

In true seltzer style, this tastes like a hint of the fruits on the label. If you shout “Orange! Passion fruit! Guava!” from another room and add a kick of carbonation, this is that. As a seltzer fan, I love it. — Shara Clark

Tastes a bit flat, but the fruit flavors aren’t too strong, which I like. Doesn’t have that weird tinny taste like a Truly or White Claw. An excellent seltzer for summertime, by the pool or at the beach. Maybe not for fall, though. — Samuel X. Cicci

When you crack open one of these, it smells like a Bath & Body works hand sanitizer exploded, and to be frank, it tastes like one, too. — Abigail Morici

This 4.5 ABV seltzer features an unusual combination of flavors: orange, passion fruit, and guava. It smells like baby aspirin and tastes like LaCroix sparkling water. I’m not a hard seltzer drinker, but I would choose this over White Claw. — Chris McCoy

It’s dry, light, and bubbly. It’s a well-done, grown-up seltzer. — Toby Sells

Grind City Brewing
Poppy’s Pils
Non-assertive, eager-to-please, needs seasoning. The intern of beers. — BV

Poppy’s Pils American Pilsner is light, crisp, and bubbly. Here we have another example of a good pool beer. This pilsner invites some flavor to the party, but it’s not enough to make your taste buds do a double take. With the lower alcohol content and unobtrusive flavor profile, Poppy’s Pils would be a good fit for a music festival. Remind me of this one when Memphis in May rolls around again. — JD

This smells more like beer than it tastes? There’s cold carbonation on my tongue but not much flavor. Seems like the type of beer you could shotgun pretty easily because it goes down like water. — SC

It feels like I’m drinking a domestic light beer. Not much taste, and a very thin, watery substance to it. Perfect if I’m rolling up to a frat party or a game of beer pong … but I’m not in college anymore. — SXC

A golden color in the glass, at least it looks good. Are pilsners supposed to be nearly tasteless? If so, this one is a success. — CM

This does what pilsners are supposed to do. As for flavor, it’s three shades paler than Tiny Bomb. — TS

Crosstown Brewing Co.
Hatch Me Outside
This one’s crispy with a light smoky flavor and a touch of heat. And it works. How ’bout that? — BV

With this brew from Crosstown Brewing, we ratchet the intensity up a notch. Hatch Me Outside is a darker golden color. The brewery uses Hatch peppers, roasted on-site, which give the brew a faintly smoky flavor. Taken with the spicy kick from the peppers, this is the beer to grab for taco night. My advice? Swing by Crosstown to snap up a six-pack, cruise down Summer Avenue in search of tacos, and you’ve got a recipe for thankful taste buds. — JD

Welcome to FlavorTown! This is pepper-forward, for sure. Initial taste reminds me of the pepper sauce you pour over greens. All I need now is a plate of hot wings. — SC

A blonde ale but with Hatch green chile in it! The taste reminds me of my days growing up in New Mexico. The batch seems a bit spicier this year but never threatens to overtake it. My favorite beer. — SXC

It’s like they took Hot & Spicy Cheez-Its and liquefied them, and I do like me some Hot & Spicy Cheez-Its. Turns out, I like them in liquid form, too. — AM

Crosstown Brewing has refined this recipe after last year’s debut. There’s no hint of the peppers in the smell, but the flavor is richer and deeper, with just a hint of spice. It’s no longer a stunt beer but a mature product. — CM

Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Moon Biscuits
Foamy head with a malty finish. Deep amber color. Good fire pit beer. — BV

As a fan of amber ales, I was predisposed to like Moon Biscuits. With a darker amber color, a biscuity thickness, and a hint of sweetness, this brew feels like a solid pick for a porch beer session in jacket weather. The Georges Méliès “A Trip to the Moon”-inspired can art doesn’t hurt Moon Biscuits’ chances of ending up in my shopping cart. — JD

This kinda reminds me of eating dessert. Would totally drink this while admiring a full moon. — SC

The best part of this beer is the orange/red color, like a fall sunset. I love amber beers, and this one is drinkable, but not particularly outstanding, flavor-wise. — CM

A warm, winter-holiday pastry in your glass. — TS

Beale Street Brewing Co.
Born Under a Bad Sign – Memphis Mule
I love Beale Street Brewing’s Hopnotizing Minds and Love & Hoppiness beers, so I know I’m a fan of that brewery. That said, Born Under a Bad Sign did not do much for me. It’s got a minty flavor that was an automatic “no” from me. This brew might be for someone, but that someone isn’t me. — JD

Incredibly confusing for my palate. Lime, peppermint; sour, minty. Somehow these don’t seem to belong together. — SC

