Tag: Memphis Made

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The King of (Memphis) Beer!

Meddlesome Brewing’s 201 Hoplar is the best beer in Memphis, according to the 2,344 voters in The Memphis Flyer & Aldo’s Pizza Pies’ 2018 Beer Bracket Challenge.

Meddlesome is a relative newcomer to the Memphis brewing scene, a plucky upstart from the Dirty ‘Dova. Oh, wait, Dirty Dova is another Meddlesome IPA. We are here to talk about 201 Hoplar, the IPA that won Memphis hearts — and the 2018 trophy. 

The 201 Hoplar IPA is “everything Memphis is,” according to Meddlesome. It’s “strong, flavorful, and an unforgettable experience.” Dosed with chinook and Columbus hops, the beer is “oozing with resin, pine, grapefruit, and ripe pineapple.” 

Meddlesome owners Richie EsQuivel and Ben Pugh created 201 Hoplar to “be exactly what a West Coast IPA should be.” It’s not “over-the-top bitter” on the front end, and the slightly fruity flavors roll in right after that for an accessible, easy-drinking IPA.  

The kings of Memphis beer are Meddlesome Brewing Co.

Meddlesome opened last year in Cordova, just a stone’s throw from the Shelby Farms dog park. But their fans hit our poll with enthusiasm and pushed 201 Hoplar past many Memphis craft beer powerhouses.

The brewery is a dream project for EsQuivel, a former brewer at Boscos Brewing, and Pugh, a former brewer at Rock’n Dough Pizza & Brew Co. Rising to the top of the bracket so fast was surprising to Pugh, but a welcomed surprise.

“It’s taken us aback, honestly,” Pugh said. “We’ve only been open about eight months, and we did not expect it. Once we saw we’d made it to the finals, we were pumped that we’d even made it that far.”

Our trophy — the VanWyngarden Cup (so named because it’s an old ice bucket that the Flyer editor donated) — has rested in a place of honor for the last year. Wreathed in a crown of hops, the cup sat high above the beautiful taproom bar at Ghost River Brewing Co. That company’s classic golden ale, simply called Gold, won our inaugural challenge last year. 

“We had a great year, showing off the trophy and being the King of Memphis Beer,” said Suzanne Williamson, Ghost River’s vice president of marketing, giving a nod to the headline of our cover story last year.

Williamson said Ghost River had fun with the bracket again this year and plans to bring the trophy back to “its true and rightful home,” next year. 

The Flyer‘s Beer Bracket Challenge was broken up into four categories — light beer, dark beer, IPAs, and seasonals. We asked our breweries to submit their beers in those categories. Beer lovers know the bracket categories are broad. Dozens of different beer styles reside in each one. We wanted to meet Memphis beer drinkers where they were. Our beer scene is growing and so are the palates of Memphis beer drinkers. (See our story.) As our scene changes, so, too, may our bracket.      

In the meantime, we knew, for example, that a Kölsch couldn’t (and shouldn’t) compete head to head with a different style, like a pilsner. So, to ensure some kind of objectivity, I pulled an Aldo’s Pizza Pies staff hat over my eyes and blindly picked the match-ups out of a cup. And I did it on Facebook Live. Drinking beer, talking beer, and looking silly on the internet? It was a dream job no one ever told me existed.

With the bracket set, our voters did the rest. Hundreds of votes were cast during each round, for a final total of 12,837 individual votes (with about 1,000 more voters than last year). 

On its way to the top, 201 Hoplar defeated Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co.’s legendary Hop God in the first round of IPA voting. Voters floated it through two more rounds, besting High Cotton’s amazing IPA and Wiseacre’s heavyweight Ananda. 

In the Final Four, 201 Hoplar faced Wiseacre’s Tiny Bomb, which might be considered the Michael Jordan of the Memphis beer market, but they pulled off the upset of the tournament. In the end, 201 Hoplar faced Wiseacre’s Astronaut Status, a barrel-aged Imperial stout out of the seasonal category. 

Except for the IPA category, Wiseacre dominated this year, winning the other three categories: Tiny Bomb in light, Gotta Get Up to Get Down in dark, and, of course, Astronaut Status in seasonal.   

It should also be noted that newcomers Crosstown Brewing fielded a team of four beers at the same time they were opening their brand-new brewery close to (you guessed it) Crosstown Concourse. 

Owners Will Goodwin and Clark Ortkiese joined us for a brief talk during our Facebook Live event at Aldo’s. The guys are passionate. The brewery is massive, and the beers are good. Look for Crosstown to show up bigly on next year’s bracket.

Yes, we know we’re not the first to “bracket-ize” beers. The idea has been used in other alt-weeklies around the country. Heck, the Memphis Craft Beer blog ran Malt Madness in 2015. Consider our hats tipped all around. Job One with this bracket was to have fun. Beer is fun, and we wanted to have fun with beer. Basketball fans get a bracket every year. Beer drinkers should have one, too. 

What we never want to do with this bracket is to make it seem like Memphis breweries are seriously pitted against each other. Sure, they compete, but from the stories I’ve heard, brewers and breweries in Memphis help each other out, trading knowledge and equipment and drinking each others’ brews. We are not creating some fictional friction. Again, we’re just having fun. 

Whether you like bracket contests or not, remember: The best beer in Memphis will always be your favorite.

The Memphis Beer Scene

The Memphis brewing scene is continuing to grow and change. Two new breweries have recently opened — Meddlesome and Crosstown Brewing. Other new beers enter the Memphis market all the time from regional craft breweries like Devil’s Backbone Brewing and Green Flash Brewing (both from Virginia) or Perennial Artisan Ales out of St. Louis.   

Consider this a sort of “State of Memphis Beer” story. I talked with folks at the city’s big draft houses — the Flying Saucer, Young Avenue Deli, and Hammer and Ale — beer people who have been watching the scene here for years. I also got some insights from two people who helped shape the Memphis craft scene and have started new careers as sales reps for out-of-state, regional brands.

There is now a “great flood of folks thirsty for craft beer” pouring into the downtown and Cordova locations of the Flying Saucer, says co-founder and beer expert Keith Schlabs. While the Saucer concept was embraced when it opened in May 1997, craft beer wasn’t an easy sell. 

“We had 80 taps full of offerings, many of which were available to the people of Memphis for the first time,” says Schlabs. “However, we were battling the ‘bitter beer face’ campaign, where anything that wasn’t a mass-produced adjunct lager or a light lager was ridiculously painted as ‘bad beer.'”

Bitterness wasn’t understood, making it hard to sell hop-forward styles like pale ales and IPAs, Schlabs says. Even filling the Saucer’s massive tap wall was a challenge. Rogue, Anchor, and Breckenridge dominated its 80 taps, and the rest were sourced by Gene and Steve Barzizza and the Memphis team at Southwestern Distributing.     

But the Saucer persisted and “we saw rocket growth once the craft beer movement kicked into high gear,” Schlabs says. “Some thought this was a fad, but we knew it was not. Small brewery tap rooms are growing and this could impact our growth.”

When Tessa Pascover, general manager of the Young Avenue Deli, started as a waitress in 2010, Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, and Killians still had spots on its draft wall. Craft beer now dominates its 35 taps with one exception, Pabst Blue Ribbon. 

“Nowadays, after what I call the ‘hand-crafted beer revolution,’ there’s a new brewery that comes to town and new breweries [at the Deli] all the time,” Pascover says. “There are a ton of new options, and it’s just a really exciting time.”

In 2013, local brewers High Cotton, Memphis Made, and Wiseacre opened within six months of each other. It was a sort of explosion for Memphis beer, first ignited by here by Boscos and Ghost River. That new growth was an inspiration for Kevin Eble and David Smith, who opened what was then called The Growler in Cooper-Young. At the time, most Memphians didn’t really know what a growler was. The name was changed to Hammer & Ale, but the core mission — a focus on craft beer — remained the same. 

Kevin Eble hefts a giant mallet and a hand-crafted pint at Hammer and Ale.

“Our whole thing is that you can come in and get everybody’s stuff,” Eble says. “The breweries, obviously, are limited [to their own beers] but we’re lucky enough to sell everybody’s beer. People started grabbing onto it pretty quickly and accepting craft beer as something important.”

