Hear ye, hear ye, by a royal-in-spirit decree, all subjects of Memphis are invited to the Renaissance Faire this Saturday at Wiseacre Brewing Company.
The day will have “live music, a mermaid, face painting, dancers, a queen who will knight fair-goers, and armored knights doing demonstrations,” says event organizer Ashley Riley. “There will also be several vendors selling medieval garb, jewelry, and accessories, as well as plenty of food vendors — including the iconic turkey leg, a staple at any Renaissance fair.”
The event also promises to be family-friendly, and costumes are encouraged — for kids and adults alike. “I’ve never been to a Renaissance fair before,” Riley admits, “but it’s something I’ve always wanted to experience. I know Memphis loves a good themed event, and with so many costume possibilities — from fairies and knights to pirates and jesters — the Ren Faire seemed like a perfect choice.”
Costumes are encouraged. (Photo: Austin Lowman | Unsplash)
Further, the Renaissance Faire is an opportunity to support students experiencing homelessness, the number of whom doubled in Memphis since the pandemic to around 2,100. In her role working with EverDriven, an organization that, in partnership with school districts, provides transportation to students experiencing homelessness and students with special needs, Riley says, “I regularly meet with homeless liaisons from across the Mid-South and hear their stories and those of the students they support. One thing that’s consistently mentioned is the need for school supplies.”
So, even though the event is free to attend, fair-goers are encouraged to bring school supplies to donate; you can also find a few local teachers’ classroom wish lists on the event’s Instagram page (@renaissancefairememphis).
“We hope everyone who attends this Ren Faire experiences a strong sense of community,” adds Riley, who had the help of Allie Trotter, Wiseacre’s manager; Caity Luman, a professional theater costume designer and local jewelry artist; and several volunteers in launching the event. “By donning our Renaissance garb, dancing, enjoying the entertainment, and supporting the amazing venue, we’re all contributing to something bigger — a cause that gives back to our community. I hope people leave feeling inspired and uplifted, knowing that they’ve been part of something positive for the most vulnerable in our community.”
Temperatures roller-coaster dipped into the cool stuff last weekend promising no more 80-degree days until Memphis in May and the exact right conditions to bend an arm under a dark, toasty/roasty fall beer.
For this, Memphians, you are in luck. New beers keep pouring into new Memphis-area taprooms. When Cooper House Project opens in Cooper-Young (hopefully soon!), Memphis will be home to 12 craft breweries. It’ll join Ghost River, Beale Street, Boscos, Crosstown, Grind City, Soul & Spirits, Hampline, High Cotton, Wiseacre, Memphis Made, and Meddlesome. Consider that only two craft breweries — Ghost River and Boscos — operated here nine years ago.
New beers are pouring into Memphis-area stores, too. Craft breweries from other markets are expanding their distribution circles, and new stuff is showing up on our shelves. Think of all the Nashville beers we can get here like Bearded Iris and Southern Grist, Urban South from New Orleans, and Deschutes from Bend, Oregon. This now also includes several non-alcoholic beers from brewers who want craft flavors without the hangover.
Toby Sells (left) with Soul & Spirits owner and master brewer Ryan Allen.
For this year’s fall beer guide, we rounded up a bunch of beers you can find around Memphis. This includes some from other markets and does not include every local brewery. Some breweries just didn’t have anything new that we’ve not written about already. We found our beers at Cash Saver and South Point Grocery (thank you, Taylor James!), both known for their wide selections. But you can find most of the beers in our tasting most anywhere.
Some brewers haven’t liked all of our staff comments in past beer guides. But our crew was asked to be honest. We taste and take notes, not as beer experts, but as typical Memphis craft beer consumers. (I mean, we don’t even have Untappd accounts.)
But we did have expert help. As in years past, we had a guide to help us understand the different styles and pick out flavors. This year, Ryan Allen, co-owner and master brewer at Soul & Spirits, shined a light on our path forward. He joined us in an undisclosed Midtown backyard as a few Flyer staffers drank beers from a cooler and wrote about them for work. Hell yeah.