This one is all over the place with hints of ginger, lime, and peppermint. Slightly too busy. Needs to settle down and behave itself. — BV

Lime? Peppermint? Ginger? What? I’m no opponent of strange flavor mixes, but there’s a lot going on here. It’ll reel me in out of curiosity, but whew, I’m not sure I can handle a whole can. I’ll leave it to the more adventurous types. — SXC

You can tell from the title that there’s too much going on with this beer. It has little carbonation, no legs, and smells like menthol. It’s confused, gimmicky, and kind of a mess. — CM

Yes, there’s a lot going on here. But Beale Street said so on the can. The ginger/peppermint thing hits in a holiday way. — TS

Hook Point Brewing
Cat Shot Kolsch
A little cloudy in the glass. Crisp and tasty and finishes with a light bitterness. It can sleep in your lap. — BV

Beer! It tastes like beer! This is an unassuming brew. It’s a kölsch, which Crosstown Brewing’s Clark Ortkiese, our guide on this beer-tasting adventure, explained is a hybrid between an ale and a lager. Cat Shot is light and a bit bitter. It’s less adventurous than some of the brews on display, but that might be a good thing. Cat Shot is tasty without quite being a favorite. I don’t mean to be catty, but it’s not quite the cat’s meow. Or the cat’s pajamas. Good though. — JD

This would be more of a summer beer for me. As bitter as your ex. — SC

A bit bitter? Are they supposed to be this bitter? Not quite what I want from a kölsch. — SXC

Kölsches are somewhere between ales and lagers, kind of a light version of an Altbier. This one is a little more bitter than most kölsches, so if that’s your jam, you might like it. — CM

Hampline Brewing Co.
Bock Seat Driver
Starts out sweet and finishes with a woody flavor that’s not at all unpleasant. It can take the wheel. — BV

The Bock Seat Driver is more than just a punny name. This beer packs an 8.8 percent ABV punch, so if you’re drinking these, you better be prepared to sit in the backseat. (Please drink responsibly and don’t drive.) Hampline’s offering has a darker amber color, and it’s a little cloudy. It’s a little malty, a little sweet, and would be a nice addition to a build-your-own six-pack of local fall brews. — JD

Woah! A lot going on here. Big flavor. Sits on the tongue like an inflatable water slide. What does that mean? I’m not entirely sure. — SC

Huh. Interesting. Very malty, but a little on the fruity/sweet side for a bock, personally. But it did get me thinking about some cool punny names if I were ever to make a bock. — SXC

There’s not much to the nose in this bock, but when you taste it, it becomes a big-ass beer with a light mouthfeel, although it’s a little on the sweet side. At 8.8 percent ABV, Bock Seat Driver is an intense experience. — CM

This bock is sweet and clean. At 8 percent ABV, there’s no surprise it’s a bit boozy, too. — TS

Memphis Made Brewing Co.
Plaid Attack
Sure, and it’s a smooth beer, me laddie. Non-aggressive and laid-back. A muted plaid. — BV

Plaid Attack had the deck stacked against it before I popped the top on the can. First, Memphis Made’s Fireside is one of my favorite beers. Second, High Cotton’s Scottish Ale is something of the local gold standard for the style. So I was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed this one. Again, we see a darker amber color. Plaid Attack comes on with a mellow beginning, with a tang to the aftertaste. This would be a good beer for soup night. — JD

Super carbonated, and light and drinkable for a Scottish, in my opinion. I could drink this one year-round. — SC

It’s a solid Scottish Ale, but I just can’t avoid comparisons with High Cotton’s take, which is king in this town. Now, Fireside, on the other hand … — SXC

I wouldn’t say I have a mature palate by any means, but the aftertaste from this tastes a bit like pool water — specifically pool water from a rich person’s pool. Maybe I drank too much pool water as a kid, but I didn’t hate it. — AM

The label says Scottish ale, but the color is more like an amber, and the mouthfeel is on the lighter side of the spectrum. Still, it’s a pleasing, if pedestrian, drink. — CM

High Cotton Brewing Co.
Chocolate Rye Porter
A rich, dark, chewy brew that will ride along nicely from fall into the cold months ahead. —BV

This porter smells like chocolate. It’s sweet, but not overwhelmingly so, and lighter than you might expect when looking at the dark brown color. Another great porch beer, when temperatures dip below 70 degrees, I’m heading for High Cotton’s Chocolate Rye Porter. This is one of my favorites of the night. — JD

Get out your head lamp and gather the kindling. This is the beer for your fall fire pit. — SC