When Memphis offerings changed, so did its beer drinkers. Civic pride in local brews swelled. You can drink Memphis beer in Memphis like never before. With brewery taprooms, you can consume a local brew steps away from where it was born. It doesn’t get more local than that. 

Taylor James helped found and form the Madison Growler (the growler station inside the Madison Cash Saver) and make the grocery store a craft beer destination. He’s seen first-hand how Memphis beer drinkers’ tastes have become more sophisticated.

“Sour beers were something that, four or five years ago, you would have put in the Memphis market, and it would have just sat there,” James says. “People would have been like, ‘You’re trying to sell me something that’s sour?’ Then I would’ve explained that it’s not like sour candy but it’s because brewers put bacteria in the [beer]. Then they’re down the aisle running away from you and looking for something else.”

But if you were drinking beer last spring and summer, you know that sours were “the thing.” 

So, how did Memphis beer drinkers evolve from “Lite” drinkers to appreciators of, say, a bacteria-borne sour beer? For Cory York, formerly with Ghost River, it comes down to education.

“People in Memphis are figuring out what craft beer is,” York says. “It’s mainly word of mouth. It’s that tried and true story … ‘I had a buddy pressure me and here I am.'”

“The local breweries had a big impact,” Pascover says. “The college crowd were always the domestic beer drinkers, and they didn’t really know about [craft beer]. Now, they come in and they want a Wiseacre or a Ghost River. The local breweries have definitely developed the local market.”

“Memphians realized they didn’t have to be pigeon-holed into a pilsner,” Eble says. “You can move into a pale ale with some hops in it or a stout or something dark or barrel-aged. It’s a progression of taste. You start seeing funky things like sours staying on the market because people’s tastes have changed.”

But Schlabs says beer drinkers here (like drinkers in most markets) still want session beers. “People want that yellow, fizzy pint at the end of a long day of work,” he says. “It’s our mission and duty to make sure that that yellow, fizzy pint is something that’s consistently well-made by someone who has worked their butt off for craft beer, someone who needs our business and someone we want to support.”

Memphis has seven independent companies brewing beer: Boscos, Ghost River, High Cotton, Wiseacre, Memphis Made, Meddlesome, and Crosstown. Nashville has about 20. Little Rock has seven or so, and the state of Mississippi has about 18, according to Beer Advocate. But do numbers like that really matter?

Not according to Taylor James, who became a sales rep for San Diego-based Ballast Point Brewing last year. “San Diego,” he says, “has about 150 breweries, and all of them are good. Memphis has come a long way, but there is still a long way to go.”

At the Saucer, Schlabs says his crew is still pushing beer drinkers to discover new tastes — to attract new craft fans and keep the old ones interested. “The onset of fruited, tropical IPAs is a good example of the industry making efforts to appeal to an extended range of palates,” Schlabs says.

Pascover says the Deli is riding the craft beer trend and is constantly looking for the next great beer. She remembers when IPAs where the thing, then it was sour beers, and “last year it was fruit in beer, like watermelon-lime pilsner, or raspberry truffle stout, or a pineapple passion fruit IPA. This year its going to be hazy, juicy IPAs, filled with fruit.”  

Eble believes the Memphis craft beer scene still has a lot more room to grow. “Consumers have been exposed to craft’s panoply of flavors and nobody is going to say, ‘Well, I’m going to start drinking Bud again.'” 

But the “craft beer” scene of the past changed significantly when macro breweries (like those who make Bud, Miller, and Coors) started snapping up smaller breweries, scaling up their production, and shipping those “craft” brands into markets like Memphis. Crafty-looking brands like Goose Island, Elysian Brewing, or Lagunitas may look like they were made at the cool brewery down the road, but their owners are likely jet-setting hedge fund managers.

“This [craft beer] heritage we’ve spent so many years to build is being threatened,” Greg Koch, co-founder of craft beer stalwart Stone Brewing, said in a recent video. “Big beer [sales have] been flat or declining and they’ve gone out in the craft world and made acquisitions.” So now, “craft” breweries is the preferred nomenclature for locally owned, hands-on companies like High Cotton or Wiseacre, and independents are opening like crazy.

“I believe the number I heard was a new brewery opens in America every 11 hours now,” says Schlabs. “When we started Flying Saucer in 1995, there were 2,000 or so, and now there are over 7,000. Too much of a good thing can start to be bad.” But that’s not a concern in Memphis, yet. 

“I don’t think we’ve plateaued in Memphis by any means,” says York, now a sales rep with Hattiesburg-based Southern Prohibition. “The more breweries that pop up, there is going to be more competition. You’re going to start to see breweries realize the other steps they need to take to compete.”

James says education will continue to be the key. But craft breweries like Ballast Point are also beginning to make beers that meet entry-level consumers at, well, the entry levels — with light pilsners and lagers. 

The best ingredient for Memphis beer is always going to be Memphis, says Eble. “The local stuff is better because you know the people who made it, and you know where it was made. That’s better than some guy at Budweiser just following a recipe.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Beer Bracket 2/22-3/1

Last year’s bracket, round 2

Around this time last year, a name was engraved on an old gray ice bucket and presented to the winner. This year, the same thing will happen, another (same?) name on the same ice bucket. It’s like the Stanley Cup.

The Flyer’s annual Beer Bracket Challenge launches tomorrow. 28 beers going for glory.

Last year’s winner was Ghost River’s classic Gold, the old reliable of Memphis Beers.

This year, three new breweries are heading into the fray: Meddlesome, Crosstown, Brewing, and Boscos. Toby Sells explains that Boscos, while not new, wasn’t included last year because he featured only breweries with beers readily available in stores and bars/restaurants. But this year he figured, “You like beer, you need to have Boscos.”

Round One is tomorrow, February 22nd, with the Final Two starting Wednesday at 8 a.m. and running through March 1st, midnight. The winner will be announced in the Flyer’s March 8th issue.

Sells says he has plenty of favorites among the 28, though he’s not rooting for one beer over the other. “There’s so much good stuff out there. We’ll see how it goes.”

In addition to revealing the winner, the March 8th beer-iffic cover will examine the state of the Memphis beer scene. Can Memphis accommodate more breweries and beers from outside the area? Have Memphis beer-drinkers changed since the scene exploded in 2013?

Check it out and stay tuned for Beer Bracket-related events.  

Categories
Cover Feature News

King of (Memphis) Beer!

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Ghost River Gold is the best beer in Memphis, according to the nearly 1,500 voters in The Memphis Flyer & Aldo’s Beer Bracket Challenge.

The Golden Ale itself is light, delicate even, but the beer brand is tough and trusty and survived the early days as a pioneer in the Memphis craft beer wilderness.

Long before there were craft breweries everywhere, Ghost River went solo, a scrappy Memphis beer taking on the national brands. Ghost River persevered, pumping oceans of what was originally called Ghost River Golden Ale into the market and, judging from the voting, into the hearts of a legion of fans. 

“Overjoyed,” was how Ghost River’s head brewer Jimmy Randall described his feeling on hearing about Gold’s win. “I’m just so grateful for the continuing support we’ve received from our hometown.” 

Justin Fox Burks

Memphis did, indeed, give Ghost River a lot of love during our week of voting. It was a 16-beer bracket, featuring brews from all four local breweries: Memphis Made, Wiseacre, High Cotton, and Ghost River. Two Ghost River beers — Gold and Grindhouse — made it to the final round. Gold won by only a few votes, but Ghost River was the winner, either way. 

The Flyer‘s Beer Bracket Challenge was broken up into four categories — light beer, dark beer, IPAs, and seasonals. We asked our breweries what beers they wanted to represent them in those categories. We knew, though, that a Kölsch couldn’t (and shouldn’t) compete head to head with a different style, like a pilsner. So, to ensure some kind of objectivity, I donned a blindfold and picked the match-ups out of my red, Bass Pro drinking hat at Aldo’s Pizza Pies Downtown on Facebook Live. 

With the bracket set, our voters did the rest. Hundreds of votes were cast during each round, for a final total of about 1,500 individual voters.        

Yes, we know we’re not the first to “bracket-ize” beers. The idea has been floated in other alt weeklies around the country. Heck, the Memphis Craft Beer blog ran Malt Madness in 2015. Consider our hats tipped all around. 

