Tag: High Cotton Brewing Co.

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Free Falling … With Beer

Clark Ortkiese (l) and Toby Sells (r) on the job in the undisclosed Midtown backyard, where staffers were drafted for a hefty, definitely not lightweight, assignment.

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.”

(Photos: Chris McCoy)

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

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

How to Drink a Beer

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Memphis Made Brewing Company has been in operation about 10 months and has introduced 16 styles of beer to the Memphis market. Two new IPAs are being introduced this month, including Guitar Attack in bottles and a Golden Ale especially for Gonerfest aptly named GBR. Their popular Lucid Kolsch is slated to be their first year-round offering.

When it comes to advising one on how to drink a beer, Memphis Made co-owner Andy Ashby puts it plainly: Hold glass, tilt, don’t choke. Brewmaster Drew Barton takes the question a bit more seriously. His first bit of advice? Don’t smoke. “It distracts from the flavors,” he says, adding, “Also, it’s so bad for you.”

Ashby, who has now put out his one cigarette of the day, says that temperature is also important for serving different styles of beer. “Ales, and we just brew ales, generally speaking, can go warmer than lagers,” he says. “The English drink their beer cool not cold. The mass majority of Americans like to drink their lighter lagers really cold.” Ashby notes that while a PBR will not improve in taste 30 minutes after being opened, a stout or a porter may very well taste better and have more flavor after it warms.

Barton says there’s a reason to drink cheap beer cold — to mute the flavors. Ashby agrees saying that really, really cold beer stuns the taste buds, which are the gatekeepers.

Barton says 40 to 45 degrees is a good temperature depending on the beer. “Some brewers put suggestions on the bottle for temperatures and style of glass, but they aren’t hard and fast. You don’t have to drink Chimay out of a Chimay glass,” he says.

Both Ashby and Barton liken the temperature issue to wine. In general, red wine is better at room temperature and white is better chilled — although Barton reserves the right to put ice cubes in his red.

Ashby also advises using a clean glass. Barton agrees, “A dirty glass can cause an off flavor. Any film will cause nucleation sites. Bubbles form and while the head retention may be better, it will decarbonate quicker,” he says. Ashby, translating, says, “If bubbles stick to the side of your glass, it isn’t clean.”

Speaking of head, Ashby says a pinky’s worth is a good measure. “How much head depends on style. The Brits like no head, or less than one centimeter. Belgium styles may have two inches.”

Barton adds, “Belgians argue that you should pour straight and foam it up.” Ashby offers his advice on a proper pour: “Hold it at a 45 degree angle. Get the tap close to the lip of the far side of the glass and make sure it is fully open. Fill it two-thirds or three-fourths of the way and then level out the glass to finish filling.”

Ashby and Barton are in the process of finishing a taproom and patio and hope to have them open in the next month or so.

Justin Fox Burks

High Cotton

High Cotton Brewing Company’s taproom (598 Monroe) is open Thursdays (4-8ish), Fridays (4-10ish) and Saturdays (2-10ish) and features seven to eight beers, including the ESB, Biere de Garde, CT Czar IPA, Hefeweizen, Scottish Ale, Pilsner, and Milk Stout. They also have 160 taps around town.

Owner Brice Timmons is the go-to guy for anyone who wants to feel really good about drinking beer. “Drink beer with family and friends. Beer is about community and friendship,” he says. “It’s quite literally the origin of civilization.”

Beat that, wine!

Timmons says that monolithic hunters and gatherers had a more varied diet than farmers and had more time for leisure and socialization. “Anthropologists spent decades trying to figure out why anyone would choose farming. It was to grow grain to make beer,” he says. “The point being that humans have developed a civilization in which beer and community are inextricably linked. We do ourselves a service when we gather in clean, well-lit places to drink beer and spend time with friends and family.”

His second piece of advice on how to drink a beer is to drink without judgment. “There is no benefit to snobbery. If someone wants a Bud Light from a bottle, that is their business. Likewise, if someone wants a Belgium sour ale in a flared tulip glass at 55 degrees so they can take tasting notes, so be it.”

Personally, Timmons likes to drink beer from a Burgundy wine glass because it focuses the aroma but still has heft. “I like to spend time thinking about the aroma and how it goes from nose to palate to finish seamlessly. When it smells like fresh biscuits, tastes like malty bread, and finishes with the sweetness of toast, it’s a beautiful thing,” he says.

Timmons says that craft beer’s greatest advantage as a beverage is that it’s accessible to everyone. “Even the best beers are affordable, maybe not every day, but … making such an accessible beverage inaccessible through snobbery or pretense doesn’t do a service to anybody.”