Not that sweet, which is nice, and intermingles chocolate and some coffee notes, dare I say. A fairly heavy blend that goes down pretty smoothly. It’s a perfect beer to sip while sitting around a campfire or fire pit. One might say a perfect beer for fall. We have a winner! — SXC

I had low expectations for this one — I like to keep my chocolate separate from my beer. But I have to say, I could go for seconds and thirds of this. — AM

No Memphis breweries do dark beers better than High Cotton, and this one is dark AF. More chocolate, less rye, this is a rich, thick beer that eats like a meal. This is what I want when I’m sitting around a fire, and it’s the only beer I went in for seconds during our outdoor tasting session. — CM

This beer is a time machine straight to the heart of the holidays. Chocolate, spice, and everything nice. — TS

Ghost River Brewing Co.
No new Ghost River releases could be found during our beer guide shopping trip. But their Grind-N-Shine Coffee Cream Ale is fall in your glass all year long. It’s light, frothy, and the coffee flavor is not hard to find. Easy to drink. Easy to enjoy. — TS

Last week, Richard Murff, who shares this column space with me, bemoaned the pumpkin-flavored beer trend. I’m right there with him. I also urge him to step back into the beer cooler and reach for a can or a growler of Wiseacre’s Holy Candy. It’s flavored with figs, not pumpkins — 400 pounds of figs in fact, according to Wiseacre brewmaster Davin Bartosch, a native Memphian who runs the Broad Avenue brewery with his brother Kellan.

“When I was brewing in Chicago,” Bartosch says of his time at Rock Bottom Brewery, “I made a beer called Drunken Angel, which was a Belgian dubbel made with raisins.”

Belgian dubbel refers to a rich, malty style of beer that tastes mild with slight hints of spice and caramel flavors. The brew originally hails from a Trappist monastery in Antwerp, Belgium, where it gained fame in the 1850s. After World War II, the dubbel gained international fame. It skyrocketed in the 1980s with the introduction of Chimay Première (Red), a Trappist brand that’s still brewed by monks at the Notre-Dame de Scourmont Abbey.

The Belgian dubbel is a fantastic addition to the fall palate — despite the current heat wave. I’ve drunk it with a few seasonal menu items, including sausages and stinky cheese. Holy Candy goes down superbly well with fall greens like Swiss chard, or with rich, aged cheeses like a triple-cream Brillat-Savarin, which comes from Normandy, just down the coast from Antwerp. Or, if you’re counting calories but still want to enjoy a beer, try pairing a glass with a kale, cranberry, and pecan salad. Drunken Angel netted a bronze medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, yet after returning to Memphis in early 2013, Bartosch decided to retool the recipe. “The raisins,” he says, “made the beer taste iron-y — not that it had irony, but that it had a metallic flavor.” Figs mellowed the taste, and in fall 2013, Holy Candy was born.

Traditionally, Belgian dubbels are made with dark candy sugar, which is slightly burnt. Using figs adds flavor, according to Bartosch, without making the beer itself taste overtly sweet.

“What I try to tell people who get kind of freaked out thinking it’s a sweet beer is that it smells sweet, but it’s actually a very dry beer,” he says. “As part of the brewing process, we always measure the sugar content of the liquid, and this one finishes with less sugar than most of the beers we make.”

Bartosch describes the brewing process for Holy Candy as “remarkably simple.”

“First,” he says, “we make the beer: Once the beer is in the tank with the yeast, we just dump a bunch of fruit in the tank, and the yeast eats those sugars, as well. Yeast needs nutrition from the grain, so we start there and add the fruit later.”

As anyone who has cooked with figs before knows, the sticky fruit can leave behind a mess. Yet in the brewing tanks, the beer rises to the top, leaving the solids at the bottom. “When we’re done, we pressurize the whole tank and blow everything out of the bottom that is solid,” Bartosch explains. “The figs end up getting fed to cows, which are fed just about every oddball agricultural project we have, with the exception being coffee we’ve used to brew our coffee beer.”

In August, Wiseacre put out a call for local figs in exchange for coupons for the finished beer. Bartosch estimates that at least a dozen people brought in a pound to five pounds apiece; most were of the Calimyrna variety. A few hundred pounds of Black Mission figs were shipped in from California to fulfill the recipe. This year’s batch of Holy Candy was brewed in September and hit the streets in mid-October. Bartosch expects that growlers and cans will be available until the end of the year. Holy Candy is hardly the only fruit- or vegetable-flavored beer brewed at Wiseacre. Bartosch has also “messed around” with passionfruit, berries, and fresh corn. Holy Candy is also not the only fig-flavored beer on the market: Other craft varieties which occasionally show up in Memphis coolers include the Fig Lebowski, a “winter warmer” brewed by Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, Michigan.