Running such a bracket is not without controversy. Beer styles are very different. Flavor choices — the brewing arts in general — are subjective. Our bracket was “just a popularity contest,” we were told. To which we say, hell yes! At its heart, that’s exactly what this was. Take it for what it is: fun.  

Thanks to this story, I got to get reacquainted with our local breweries. Except for Ghost River, they all opened for business in 2013, and after four years, they’re all still dedicated to making the best beer they can. 

But the craft beer boom is continuing. Look for one, possibly two, new breweries to pop up this year. Meddlesome Brewing, in Cordova, is planning to open this spring or summer. Crosstown Brewing pulled a $1.2 million building permit last week for its new building at (you guessed it) Crosstown Concourse.

Meanwhile, here’s a little fresh-brewed news on our breweries.  

Wiseacre Brewing: The Tale of Tiny Bomb

Davin Bartosch was making coffee. Kellan, Davin’s brother and business partner, was chatting up The Memphis Flyer reporter in the Wiseacre break room. Davin, however, was making coffee with a loving focus that afforded no bandwidth for small talk until that coffee was made. If it’s anything like their beers, I thought, that’s going to be some damn good coffee.  

Employees buzzed around the brewery, watching complicated brewing apparatus, answering phones, filing paperwork, or minding the bar. Kellan said the company now has about 20 full-time employees. They’re characters, every one, he said, but also hard workers who “really helped build this.”

The brothers long dreamed of opening a brewery and doing it in Memphis. It was realized in 2013, and they’ve gone full-steam ever since. Wiseacre is a formidable force in Memphis craft beer, and their beers are now sold in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. But their success has led to a happy problem: They’ve run out of room to make more beer. 

“We can’t put any more tanks in the building,” Kellan said. “So, we’ve heard from people in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, California, Florida — places that we could really pursue — but we currently can’t do anything else in our building in terms of production.”

Wiseacre is still mulling a move to expand their operation to the Mid-South Coliseum, but the Bartosches said no decision on that has been made. But, Kellan said, they’re happy as things are now. They love focusing on Memphis and making tons of Tiny Bomb, Ananda (the two best-selling Tennessee-made beers in the state, Kellan said), and Gotta Get Up to Get Down. 

Beer names that spring from Wiseacre are routinely unusual: Men, Not Machines, Azazel, Neon Brown, and Unicornicopia. Even Adjective Animal is a meta-play on beer-naming conventions. 

“I think our branding strategy is to either be clever or stupid, in the Beavis and Butthead kind of way, where it’s funny because it’s so dumb,” Kellan said. 

But the boys were clever when it came to naming Tiny Bomb, which seems like the most basic, everyday, poundable drinker. But it’s more complicated than that (really). 

Davin dreamed up and developed Tiny Bomb, a pilsner, years before Wiseacre opened. It came from his frustration with people “always drinking Bud Light.” “They’d say it was low in calories, so they could drink many of them at a time,” Davin said. “So, I thought, I’m going to find a way to satisfy everybody. So, tiny alcohol, tiny calories, flavor bomb.”

Tiny Bomb is suitable for slamming on a hot day, Davin agreed, but, being a light style, it is also delicate and a challenge to brew.

Kellan thought Davin was joking when he said he wanted to brew a pilsner for Wiseacre. The style was unfashionable at the time. But Davin stuck to Tiny Bomb, and now pilsners are en vogue. 

“(Davin) knew it a decade ago, and we’re just now getting it,” Kellan said. “(Vincent) van Gogh died before people liked his art. Thankfully, Davin is still alive to see people enjoy Tiny Bomb.”

Toby Sells

High Cotton’s Ross Avery (left) and Ryan Staggs

High Cotton: A Scottish Shocker

Ryan Staggs is flummoxed, happily flummoxed. 

Scottish Ale, a beer he developed in his garage, is High Cotton Brewing’s best-selling beer. But he doesn’t know why. 

“It’s crazy!” Staggs said. “Who would have thought that a dark beer like that would have been (so successful).”

When High Cotton opened in 2013 in the Edge neighborhood, Staggs’ Scottish Ale was the only recipe all three brewery owners decided was ready to go without further tweaking. 

“It was money from the get-go,” said co-owner Ross Avery. 

Staggs said Scottish is easy to drink but a challenge to “make it, ferment it, and take care of it.” He says the style is “not really exotic” and “super traditional.” There’s no crazy yeast strain needed and no crazy ingredients. 

“There’s no Scottish ales with mango or spruce tips,” Staggs joked. 

But the style demands a brew done “exactly right,” or “the flaws come through pretty quickly,” Staggs said. He tips his hat to the macro brewers (Bud, Miller, and Coors) for making “a lager that at least tastes consistent. Maybe it’s not good, but it tastes consistent. That’s a feat in itself.”

The process produces a beer with a clean finish, Staggs said, “But it’s also a robust enough style where it’s still kind of rich, and caramely; it’s toffee, it’s toasty, and slightly roasty. I know that — sorry [Beer Judge Certification Program] — people are like, Scottish ales aren’t roasty! But roasted barley is what lends that flavor and what people perceive as roasty, and that is absolutely traditional in the brewing process.”

Staggs brewed at home for about five years before helping to found High Cotton. His training and experience as a civil engineer launched his respect for “the nerdy science behind brewing beer.” Copious notes and numerous iterations helped him refine the recipe, and it has paid off. 

“What we drink today was kind of the final result of that [research and development] at my house,” Staggs said. 

Having a brewery, a taproom, and beers for sale in Kroger are dreams come true for Staggs. But he said he couldn’t have imagined it would have been his Scottish that won the day. 

“It’s sort of a gateway to craft beer for Memphians,” said Avery. “They had experience [with craft beer] with Ghost River Golden. So, we weren’t going to make another golden [ale]. And now it’s become our best seller.”

Avery said, “The summer before last, the temperature really started spiking up. I thought, a dark beer in the summertime? And yet sales remained steady. All I could imagine were people sitting in dark bars where it was cold.”

High Cotton recently expanded its seating capacity with a back bar that has huge windows looking into the brew house. Staggs said it’s always available during taproom hours and for private events. He said the company is experimenting with some new beers and is planning to be in new cans soon. 

Toby Sells

Memphis Made’s Andy Ashby (left) and Drew Barton

Memphis Made: A Fireside Mystery

Bombers on a bottling line. That was the first thing I noticed on a visit to Memphis Made last week. 
“Is that a temporary bottling line?” I asked, pointing at the machine. 

“I mean, it’s temporary, as in it will run until we break it,” said Drew Barton, co-founder and head brewer at Memphis Made. 

Memphis Made is the only Big Four Memphis brewery without a regularly available packaged product in local stores. They have done specialty bombers (750 milliliter bottles), and they canned up their Gonerfest IPA last year in a one-off deal. But the permanent bottling line will make packaged sales a more permanent fixture.

Those bottled beers will be exclusively high-gravity, Barton said. The first will be Soulless Ginger, a take on a brewery cult favorite, Soulful Ginger. Barton described Soulless Ginger as “a little more alcohol, a little more ginger, and way less soul.”

Barton said to look for the new Ginger soon in growler shops, package stores, some convenience stores, and — while he couldn’t say the names of them, specifically — some “grocery stores.”

“It’ll be small-batch stuff,” said co-founder Andy Ashby. “So, it’s not going to be everywhere all the time. We’re north of 150 accounts in Shelby County. Basically, some of the places we’re at now are going have it, including some grocery stores.”

Memphis Made opened in 2013’s Great Craft Beer Awakening. Nearly a year later, the company opened its Cooper-Young taproom. Brewing new beers and hosting tons of taproom events has made life busy for Ashby, Barton, and Memphis Made’s small cadre of employees.

“We’re tired, but we’re happy,” Barton said. “We threw out the business plan a long time ago.”

Memphis Made, too, is known for its beer names that range from inside jokes to super-Memphis-y public scandals. (See: RockBone IPA.) The name Fireside, for its amber ale, comes with permission from a North Carolina brewery already using the name. The non-mystery about the beer is that Barton and Ashby just liked the name. The real Fireside mystery is how well it sells. 

“I’m baffled by it,” Barton said. 

Ashby said, “It’s different, but it’s accessible. Every brewery out there has an IPA. But a nice, malty amber that is drinkable? People just really tend to gravitate toward it.”