There are plenty of beers to love on this list — and we did love some. But don’t take our word for it. Go grab a light jacket and a dark beer for yourself. — Toby Sells
Athletic
Athletic Lite, light lager, 0 percent ABV
Ever leave a sixer in a hot car, discover it later, then put it back in the fridge? This reminds me of that — like a flat, forgotten Miller Lite. Not much flavor, but an easy drinker if you like playing pretend. — Shara Clark
It’s a light beer with no alcohol. Which I guess is like chewing on a candy cigarette in a cigar club. But to be fair, some people really like candy cigarettes. — Samuel X. Cicci
A non-alcoholic beverage that seems sort of pointless. Slightly fizzy, like LaCroix water. Yellowish color, like water that’s been, er, used. I’d prefer a LaCroix. — Bruce VanWyngarden
There’s nothing there and I guess that’s the point. It’s barely-beer-flavored fizzy water. — Toby Sells
The recent technological advances that have made decent-tasting NA beer possible are welcome. There’s a lot of good brews out there that won’t mess with your sobriety. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. Why make an NA beer taste like the lite beer designed to make 4.2 percent alcohol content more palatable? This beer makes me long for the bold flavors of tap water. — Chris McCoy
This non-alcoholic beverage is like drinking Holy Water from church, except the wrong fingers have been dipped in the font — fingers that have been in places God doesn’t approve of — so there’s a tinge of something that shouldn’t be there, making you question if this thing that’s supposed to be “good” for you is actually worth the way it goes down so smoothly. — Abigail Morici
Meddlesome
Memphis Style Lager, light lager, 4.5 percent ABV
The can art reminds me of a ’90s-style Mead folder, but the beverage itself gives strong shower beer vibes. Lather up the shampoo, crack one open, and throw it back while the water washes the day away. This one’s a winner. — SC
It’s a nice, lighter malty lager. If you like lagers, go for it. But you’re gonna buy it anyway since the can is so fun with its minty-party-shenanigan-chic aesthetic. — SXC
This 4.5-percenter is right down the middle of my comfort zone. Tastes like beer, friendly and non-aggressive. I could see myself sitting down with a few of these. — BV
It tastes great. Now with that out of the way, let’s talk about the can. To holler at the ’80s Memphis design group on a beer can will delight any who appreciate obscure Memphiana. If you think it looks like Saved by the Bell, well, that’s fun, too. — TS
This beer is what you think you want when you order a domestic light beer. Because of Memphis’ great water, and being fresher than your average corporate beer product, it’s got a sharper and better flavor. — CM
The Memphis Style has the vibe of a crouton. We like croutons. But do we love croutons — that’s the question. — AM
Southern Grist
Parallel Fruited Sour, sour, 0 percent ABV
This is another NA, which is good because you’ve got to be sober to say its name three times fast. Flavor- and texture-wise, this seems like nothing more than a fruit puree — or what you get in one of those bottles of daiquiri mixer. — SC
It’s bursting with passion fruit and raspberry, but not super sour, which I want in my beers. Also, it has no alcohol. Which I guess is like choosing to inhale a fruity candle in a hookah bar. — SXC
Another non-alcoholic brew that is in no way reminiscent of, well, beer. It’s pleasant tasting, but to me, this is a soda. — BV
This is one of the best NA beers I’ve ever tasted. It’s got the mouthfeel of a regular beer, and the flavors are tasty but not overwhelming. Most importantly, it’s not too sweet. — CM
The best snack when you’re in kindergarten is that cherry chapstick that you sneak a little nibble of, and this drink will take you back to those naughty moments — as if the chapstick-eating folk at Southern Grist melted down the worst chapstick, plastic tube and all, to find a new evil way to capitalize on nostalgia. — AM
Doc’s Cider
Sour Cherry Cider, sour, 6 percent ABV
This tastes like an Alabama Slammer Clubtails (those cheap, gas-station, 10-percent malt beverages) or a Black Cherry Four Loko. And if you’ve got more than two bucks to spend on booze, this is not a good thing. — SC
This sour-cherry concoction tested my gag reflex. Never bring this near my face again. — BV
This is the opposite of thin. It covers your tongue and palate with a sort of cherry medicine film. Do not recommend. — TS
UhhhlllllAAAAHHHHCHHA [yucky sound]! — CM
It’s like drinking the weirdly pink liquid that drips from a teeny tiny hole in a Febreze-scented garbage bag filled with rotting fruit and used Kleenex as you drag it to your garbage bins. — AM
Urban South
Red Nose ReinBeer, fruited wheat, 5.4 percent ABV