On October 4th, High Cotton will be tapping a special release Oktoberfest lager as part of their block-wide Oktoberfest celebration from noon to 7 p.m. General admission is $40 (VIPs $100 per person or $150 per couple). There will be all the beer you can get to the front of the line for, a whole pig roast, a buffet including locally made bratwurst, traditional fermented delights like sauerkraut and dill pickles, folk music, traditional music, and family-friendly activities.

Justin Fox Burks

Wiseacre

Wiseacre Brewing Company offers two year-round beers in cans — Ananda IPA and Tiny Bomb American Pilsner — and features those as well as a host of other beers in its taproom (2783 Broad), which is open Thursdays (4-8 p.m.), Fridays, (4-10 p.m.) and Saturdays (1-8 p.m.).

Co-founder Kellan Bartosch believes drinking beer should be less scary to newcomers and more light-hearted for “connoisseurs.” He says, “Folks often come to the taproom and lay out their fears before ordering. ‘I don’t like dark beers’ or ‘My husband likes the mega hoppy stuff, but, yuck, I think it’s gross — do you have wine?'”

Bartosch says it would be easy to condescend to these new patrons with beer vernacular and BJCP-style (Beer Judge Certification Program) guidelines vs. modern American brewing techniques, but he and his brother, the brewmaster, Davin, would like everybody to know that there are relatable flavors and textures in beer from the rest of the gustatory world. “Like coffee? Stouts have roasted flavors. Enjoy bananas? Hefeweizen yeast produces banana-like ester compounds,” he notes. “Tiny Bomb is a clean, crisp lager that’s similar in style to many macro-produced beers but has a ton more flavor — so much so Southern Living said it was the best beer in the state!”

All this is to say that the Bartosch brothers think people should drink beer with an open mind and know that there is bound to be something recognizable in beer that he or she might enjoy. “Much like other subcultures with way too much seriousness, it shouldn’t be forgotten that this is beer and not rocket science. In our internet culture so many have taken it upon themselves to become critics of whatever the topic is, arguing on message boards or writing derogatory messages on social media. Simply pointing a finger and being a critic is easy; being an appreciator is more difficult and inclusive in the long run,” he says.

However, he does also believe there is a time for analysis, excessive sniffing, and such. “Aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, and history all play an important part in understanding what you’re drinking. Beer ingredients, what flavors/textures they create, and the role they play in different styles can teach us that it’s silly to complain about a Marzen not being hoppy because that’s like getting mad at a burger for not being Thai curry,” he says.

Bartosch continues, “Balance is a touch achievement on the brewery side and learning to appreciate that can be zen-like. Similarly, making something clean and delicate is more challenging than making something extreme. Understanding that every style of beer can be enjoyable the same way we peruse genres of music or food based on our moods is much wiser than only drinking IPAs.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Gotta Try This: High Cotton’s New Session IPA

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Over the last 10 years, craft brewers have pushed beer to its limits, chasing the hoppiest, most alcoholic, most badass beer they can make. Beers like Dogfish Head’s My Antonia and Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout.

And really, who can blame them? In the first place, it’s delicious. Maybe more importantly, it’s macho. And for most brewers, that’s kind of a big deal.

The problem with extreme beers is that once you’ve had two or three, you’re toast. And most of us-well, we don’t want to seal the deal that quickly. We want a beer that can take us through the night. We want a beer that we can sit down and get to know.

Enter High Cotton‘s new Session IPA. At 4% alcohol by volume, it’s the kind of beer that can take you through a summer barbecue-the kind of thing where you can have a beer an hour for five hours and not get drunk. Even better: it’s delicious.

“Don’t get me wrong,” says brewer Ryan Staggs, “I’m all about big, bad beers. But extreme hops and high alcohol content can cover a lot of sins. For me, the bigger challenge is to develop a lighter beer that tastes good and still exhibits the characteristics of a given style.”

Staggs is the chief operating officer at High Cotton and the brains behind their new Session IPA. To make it, he started with Great Western malt-a light base malt-and added a little bit of Vienna malt for body.

To flavor the beer, Staggs chose two kinds of hops: Chinook and Sorachi Ace. The result is an eminently drinkable summer beer, with lemon peel and citrus in the nose. The flavor is light and clean, starting off sweet and ending with just a hint of bitterness.

In other words: fire up the grill.

“You know it’s a good IPA,” says Staggs, “when you burp and you can taste the hops. And you’re like, hey, that’s pretty good actually. That’s a fine IPA.”