Memphis Made was planned as a seasonal brewery, aimed at changing its beers every few months and never keeping on any beers year-round. Fireside began its life as a fall seasonal, Ashby said. When it left the taps, “I’d get lambasted,” Ashby said, by Fireside fans worried that they wouldn’t see their Memphis Made stand-by for another year. 

So, they brought it on full-time. Ashby said he didn’t worry about its success in the spring but certainly did in the Memphis summertime.

“Is this amber going to sell when it’s 110 degrees outside?” Ashby wondered. “It didn’t miss a beat. It’s pretty crazy. I didn’t see that one coming, either.”

Ghost River:
A Solid-Gold Success Story

Everything has changed at Ghost River, and also nothing has changed at all.

This New Year’s Eve will mark the 10th anniversary of Ghost River’s first brew. When they celebrate, they’ll have new branding, some new beer names, and a brand new taproom.   

Much of this was done to simply refresh the brand, to match Ghost River to what was happening in the craft beer world around it. But there’s one thing that will be almost exactly the same — the beer. Randall said none of the recipes have changed, really, and neither has its starting lineup of beers, though Grindhouse has been added.   

For years, Ghost River was the only local choice for locally made beers, except for the taps at Boscos. (Both companies are owned by the same parent company.) Back then, you’d ask a bartender what was local, and you wouldn’t hear brewery names, you’d hear “1887,” or “the (Riverbank) Red,” or, mostly, you’d hear “Golden.” You knew this all meant different Ghost River styles. At the grocery store, beer fans’ eyes were trained to find that slightly green label with the big, spooky-looking cypress tree.  

“Losing that tree made me cry,” said Ghost River owner Jerry Feinstone, speaking about the brewery’s recent redesigned branding. 

“You and a lot of other people,” said the company marketing vice president Suzanne Williamson.

“But I think it’s okay,” Feinstone said. “We may end up with some retro products one day.”

The old cypress tree logo was a brand icon, but it was also a direct link to a part of Ghost River’s conservation mission. The brewery uses water from the Memphis Sand aquifer (as all Memphis breweries do). To give back, Ghost River donates $1 from every barrel of beer they sell to the Wolf River Conservancy.   

Last year, that old, haunted cypress tree logo was replaced by a lantern, which now adorns the company’s bottles, tap handles, and the neon sign hanging outside the company’s South Main taproom. 

“As [The Memphis Flyer and Aldo’s Beer Bracket Challenge] showed — being the first — the leader always carries the lantern,” Feinstone said. 

I asked Feinstone where the name “Gold” came from for his golden ale.

“It’s just a color,” he said, laughing. “It’s a style. I guess if you’re the only game in town, you have all the names available to you. We weren’t smart enough to think of something fancy for Golden Ale.”

But a lot of thought went into brewing Golden Ale back in the day.  

“Being the first, we were the introductory to craft for Memphis palates,” said Williamson. “We wanted to, maybe, set the Golden next to a major brand that wasn’t necessarily craft. We’d say, you’re drinking this, how about trying this?”

While craft has taken off, Gold hasn’t changed (except for the name). Randall said the recipe has gone largely untouched over the years. While it’s still a gateway beer for new craft drinkers, it’s become a trusty go-to beer for seasoned consumers. 

Gold itself is an American blonde ale, Randall said. When it comes to flavor, consider Gold a balanced Goldilocks. 

“It has very soft malt flavors, enough hops to kind of balance the profile out,” Randall said. “It doesn’t come across as hoppy or bitter. It doesn’t come across as malty.”

Feinstone said Gold’s win on the Beer Bracket Challenge is a “real good feeling.” Getting there was done one beer at a time.

“We just have to blame it on people going out and trying beers and saying, ‘This fits my palate. I’ll have another.'”

Categories
Cover Feature News

Beer Run!

Patios are blossoming all over town. It’s a sure sign that Memphians are tired of winter’s cooped-up spaces, heavy clothes, not to mention those sturdy, stout, comforting winter beers.

Okay, so maybe your first spring thought isn’t: “What new beers are out there?” But it’s one of mine. Beer changes with the seasons, and Memphis has five solid craft breweries — Boscos, Wiseacre, High Cotton, Memphis Made, and Ghost River. That means there’s now an ocean of new, locally made beer out there. Ever heard someone argue about the best local barbecue? Of course you have. If you haven’t heard someone argue best local brewery yet, you will soon.

I gathered The Memphis Flyer staff Friday to sample this spring’s offerings of (mostly) local beers. This year’s crew included editor Bruce VanWyngarden (BV), Justin Rushing (JR), Chris McCoy (CM), Eileen Townsend (ET), Joshua Cannon (JC), Jackson Baker (JB), Shara Clark (SC), Bianca Phillips (BP), Chris Shaw (CS), Chris Davis (CD), managing editor Susan Ellis (SE), and Kendrea Collins (KC).

Professional tasters, (from left) Adam Steele, Dr. Richard Heath, and Nick Vincent

I also brought together three expert beer tasters: Richard Heath (RH), president of Bluff City Brewers & Connoisseurs (BCBC), and BCBC members Adam Steele (AS), a certified beer judge, and award-winning home brewer Nick Vincent (NV).

Wiseacre founders Kellan and Davin Bartosch expertly guided us in our tasting journey. Kellan urged us to appreciate (rather than judge) beers, even if it’s a style we don’t like. “There are no bad beers,” he said.

Big thanks to the owners and staff at Celtic Crossing for letting us take over their killer patio, and protecting us from the pattering rain. Sláinte, and may the road rise to meet you all this St. Patrick’s Day. — Toby Sells

Drew Barton, co-owner and brewer at Memphis Made Brewing

MEMPHIS MADE

Greenswarden Saison — Here’s what they say: At first glance, the hazy golden copper of this ale makes it appear calm and reserved. But the citrus punch will make you want to get up and yell, GET OFF OUR LAWN!!!

Here’s what we say:

This citrusy beer packs a flavorful first punch but mellows out after a few sips. Drink one (or three), then hitch a ride to the Greensward and park your butt (definitely not your car) there for a spring picnic. — SC

If a beer can be “refreshing,” this is it. Smooth but sprightly. — BV

Wait for the citrus to sneak in — it’ll knock you on your ass. Memphis Made concocted the perfect beverage to share with friends while you protest parking in the Greensward. — JC

This brew has a rich, golden hue that promises a richer flavor than it delivers. At least this version lacks the aggressive aromatics that some saisons offer. — CM

This is a hoppy, full-bodied saison, but it doesn’t leave that bitter floral aftertaste. It’d be the perfect beer to pack for a picnic on the Greensward. Oh wait? Nevermind, there are cars parked on the Greensward! Lucky for you, this beer would taste just as good on your front porch. — BP

Smooth and savory with a nice citrus flavor. No bite or bitter aftertaste. — JR

Light and fruity, with a healthy serving of that saison yeast character, with just a hint of citrus hop flavor behind it. — NV

An aggressive, “Americanized” version of the Belgian classic. Spicy and peppery yeast phenolics make way for a slight toasted note, followed by a bitter, citrusy finish. — AS

RockBone IPA — What they say: A heavy hand of Herkules hops gives this IPA a real bang, while the Mosaic hops do the dirty work and ooze out flavors of passion fruit and berries.

What we say:

Ok, this one really smells like urine. Thank you for everything you do, precious RockBone. Store up your treasures in heaven. — CS

This IPA stands tall in a flaccid field. Where some IPAs stuff the hops to create a bulging taste profile, RockBone goes deep, hitting the pleasure centers with practiced stimulation. — CM

Tastes like good porn. Hoppy but well-balanced, and you don’t get that overpowering floral aftertaste.  – BP

A healthy dose of hops keeps this stiff IPA bitter yet deliciously fruity, and will stimulate even the most flaccid of taste buds. —NV

Compared to my last RockBone experience, this iteration has a sharper, more well-defined hop flavor, reminiscent of citrus and cherries.The finish is dry, and the bitterness doesn’t linger; an exceptionally drinkable IPA. — AS

HIGH COTTON

ESB — What they say: Medium-high to medium bitterness with supporting malt flavors evident. Normally has a moderately low to somewhat strong caramelly malt sweetness. Hop flavor moderate.