The first sip gave me a little “Oh!” — light with a warm, spiced aftertaste. Subsequent sips sorta felt like peeling back the wrapping paper on a Christmas gift then settling into disappointment once you realize it’s just a pair of socks. — SC
Grandma got run over by a reinbeer while walkin’ home from our house on Christmas Eve. The suspect was a fruity wheat, with notes of cranberry, cinnamon, and brown sugar, but witnesses reported that the spices overwhelm any fruity taste. — SXC
I didn’t want to like this. But it’s Christmas in a can, really. Light on the cranberry flavor, heavy on the cinnamon and brown sugar. The taste turns flatter the more you drink, though. — TS
Urban Artifact
Xmas Pickle, sour, 4.3 percent ABV
What’s the dill with all these odd new beer types, eh? It’s a smooth, light, pickle-based gose. Little bit of salt, a nice clean pickle scent, a bit of tartness, but overall it doesn’t go too heavy on any of the strange flavor mixes. — SXC
It’s much like I’d imagine drinking the brine from a pickle jar would be, only with bubbles. It’s got some salt, as well. Might go well with a cheeseburger or something, but I would not drink this sans food. — BV
Ryan [Allen from Soul & Spirits] said pickle beers are on the rise. I ain’t tryna drink this all afternoon, but it’s crazy different and fun to explore. I bet it’s great with fried chicken. — TS
I wasn’t aware of the pickle beer trend before this tasting, and I’m not sure I’m on board with it. This one smells like a pickle more than tastes like one, and it’s by far the saltiest beer I’ve ever had. Bottom line: It’s not as bad as it sounds. — CM
Soul & Spirits
Polk Salad, fresh-hopped IPA, 6.1 percent ABV
The vibe: You’re sitting in a field, breeze blowing against your face, sipping a cold, carbonated herbal tea. Fresh hops here really gave this a crisp, clean drinking experience. Best IPA I’ve ever tried. — SC
This is a better IPA, made from fresh hops (grown in Memphis!) and packed with fresh greens. Not bad. And that’s coming from an IPA-hater. — SXC
This is the freshest beer I’ve ever had. Maybe I would not have described it that way if Ryan hadn’t told us about the fresh-hop process, but dang if I can’t taste it. My notes say “just so fucking good.” — TS
It starts with a great nose. The initial taste is light and crisp, with a bold finish. The fresh hops linger longer and add more complexity than you get with your average West Coast face-melter. This is one of the best IPAs I’ve ever tasted. — CM
Ghost River
Dunkelweizen Ale, Dunkelweizen, 8 percent ABV
It’s got a bit of a clovy taste. A lot of Ghost Rivers have a sameness to their taste, but this one breaks the mold. Kudos to the brewer. — SXC
This has a dark, caramel-ish initial taste. The texture is soft, almost melted buttery. A hint of dough. Not for every taste, but will hit the spot for many. — BV
Ryan de-mystified Dunkels for me, saying they’re basically Hefeweizens with darker malts (and that “Dunkelweizen” literally translates to “dark wheat”). This one has those banana flavors and lots of suds. Fun to drink, and extra points for crop circles on the can! — TS
This new “dark wheat” is one of the better offerings from the venerable Ghost River label. It goes down smooth, but be warned: It’s got an exceptionally high alcohol content. You can get yourself into trouble with this one. — CM
Have you ever licked the cracked side of a plastic Mardi Gras bead that’s lost its shine and sits in a puddle of spilled beer? Well, now, you don’t have to; this drink will do the trick instead. — AM
Wiseacre
Strizzle Bier, IPA, 6.2 percent ABV
Yipes. Bye-bye, taste buds. I think they were burned off by the bitterness. — SC
Wiseacre makes so many good beers that I don’t feel bad saying I don’t like this. It’s a weird fusion of IPA and brown ale, and I’m not sure those two styles ever truly reconcile. — SXC
Solid brew with a clean slight bitterness that isn’t off-putting. This one suits the season just right. — BV
IPA bros like myself (self-burn), rejoice! Your fall beer is here. It’s bitter, even a little fruity, and definitely all IPA. — TS
Not much nose, followed by a weird, muddled taste profile. It’s bitterness without context. Strizzle is a rare miss from Wiseacre. — CM
This tastes the way sliding a finger along a freshly Pledged table feels but without the pleasant lemon scent. — AM
High Cotton
Chocolate Rye Porter, porter, 5.5 percent ABV
This is just begging to be made into a beer float. Is that even a thing? Well, it is now. Gimme a mug and a scoop of vanilla, please. — SC
As a kid I used to go to my grandmother’s and attack the bowl of 85-percent Ghirardelli chocolate squares. This beer reminds me of those, a bitter and oh-so-slightly-sweet meld of chocolate flavor swirling softly amidst the dark porter. Truly heavenly, and the perfect fall/winter beer. — SXC