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Bluff City Beer Dinner

HCB-BeerDinner-Social.png

Downtown Central BBQ will be the site of the Bluff City Beer Dinner, Wednesday, August 20th, 6:30 p.m.

The “non-stuffy” four-course dinner will feature a whole hog “pig picking” and beers from Memphis Made Brewing Co. and High Cotton Brewing Co.

The event will be begin with a few snacks and beers. Guests will receive a commemorative pint glass.

The dinner is $35. For reservations, call 672-7760 or email jc@cbqmemphis.com.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Now Open: Suga Shack and High Cotton

CREDIT: John Minervini

Monroe has long had a wealth of restaurants and bars — McEwen’s on Monroe, Felicia Suzanne’s, Little Tea Shop, Bardog, Kudzu’s, and Bon Ton Cafe. Now there’s even a night club — although you may have a bit of trouble finding it.

Here’s a hint: Follow the sound of Larry Springfield‘s house band — the funky grooves, the smoky vocals — and it will lead you to the corner of Monroe and Third. There, at the bottom of an unmarked staircase, in a brick basement below Bon Ton, you’ll find one of the best places to hear live music in Memphis — the Suga Shack.

“We like to say we’re keeping it in the cut,” says co-owner Springfield. “That means it’s your own private little situation — something only you and a few friends know about, and you wanna keep it that way.”

Springfield is an R&B singer who has toured with Al Green, Barry White, and BB King. His songs “All the Way to Love” and “Stand by My Woman” climbed the R&B charts in the early 1990s. Today, Springfield fronts the house band at Suga Shack, where, in addition to his own songs, he sings soul standards by the likes of Marvin Gaye and Frankie Maze.

John Minervini

Suga Shack

And the crowd eats it up. On a recent Saturday night, they sang along to Luther Ingram’s “If Loving You is Wrong.” And when it came time for Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On,” people couldn’t stay in their seats.

In between sets, DJ Len Williamson keeps the crowd moving with a series of line dances to R&B hits, songs like “Step and Stomp” by J Dallas and “Zydeco Bounce” by TK Soul. There’s even a line dance for Robyn Thicke’s 2013 hit, “Blurred Lines.” I actually tried to learn this dance, with mixed results.

As far as refreshments, Suga Shack serves a selection of comfort food from the menu at Bon Ton — like fried dill pickles ($4.99) and chicken and waffles ($9.99). There’s also an impressive array of house cocktails. Try the Sno Cone ($8), a dangerously drinkable concoction of vodka and watermelon liqueur drizzled with Blue Curacao. Open Friday and Saturday night.

Suga Shack isn’t the only big news on Monroe these days. Farther up the street, on the far side of AutoZone Park, craft brewers Brice Timmons and Ryan Staggs have added a chic taproom to the front of High Cotton Brewing Company.

It seems like a funny place to put a brew pub. Fifty years ago, this neighborhood — called “The Edge” for its location between Downtown and the Medical District — was a bustling music hub, home to record labels such as Sun Studios and Phillips Recording. But these days, it’s fallen into disrepair, full of empty lots and abandoned warehouses.

Timmons says that’s precisely the point. When choosing a location for its taproom, High Cotton could have gone with established dining corridors like South Main or Cooper-Young. Instead, they chose The Edge with the intention of bringing some life back to this struggling neighborhood.

“Historically,” says Timmons, “craft breweries have always been a source of economic revitalization. By opening a bar here, we actually thought we could do some good.”

John Minervini

High Cotton’s new taproom

So far, it seems to be working. Since it opened on June 14th, the taproom — a spare, post-industrial space by Memphis designer Graham Reese — has consistently been crowded, and Timmons says High Cotton’s biggest challenge has been keeping up with demand.

“Which, when you think about it,” he continues, “really isn’t a bad problem to have.”

High Cotton currently serves nine craft brews, and they plan to debut a 10th — the High Cotton Pilsner — this week. The Scottish Ale ($5) is rich and chocolatey, with a beautiful, tan-coloured head. By contrast, the Biere de Garde ($5) is bright and aromatic — “a sipper, not a guzzler,” in the words of one friendly bar patron.

Want a little curried goat ($8) with your beer? Come on Thursday night, when Paul’s Cariflavor Caribbean Cuisine food truck is parked outside on Monroe. True to its startup ethos, High Cotton is focusing on what it does well — the beer — and leaving the food to someone else.

To that end, they have enlisted a rotating cast of food trucks to park outside the taproom on weekend nights. Other food trucks include Fresh Gulf Shrimp, Stickem, and Rock ‘n’ Dough Pizza Company. Open Thursday through Saturday.