What we say:

The “ESB” (Extra Special Bitter) in the name may fool you: This beer isn’t really bitter at all, though perhaps it is “extra special.” Smooth and light and would be a great go-to for less adventurous drinkers. — SC

A light but satisfying ESB, not much going on here in terms of hops. I always thought ESB stood for Extremely Shitty Beer. I now realize I’ve been living a lie. — CS

Hoppy but calm. A journeyman taste (and that’s no insult). — JB
It tastes like biscuits. It’s totally acceptable to drink this for breakfast, right? — BP

Light, with hints of biscuit malts and a lingering sweetness that’s pleasant. Sure to appeal to many palates with its conservative flavor. — NV

A balancing act of floral, earthy English hops, fruity yeast, and nutty malt character. Ever-so-slightly buttery, which is common in English-style beers. Thinking of introducing your Michelob Ultra-drinking dad to craft beer? Start here. — AS

Red Ale — What they say: The unique grain bill lends the beer to an easy-drinking malty body, with no lack of Perle hops to provide earthiness and subtle spice.

What we say:

I call this one “Old Reliable” because it’s always on target. A good drinking beer for any occasion. — BV

High Cotton has another hit on its hands, starting with the substantial mouth feel, enabled by the relatively low carbonation. The sign of careful craftsmanship that is not chasing trends. — CM

Very light and refreshing. Mild flavor. Good beer! — JR

Dark copper in color, this beer is rich with malty and sweet flavors, low in hops, and is a tasty alternative to yeasty/hoppy spring offerings. —NV

Slight caramel sweetness up front, but finishes dry and clean. This one would serve well as an inoffensive introduction to craft beer that you could drink a whole bunch of. — AS

Kellan Bartosch (upper), owners of Wiseacre Brewing

WISEACRE

Adjective Animal Double IPA — What they say: This is as hop-forward as it gets. Sticky, resinous, orange peel, pine, and grapefruit aromas shall waft forth.

What we say:

Surprisingly, this double IPA isn’t as hoppy as one might expect. It’s fruity, floral, and way easier to drink than other hop-forward beers. 10 out of 10. — SC

A big, bouncy, perky brew that packs an 8.6 alcohol punch. Careful with this one, cowboy. — BV

Apparently a hop called Nugzilla is used in making this beer. I feel like Muck Sticky is super bummed he can’t name his next album that now. Or maybe he can? — CS

Wiseacre’s Adjective Animal Double IPA made me take back every comparison to pissed-on lemons I’ve made about IPAs. This beer is hoppy as hell, but it rubs you the right way. — JC

It has a complex flavor profile, balancing all of the elements perfectly. There are hoppy notes you expect, but it’s not trying to slap you in the face with it. — CM

Smooth with delicate hints of floral hops and citrus, and spiciness adds balance. Also, the name is the buzzy bee’s knee. Or maybe it’s the grumpy cat’s pajamas.  (You see what I did there? Don’t even get me started with dreaming up adjectives for animals. I could go all day.) — BP

Good sipping beer, great taste. Nice change-up from your typical domestic or import. — JR

What can I say — hops, hops, hops! Full of aroma, flavor, and bitterness, wreaking havoc on your palate with a piercing yet smooth hop bitterness that easily masks its hefty alcohol content. — NV

Huge resinous pine, citrus, and tropical notes with a slightly sweet malt undertone that’s hard to describe. Smooth, clean, yet intense bitterness. Enough to keep you interested until the last sip. — AS

Familie Freund: Dusseldorf Altbier — What they say: German, copper-colored ale with rich, toasty malts (smells like really toasted bread with a touch of honey on it) balanced with a firm bitter backbone.

What we say:
Lots of pop. Lots of flavor. Like that crazy uncle who shows up for Thanksgiving every couple years. — BV

Bitter and malty at the same time, kind of tastes like those Haribo candy Coke bottle things. — CS

It starts sharp on the tongue, defined by its Champagne-like effervescence, but the flavor opens up quickly, revealing a pleasing hoppy note. — CM

Wiseacre is known for upping the hops in just about every style, and this bitter, malty brew is, indeed, hoppy. But I don’t find the hops as off-putting as I do in some of their beers. It seems more balanced, and has a nice mouthfeel. (Did I seriously just say “mouthfeel”?) — BP

Rich with malty, yeasty lager character, this copper-colored beer is a refreshing choice for a those who want a richer, fuller spring beer experience. — NV

Malty aroma and flavor reminiscent of bread dough, grapes, toast, and caramel. Not sweet, though — the finish is nice and dry. Assertively bittered to provide balance and drinkability. Damn near perfect. — AS

Quiet Man Irish Stout — What they say: The beer packs a roasty punch yet remains light on its feet. A carbonated version of the classic Irish style will leave you wanting to go back in the ring for another round.

What we say:

The wise guys from Wiseacre told us that comparing different beers is a bit like comparing burgers to tacos. My question is: Why is this cheeseburger not a taco? Just kidding. This is a great cheeseburger. — SC

Surprisingly flat and watery despite its heavy look. A late, somewhat bitter aftertaste . — JB

Perhaps the only remnant of my Irish heritage is that I love stouts. Also, I’m stubborn and often belligerent. But back to the stouts. This is a very good one, even if it doesn’t have the giant head you might be used to from pulling Guinness taps. — CM

Much hoppier than I’d expect from an Irish stout, but it’s drinkable. It has that nice soy sauce aftertaste that I love in a good stout, but the heavy hops would mean I’d probably just drink one and switch to a more classic stout. — BP

This beer is light and drinkable, yet still hits the mark with its subtle roasted flavors. A great example of the style. — NV

A pleasant, roasted, coffee-like aroma with some mild fruity yeast character. Prickly carbonation and thin-bodied. Think Guinness, except fresher and more flavorful. — AS

Flyer staff drinking, er, “working” hard so you don’t have to!

BOSCOS

Hop God — What they say: In this version of it, the more hops the better. We took fresh hops and some new varieties we’ve never used in here before — Summit and Horizon. It’s actually going to have the hop profile behind it and is not as malty.

What we say:
Praise the Lord and pass the beer. And hop to it. — BV

Smells like pee, but tastes way better, I guess. I’m not saying I’ve ever drank pee. I’ve never drank pee. Damn. This isn’t going well. Amazing beer. — CS

Smooth, mellow, vaguely sweet, large in its suggestions. — JB

Least favorite beer of the tasting. Overly flavorful to the point where it’s sour. Like drinking a beer out of a marathon runner’s tube sock. — JR

I was not a fan of this beer and have tasted better versions of it in the past. — NV

Hello, grapefruit! Moderately bitter with a clean-ish finish and just enough malt backbone for balance. — AS

Oatmeal Stout — What they say: Obviously, we brewed this for St. Patrick’s Day. Pretty Dry. Easy to drink.

What we say:

Some may argue that darker beers are better for colder months, but this one’s good year ’round. A roasted malt aroma and flavor makes way for coffee and bittersweet chocolate notes. — SC

Dry enough to slow you down and make you thoughtful. — JB

The beer that eats like a meal! Bosco’s has been brewing some variation on this beer since the brewpub was in Saddle Creek, and they’ve got it dialed in. — CM

Too sweet! I want a beer, not a cupcake! I love oatmeal stouts but not this one. — BP

Full body of roasted and chocolate flavors, but I don’t detect any mint flavors. Overall still very good, but falls a tad short of its description. — NV

A little sweet up front; full-bodied, with a bit of a slick mouthfeel from the oats. The roast malt character is pretty restrained. — AS

Wee Heavy — What they say: This is a maltier amber ale, a stronger amber ale. It’s a darker seasonal. Try to get it on tap when it’s colder outside.

What we say:

This slightly sweet and caramelly brew has a nutty flavor with a hint of smoke. Easier to drink and not as heavy as its dark beer brethren, but rather a wee bit heavy, as the name suggests. — SC

More like “wee disappointing.” I was expecting something more along the lines of a stout, but on first taste, I’m hit by an overpowering sweetness. — BP

Good flavor, but the texture was very filmy and wheaty. — JR

This beer is smells strongly of caramel sweet malts, but has a strange taste to it I’ve never gotten from the style. I’m not a big fan of it. — NV

A full-bodied malt bomb. Tastes of caramel and prunes with some slight roasty notes. This is the right beer to have next to a fire with a steak and some blue cheese. — AS

GHOST RIVER

Barrel-Aged (Midnight) Magic — What they say: We let it spend four months in some oak barrels which had recently been emptied. Along with the dark malty flavors already present in the beer, the months spent in the barrels added some smooth oak and a hint of bourbon aroma we were able to unlock from the wood.