It smells just like coffee as I bring it up for a sip. It tastes like the holidays. If ReinBeer above is the fun, gaudy Christmas party with lil smokies and Dirty Santa, this beer is the classier sit-down, roast beef dinner with your well-to-do cousins. — TS
This is the kind of beer I’m in the mood for when the leaves are falling. It’s well-balanced, not too sweet, with a complex set of flavors. This is one of my favorite beers from a Memphis brewery. — CM
Yum! Nutter Butters in a cup. This would make a great boozy milkshake. — SC
My notes, verbatim: “Fuck it. I love the shit out of this beer.” I couldn’t help it, even though I don’t usually like these beers and wanted not to like this one. I can’t explain the magic that converted me, but it was there. — TS
It’s got a great nose, it pours like motor oil, and the flavor is deep and satisfying — somewhere between a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and a pecan pie. Those brewers up there in Nashville are making great beer. — CM
Hi-Wire
Chocolate Coconut Bar 10W-40 Imperial Stout, stout, 8 percent ABV
It’s a silky, creamy chocolate imperial stout with a bit of lingering coconut. I expected more of a Mounds bar-esque taste. Not quite as good as the chocolate rye porter, but solid if you’re a stout fan. — SXC
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. The coconut goes way over the top here and turns the candy bar flavor into suntan lotion. — TS
As a fan of stouts, chocolate cake, and coconuts, this sounds like it should be right up my alley. But it’s just chewy and thick and not much else. I’m not sure I even tasted the coconut. Meh. — CM
Soul & Spirits
Smoke Stack, smoked dark lager, 5.7 percent ABV
Ever played musical chairs around a campfire to avoid the smoke blowing in your eyes? But every time you move, it follows, permeating your hair and clothes and your entire respiratory system? That usually sucks, but while this tastes like inhaling a smoke cloud, it’s a bold beer, and I’m here for it. — SC
The smoke hits you right up front, like when the wind from a fire pit wafts your way. It’s meant to emulate Memphis barbecue, and like Memphis barbecue, it’s a slow burn. Not a beer to crush, but could go well with a rack of ribs. — BV
Ever had a beer that’s smoky like a good scotch? Made with Tennessee barley roasted over mixed hardwoods intended to evoke the flavors of Memphis barbecue, this one was a new experience for me. Not sure I could have more than one at a sitting, but this is an excellent beer. — CM
A fresh latte from Dr. Bean’s (Photo: Justin Fox Burks)
The fickle Memphis weather threatened to rain on Daniel Lynn’s parade when he launched the inaugural Grind City Coffee Xpo back in 2019. Gathering storm clouds eventually morphed into a raging monsoon, with Lynn worried that the gales and heavy rain would keep people away.
“I was concerned for sure, but we had about 500 people come out that first year,” recalls Lynn. “After seeing that, I knew we were onto something. If we got 500 people to come out in a monsoon, that convinced me we could build on the event.”
Lynn has sustainably grown the Grind City Coffee Xpo over the past couple years. Every successive iteration sees the addition of a few new vendors, representative of the organic growth of Memphis’ coffee community. Inspired by the Science of Beer event held at the Memphis Museum of Science & History, the result is a celebration of all things coffee, with everything from roasters to traditional shops to various health and wellness vendors. The comprehensive package covers everything that coffee enthusiasts would want from an event but also strives to welcome newcomers and give advice on how they can best approach coffee.
The scent of roasted beans fills the Xpo. (Photo: Jonathan Amado)
“Our event puts beauty over competition,” says Lynn. “Many similar expos will have shops competing against each other, and there is, of course, some friendly competition here. But this is about bringing everyone together under one neutral roof. It’s all about building community. And it’s also hyper-educational. We ask vendors to come prepared to answer any questions people might have.”
Don’t expect to find only simple roasts at the Grind City Coffee Xpo, held this year at Wiseacre HQ on November 5th. Lynn gives the vendors free rein to experiment as they will, whether that’s focusing on their prime product or trying something outside the box. And if previous Xpos are anything to go by, prepare for a few pleasant surprises along the way. “I remember our first year, Comeback Coffee debuted their coffee soda,” says Lynn. “That’s become so popular that they’re building a cannery for it.”
Xpo-goers this year can look forward to four new vendors: Memphis Grindhouse Coffee, Muggin’ Coffeehouse, Southaven’s Coffee Central, and Ounce of Hope. “I’m a big believer in health and wellness,” says Lynn, “and we’ve got that represented here, too.”