What we say:

I’m a huge fan of the Midnight Magic. Sadly, I’m not a huge fan of bourbon. The barrel aging added such a pungent bourbon aroma and flavor. — SC

A bridge beer — hard and heavy, a prelude to going home or going on to drinking harder stuff. — JB

What normally is a highly drinkable light stout, this version of MM is overpowered heavily by the barrel aging. — NV

Holy bourbon, Batman. Boozy with some vanilla and oak notes from the barrel. This might work if the base beer had been a fuller-bodied, higher-ABV offering. — AS

What’s Good IPA — What they say: The brewhouse staff have created a solid foundation of golden malt flavors upon which they built a glorious monument to the hops.

What we say:

You know the rare occasions when you see beams of sunlight bursting out between cracks in clouds? They’re called crepuscular rays. If those had a flavor, this would be it. — SC

I really liked this one. Drink it if you know What’s Good for ya. — BV

What’s good is this here beer. This has my favorite elements of an IPA. Super bitter with a fruity aftertaste. Definitely getting some of this for the fridge. My favorite so far. — CS

Full of fruity, citrusy aroma, this beer smells as if it’s got actual fruit in it, and its flavor matches that theme. A good choice for those new to IPA. — NV

Categories
Music Music Features

Dawn Patrol Release new album

The metal band made up of brothers Tommy and Kyle Gonzales are back with a full-length follow-up to 2014’s Police State EP. Recorded by Alan Burcham (the same producer behind Police State) at Ardent Studios and at his home, Democracy Delivered is a nine-song album that is “85 percent metal and 15 percent experimental,” according to frontman Tommy Gonzalez.

“We started mixing in elements of ska and punk on some songs, but overall it is still a metal album,” Gonzales said.

Since forming in 2012, Dawn Patrol have gained a strong local following, performed regional tours, and opened for national touring acts that found their way to Memphis. Through the help of venues like the Hi-Tone and Rock 103’s “Memphis Made” show, the band has become one of the mainstays of the “new Memphis metal scene,” alongside bands like Reserving Dirtnaps and Ritual Decay. The artwork on Democracy Delivered was created by Benjamin Velasco, and the album’s title comes from something that Gonzales saw at a concert.

Dawn Patrol

“I saw someone wearing a shirt that said ‘Democracy Delivered,’ and there was this image of a plane dropping bombs from the sky,” Gonzales said.

“That image stuck with me, so when I got home that night, I wrote a song with that phrase in mind. I looked it up and there wasn’t already a band called Democracy Delivered, so we just stuck with it.”

To celebrate the release of Democracy Delivered, Dawn Patrol will play a local show at the Hi-Tone with locals Klaxxon and Process of Suffocation, along with touring act Cryptic Hymn from Louisville, Kentucky. Democracy Delivered will be available for the first time at Friday’s show.

Categories
Music Music Blog

Local Beer Brewed for Lucero Family Picnic

Memphis Made’s All Sewn Up English Pale Ale, brewed in honor of Lucero.

Memphis Made has done it again. After brewing the Guitar Attack IPA for Goner Fest 11, the folks at Memphis Made honor another Memphis music institution with the All Sewn Up English Pale Ale. Named after a song on Lucero’s debut album, All Sewn Up will be available at the Lucero Family Picnic, The Madison Avenue Growler Shop in Cash Saver, The Young Avenue Deli, and the Memphis Made Tap Room in Cooper Young. It won’t be around forever, so act fast.

According to Memphis Made’s Andy Ashby, All Sewn Up is an English Pale Ale (5.7 percent ABV) brewed with Target hops (a UK variety) and has a restrained bitterness with a bit of earthiness and spiciness. Sounds good to me! Check out “All Sewn Up” below, then get to the Lucero Family Picnic by 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18th. 

Local Beer Brewed for Lucero Family Picnic

Categories
Cover Feature News

Spring Brews

CREDIT: Photographs by Justin Fox Burks

These days you can watch the seasons change in your pint glass.

Beers have always changed with the seasons. They do in Memphis now, too, thanks to the maturing craft beer scene here. 

Like the leafers who hit the New Hampshire backroads each fall, you can watch the beer seasons turn here with the changing tap handles at the big draft houses like the Flying Saucer and the Young Avenue Deli. Watch the chalkboard menus change at the Madison Growler Shop and the newly branded Hammer and Ale (formerly The Growler) in Cooper-Young. Heck, even watch the six packs change at just about every gas station in Midtown or downtown.

Just a very few weeks ago, Memphis was a fortress of ice and snow. It was the time for staying warm and inside, brooding over heavy beers — roasty porters and coffee-tasting stouts.

The ice is gone. Flowers are blooming. It’s a time for sitting on a patio with your friends drinking lighter stuff, like crisp and clean pilsners and freshly picked pale ales.

Knowing many of you are heading to patios to do just that, we wanted to give you a guide to what has just come on tap now and some of the handy standbys you can drink all spring and summer long.

Photographs by Justin Fox Burks

J.C. Youngblood and the good people at Central BBQ allowed us to set up our tasting shop at their downtown location on the back patio. There, we unloaded our coolers and dug into more than a dozen local, regional, and national beers.

The caveat here is that no one on the Flyer staff is a beer expert. We’ve seen the business end of our share of pints, but we’re no cicerones. We needed help.

So, we brought in spirit guides for this vision quest. David Smith and Kevin Elbe from Hammer and Ale described the beers we were drinking as did last year’s cover boy, Taylor James, beer manager at the Madison Growler Shop. 

Our tasters this year were Flyer editor Bruce VanWyngarden (BV), staff writers Louis Goggans (LG), Chris Davis (CD), and Toby Sells (TS); senior editor Jackson Baker, former music editor Joe Boone, film and TV editor Chris McCoy (CM), regular Flyer contributor Eileen Townsend (ET), and Inside Memphis Business editor Richard Alley (RA), who made it plain that he doesn’t like IPAs. — TS

Toby Sells

Hefeweizen, High Cotton 

What they say: “Traditional German hefeweizen … citrusy … doesn’t carry the heavy banana flavor as some do.”

I can see drinking a lot of this without thinking very much about it. It doesn’t have much “mouth taste” (I think that’s what I heard the beer men call it?), once you swallow you are no longer thinking about what was going on before you swallowed. They should call it The Amnesiac. Goldfish Brew. — ET

Don’t you want to taste your beer while you’re sitting by the pool? With this hefeweizen, you get the clean, summery, effervescence you want in the summer time. It’s a beer that tastes like a beer should. — CM

This wheat beer is golden in color and is light enough for sipping on the porch. It has an aftertaste, though, that would make me stop at one. Not an all-day beer. — RA

I’m not a hefeweizen guy. But High Cotton turned down that banana-taste volume way down on this one. I could fall in love with a … hefeweizen?

Louis Goggans

Grindhouse Ale, Ghost River

What they say: “A light cream ale designed to be enjoyable to all types of beer enthusiasts. The subtle malt and hop flavors tease your palette and demand another taste.

A round, almost fruity taste, bright and sassy. An open-voweled beer. — Jackson Baker

We got this beer early in the formal tasting. I called it “normal” beer. It has a drinkable consistency and a distinct lack of banana. I came back to this beer once we were set loose on the goods. I’ll drink this on tap. — Joe Boone

Tasteless and timid, it is apparently aimed at the Bud Light drinker who is scared of the microbrew. And while it is better than Bud Light, it’s not up to the standards of this great Memphis brewery. — CM

Light and creamy, like drinking a big boy cream soda. I like a cream soda, but the aftertaste of this beer stayed with me like grandma’s hard candy. Another one that would stop me after a single pint. — RA

Suzy B, Southern Prohibition

What they say:  This dirty blonde with a pinch of wheat has a nice honey malt backbone and a balanced bitterness set apart by its pleasant cascade hop aroma.

I foresee a six-pack of this appearing on my grocery list in the near future. It was pretty smooth and palatable. — LG

Suzy was the belle of the ball. This is a summer beer that’s balanced between flavor and heft. It’s a natural beer. It’s not some dude showing off with a 20-minute discourse of some aspect of beer culture that his wife must hate. It’s just a beer. Order this. — Joe Boone

The Southern Prohibition blonde ale tasted unremarkable at first, but it did boast an excellent balance, even though the finish was slightly bitter. But as our tasting went on (and on…), I found myself coming back to it. This one’s a grower, not a shower. — CM

This blonde ale was made in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. But it seems made for a hot night on a Midtown porch. — TS 

Eileen Townsend

Starless, Wiseacre 

What they say: Schwarzbier. Dark elegance.

Relatively bitter, but I enjoyed it. It’ll go great with one of my signature grilled T-bones. — LG

Considering it’s a black lager, it’s lighter on the palate than you would think, nothing at all like engine sludge. — Jackson Baker

Whoa! This tastes like licking a walnut. It is very mellow. If I were to write a fantasy novel about this beer, it would be a gentle but wise animal in a magical forest. — ET

Dark in color, but with a lighter mouthfeel than Guinness, this black lager immediately got my attention by combining the best of both worlds between a lager and a stout. In my notebook from the tasting, in big letters, I wrote “BEST BEER,” so this one is a keeper. — CM

Here we go: a stout, malty lager with a roasted flavor, a darker beer I can sink my teeth into. This is what I like, and it was perfect (not too heavy) for this first day of spring on the patio with just a slight nip still in the air. — RA

Hornet’s Revenge, Ghost River

What they say: Very medium in body, which gives it a twist with most black beers being heavier set (fatties). A hint of sweetness, followed by the a crisp and clean hoppy finish.

The saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” fits perfectly with this beer. It’s a dark IPA but light in taste. Nevertheless, it didn’t sit well with my taste buds. — LG

Nice pale ale, looks a bit dark, but doesn’t taste dark. It’s got some snap to it. — Jackson Baker

While working on a farm in my youth, I once suffered a hornet’s revenge. It hurt like a sumbitch. This Hornet’s Revenge was much nicer — a rich, dark, creamy payback that caused pleasure, not pain. I even went back for more. You might say Revenge is sweet. — BV

I would drink anything with this name. A black pale ale involved similar trickery to the Starless: It’s a dark beer that has flavor but lacks the knockout tanginess of trendy IPAs. — Joe Boone

I don’t feel “hornet” from this, unless it is a literary reference. This is a beer for successful academics in very remote fields and people who enjoy seeing stage productions of English tragedies. It is strange and complicated and good, but probably not to take lightly. — ET 

Ghost River scores with this playful combination of styles. It’s bitter, but with a light mouthfeel and just enough hops to keep it interesting. This went really well with the Central BBQ I was snacking on while we were tasting, and I think it would pair excellently with a big, fat burger from the grill. — CM

Beautiful dark beer, but you can’t fool me — this is a pale ale. It’s fruity and won’t abide. Nope. — RA

Love that Ghost River has unleashed its brewing talent with the Brewers’ Series of seasonal and one-off beers. This black pale ale is bold, balanced, and delicious. — TS   

Session IPA, High Cotton

What they say: Citrusy hops, low alcohol, kind of deceiving for an IPA, and very smooth. 

I’m a little offended at the idea of calling a “session” to drink multiple beers. I thought this was America. But given the brewers’ tendency to cram as much flavor and alcohol into a can, I get where this beer is coming from. — Joe Boone

This beer is the Justin Bieber of beers (Bieber circa 2013-2014, when he was getting arrested and peeing in public and fighting with Orlando Bloom or whoever) because it knows you are curious about it, and it knows it has a lot of spirit (/spirits) to offer, and it does not give a fuck. — ET

Very sharp, light, and acidic. I’m not sure who this low alcohol beer is designed for, but it isn’t me. The first sip made my salivary glands seize up. Not recommended. — CM

I’m a big fan of the ESB at High Cotton, and I love their taproom. But the name says it all: IPA. On this first day of spring, I prefer my flowers in the ground and not in my glass. — RA

Session beers? More beers and more time to drink ’em? Hell, yes. I could drink this IPA for a very long session. Who’s buying? — TS

Spring Seasonal, Yazoo 

What they say: A Helles bock style …nice deep tan color with a slight bready sweet aroma, with a light mouth feel that finishes with a smooth maltiness and clean hop flavor.

Two thumbs up! This one was fruity, flavorful, and delivered a smooth aftertaste. It’s perfect for the springtime.  — LG

Tangy but mellow, a little gold sneaking through, not so much light as buoyant. — Jackson Baker

Spring Seasonal was heavenly — a light, citrusy, easy-to-drink beer that had me wanting to dance around in a field of daisies. Or maybe just sit on my porch and drink more. — BV

Okay, so this is the beer for the boat. This beer is like your best bro from college — not the one that used to do a bunch of coke and now works in investments, but the responsible one who has made good life choices but doesn’t brag about them. It is respectable but also relaxed, simple, never shallow. — ET

It’s light and citrusy, and the best of these light beers so far. It’s the only one I would drink for a whole session (beer term and I have no idea what it means). — RA

Lucid, Memphis Made

What they say: This pale golden German ale is light and crisp. Memphis Made’s only year-round beer, it has a slightly bready aroma and a spicy hop note from Herkules hops. 

This is the ideal brew to guzzle down after you’ve finished some extensive yard work in the humid Memphis heat. — LG

A little watery, for better or for worse. It’s a beer for way down the line when you need something that goes down easy. — Jackson Baker

Bubbly and regional-ish. Deutsche. Ich finde die Memphis Made Lucid Kolsch ich bin sehr gut! Ja wohl.  — ET

This is a carefully controlled, well-balanced, German beer. Nothing fancy, just quality, like a well-made, comfy chair. If you’ve got this waiting for you after you mow the lawn, you’re in good shape. — CM

Light and fruity, but not too much. I could drink a few of these in a sitting, and I probably have. It’s a German-style, but none of the bitterness that comes with the hoppiness. — RA

Rockbone IPA, Memphis Made 

What they say: A heavy hand of Herkules hops gives this IPA a real bang, while the Mosaic hops do the dirty work and ooze out flavors of passion fruit and berries.

Got some kick to it, all right, as if made of wild grass. Anti-mellow. Lovers of buttermilk probably like it. — Jackson Baker

Long and strong and turgid. Best to finish it quick. Too much of this bad boy and you’ll be tweeting embarrassing stuff all over the internet. — BV

When Memphis’ beloved Rockbone made his or her ignominious debut into Memphis society, some suggested that, after what must have been a stressful day, people should buy that person a beer. Folks at Memphis Made must have been listening: They created a beer especially for Rockbone. IPA stands for Internet Porn Aficionado, right? No? My bad. — Joe Boone

This is the beer to do your air guitar solo with. But what band will you sample? Not Journey! Nope. Not even Def Leppard. This is a straight-up Axl Motherfucking Rose beer. It wears its denim shirts real tight, with some buttons open. It doesn’t shy away from a bandana. — ET

Boomslang IPA, Wiseacre 

What they say: Unlike most Belgian beers with little hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma … Belgian IPAs are bursting forth with all of those.

Bitter for no damn reason. Period. — LG

Boom-slanga-langa-langa! Floral-ish, hoppy, Belgian beer that makes a statement: Drink me. Drink me now or die. — BV

By the time we got to this beer, we had smashed almost everything in the place and the staff had retreated next door to call the authorities. — Joe Boone

Again with the IPAs. This was the last beer and, honestly, I was too buzzed to give a shit any longer. I do feel bad, though, about Central BBQ’s flower bed on the south side of their patio, where we tossed the dregs of our glasses. On the bright side, their azaleas should look terrific in a few weeks. — RA

Chris Davis, a gluten-free man, tested a number of brews for the wheat-averse. Never let it be said the Flyer doesn’t love you. All of you.

Hopsation, Woodchuck Cider 

Hopsation is a “hop forward” cider that aims to be more beer-like by adding a bitter dose of hops to the fruity brew. The result is a more complex sip. I’ve never been a cider fan, although this somewhat citrusy, riesling-like option has softened my opinion. — CD

Pale Ale, Omission 

Bubbly, honey-colored, and fragrant, Omission comes on crisp and refreshing. It has herbal notes and a distinct toasted-biscuit flavor that, I suppose, makes it a breakfast beer. But I’d happily drink it with lunch or dinner, too. — CD

Redbridge, Anheuser-Busch

Redbridge may not have a complex craft beer flavor profile, but it’s completely drinkable. Oh sure, this sorghum-based beer has the malty/yeasty smell of a laundry pile, but it absolutely beats the pants off a Bud Light. — CD

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

New Beers from Ghost River and Memphis Made, etc.

• Madison Growler is hosting a launch Friday night, 6-9 p.m., for Ghost River Hornet’s Revenge. 

This is the first release in Ghost River’s Brewers series. 

From the event’s Facebook page: 

This brew from Cory York is a black pale ale. Cory, who’s nickname is Hornet, says that this beer doesn’t look or smell like a pale ale but drinks like one. Amarillo hops are used and impart quite a bit of fruity notes on the palate. Make sure you are one of the first to try this brand new beer!

• Memphis Made has teamed up with T.J. Mulligan’s for a limited edition red ale named Sully. It debuts today at LBOE, Dan McGuinness in East Memphis, TJ Mulligan’s on Highway 64, TJ Mulligan’s at Trinity Commons, TJ Mulligan’s at Kirby and Poplar, and TJ’s Pub. 

The beer is named after Richard Sullivan, a Memphis Made co-owner. 

• Memphis magazine’s 901 Blog has details on proposed plans from the City Market owners for a new Second street convenience store and liquor store. The liquor store side of the plan would be called Quench Wine & Spirits.  

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

The things we ate in 2014.

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Last winter, Holly Whitfield of the I Love Memphis Blog announced that Memphis is in the midst of a spectacular “Foodnado.” How apt! My cursory count of restaurants, breweries, and sundry food-related places that opened in 2014 adds up to 40, and not all of them in Overton Square.

But, then again, a lot of them are in Overton Square. Babalu Tacos & Tapas opened in June, offering tableside-prepared guacamole and lots of sharing plates. The place has been packed since. In August came Jimmy Ishii’s Robata Ramen & Yakitori Bar with a fine menu of ramen noodle bowls and skewers. Lafayette’s Music Room, an homage to the original much-loved, circa-’70s Overton Square bar named for the recently passed away ace bartender Lafayette Draper, opened in September and features wood-fired pizzas and a music schedule set at palatable hours. Schweinehaus, a cheeky Memphis take on German food, also opened in September. There’s beer, brats, and the occasional lederhosen sighting — what’s not to like? If you need olive oil, there’s the Square Olive, and there’s more music and fun at the Chicago-based Zebra Lounge.

Justin Fox Burks

Robata Ramen & Yakitori Bar

The most recent addition to Overton Square is Belly Acres, a farm-to-table burger restaurant, the latest of three burger-centric places to open in Memphis. This trend has our full endorsement. Belly Acres has a fantasyland interior and a menu that demands to be gone through one burger at a time. Down the street, there’s LBOE (Last Burger on Earth). Its menu raises the bar with such burgers as the super spicy Lava Me or Lava Me Not and the garlic-laden Love Stinks. Oshi Burger Bar downtown has something for everyone — beef burgers, tuna burgers, vegetarian burgers, gluten-free buns. They also have great milkshakes.

Justin Fox Burks

Oshi Burger Bar on South Main

Plenty of glasses have been raised at the taprooms opened in 2014 at High Cotton Brewing Co. and Memphis Made Brewing Co., and Memphis promises to get buzzier still in the new year with Pyramid Vodka. Wine in grocery stores finally passed, and while that doesn’t happen until 2016, local liquor stores are making the best of it with growler stations and more.

In grocery-store news: Whole Foods opened its expanded store in East Memphis, which includes a site-specific barbecue restaurant and a growler station. There’s the new Fresh Market in Midtown, and Kroger continues to show its commitment to Memphis in updating its stores, most recently the one at Cleveland and Poplar. Plus, there’s been some buzz about a Trader Joe’s opening sometime somewhere. We shall see.

In coffee news: Everybody freaked out when Muddy’s Bake Shop announced a new Midtown store in August 2013. Muddy’s Grind House opened this fall and offers a little of everything, from coffee to breakfast eats and yoga. The Avenue, near the University of Memphis, has great coffee and treats with Christian fellowship. There’s also Cafe Keough downtown in a gorgeous setting with a great cafe Americano. Tart offers quiches and more — a great go-to place when expectations are high. Ugly Mug took over the Poplar Perk’n space, and Jimmy Lewis, who founded Squash Blossom, returned to the scene with Relevant Roasters, selling wholesale, environmentally sound, and worker-friendly coffee with the motto “Every Cup Matters.”

After a few false starts, the Riverfront Development Corporation came through with Riverfront Grill. It serves a sophisticated but not too syrupy Southern menu and also has some of the best views in Memphis. Also new this year to downtown are the Kwik Chek spinoff Nacho’s, Marie’s Eatery in the old Rizzo’s Diner spot, and Cafe Pontotoc. Rizzo’s moved into the old Cafe Soul site, and there’s the Love Pop Soda Shop, a nifty craft soda shop.

In East Memphis, Skewer, serving Yakitori and ramen, opened in January. 4 Dumplings opened around the same time, and, as its name suggests, the menu is built around four dumplings. The vegan dumpling with tofu is not to be missed.

Since at least four people mentioned to me that Jackson Kramer’s Bounty on Broad is “secretly” gluten-free, I’m guessing it’s not really a secret. The dishes at this lovely farm-to-table spot are thoughtfully done and a delight to look at. The menu changes frequently, but at a recent dinner, there were mussels in fragrant coconut milk, charred broccolini, and creamed kale served over polenta. Also gluten-free is the Hawaiian import Maui Brick Oven, serving brick-oven pizzas and grain bowls.

Justin Fox Burks

Bounty on Broad’s Jackson Kramer

At Ecco on Overton Park, Sabine Bachmann’s cozy neighborhood restaurant, there are heaping dishes of pork chops, delicate pasta dishes, and artful cheese plates — something for every appetite. Strano Sicilian Kitchen & Bar serves a great roasted carrot soup and Italian classics from meatballs to pizza.

At press time, Porcellino’s, Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman’s latest venture, was due to open “any minute now.” File this one under “This Should Be Interesting.” This is a butcher shop/sundry/coffee spot/wine bar offering grab-and-go sandwiches, fresh pastas, cured meats, house-made pastries, and more.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

A Cuppa Joe with Reverb Coffee’s Jeremy Harris

Everybody has an aha moment. For the Apostle Paul, it came on the road to Damascus. For Reverb Coffee founder Jeremy Harris, it happened one night in a tiny village in the Dominican Republic.

“I was having dinner at a friend’s house,” recalls Harris, “and our hostess brought out this old metal cafeteria tray covered with shot glasses. And I was like, what is this old lady doing?”

The shot glasses, it turned out, were full of espresso—but not just any espresso. The coffee had been grown and roasted right there in the village. The espresso was brewed on a stovetop with brown sugar, and the flavor, says Harris, was out of this world.

“I’d never had that level of coffee before,” he continues. “I thought, you know, why don’t we have this where I live?”

[jump]

Why, indeed? When he got back to the States, Harris bought a home roaster, and in April 2013, he started selling his beans commercially.

His concept is simple: teach Memphis to brew better coffee. That means doing lighter roasts (darker roasts obscure delicate origin flavors) and shortening the time between roasting and brewing.

In practice, that involves roasting smaller batches and delivering them to stores more frequently. I tried a cup of their Ethiopia Lekempte, which was rich and smooth, with notes of citrus and berry.

Want to try Reverb Coffee? Chances are, you already have. (Hint: it’s in the beer.)

Back in January, Reverb partnered with Memphis Made Brewing to produce Reverberation, a Belgian-style coffee stout. The first run was such a hit that—Happy Turkey Day!—they’re bringing it back at the end of November.

If you prefer your coffee the old-fashioned way, you can pick up a one-pound bag of Reverb at Cash Saver or Miss Cordelia’s. Or hey, they brew it fresh at Avenue Coffee, right around the corner from the University of Memphis.

But hey—can you keep a secret? Like seriously, just between us? Word on the street is that Reverb is getting its own coffee shop in December—and it may or may not be somewhere in Cooper Young. Shh!