While, at the end of the day, many coffee shops are in competition with each other from a business perspective, Lynn says that Memphis’ growing coffee community has always been supportive of new members. “What keeps me doing this is the community and culture around coffee in Memphis,” he says. “Everyone is so welcoming in the industry. Folks like Charles Billings over at Dr. Bean’s have been doing trainings and other things like that for newcomers, helped them open their doors. From what I’ve seen, everyone is willing to bend over backwards to help others, no matter what.”
As for Lynn’s favorite coffee shop? There’s no right answer to that question. “Every place in town has a couple things that they really excel at,” he says. “I go to different shops when I’m in the mood for different things and am never disappointed.”
The Grind City Coffee Xpo allows Lynn and the coffee community to take that supportive ethos and extend it to one of our greatest treasures: the Memphis Sand Aquifer. Lynn doesn’t profit from the event, and vendors are donating their time and product to a good cause, since 100 percent of the proceeds go toward the Protect Our Aquifer organization. After all, high-quality water is intrinsically linked to the Xpo. “You can’t have good coffee without good water,” says Lynn, “and the water we have here elevates it to another level. I think sometimes people take it for granted, but look at what’s happening over somewhere like Jackson. It’s so important to maintain high-quality water levels.”
To help enhance the Xpo coffee even more, Lynn has partnered with Third Wave Water, a company that creates packets which can change the mineral content of water. That allows vendors to customize their water for whatever their preferred brewing method might be, and each participant at the Xpo will be doing so. “You combine that with our already amazing water from the aquifer,” remarks Lynn, “and you’ll see some amazing pours.”
Looking ahead, Lynn believes that Memphis can continue to grow its coffee community. “We’ve got so many great shops, but we can handle more, too. The passion is there on our end 100 percent, but I can see us expanding in a healthy and organic way going forward.”
And there’s plenty of good stuff in store for caffeine connoisseurs and newcomers alike. Read on for a closer look at five participating vendors at this year’s Grind City Coffee Xpo. —Samuel X. Cicci
Attendees sample roasts from 15+ vendors. (Photo: Jonathan Amado)
Boycott Coffee
Boycott Coffee just celebrated its first year in business, but it has been putting cups in hands for far longer. As co-owner Alexander Roach explains, since 2017, “Boycott Coffee was already an established social program working with language communities here. We had a few pop-ups and a few language centers. I was popping up wherever I was invited to present ideas, drink coffee, and create spaces.” As his recent social media post announces: “Boycott Coffee wants to help!”
Now, with the help of Mersadies Burch and Averell Mondie, Roach’s vision has a permanent home. Calling themselves “the three-human ownership team behind Boycott Coffee,” the trio of activists’ shared progressive values have led them to open a storefront cafe combining coffee with community.
Burch and Mondie “started consulting and working with this building during its redevelopment,” explains Roach. “Fast-forward a year, and it was a shared project between the three of us, a kind of a weird coffee/potluck in the back. Then they asked us to move to the front of the building.” That’s where you’ll find the pink interior of Boycott; the place still retains the clubhouse vibe of Boycott’s earlier incarnations.
All that’s missing is a bookshelf. But you may want to reach for your phone for some heavy reading. As their website states, “We call on you to question how coffee is really made and who it belongs to along the value chain. To revolt and protest alongside the producers, traders, mill workers, carriers, roasters, and baristas.” And, we might add, to tip generously. —Alex Greene
Comeback Coffee shows off its coffee soda. (Photo: Jonathan Amado)
Comeback Coffee
Hayes McPherson, who along with his wife Amy, owns Comeback Coffee, is excited about the upcoming Grind City Coffee Xpo. “That was kind of where we got our start,” he says. “We were at the first Xpo three months before our opening day.”
Hayes, Amy, and Ethan McGaughy, who work together on all the flavor combinations, also launched their strawberry-lime coffee soda at that first Xpo in 2019. The native Memphians are bringing a “new coffee soda to promote” at the upcoming Xpo, says Hayes. It’s going to be a surprise. They’re also bringing a “non-coffee-related product,” but it’s a secret. “It highlights that really special water we have in the city.”
The McPhersons opened Comeback Coffee in March 2019. Food & Wine magazine named it one of “The Best Coffee Shops in America” about six months after they opened.
“We just try to do our thing really well. Good coffee. High specialty coffee. We bring in roasters from all over the world and showcase them here in Memphis. We highlight those people and those stories.”
They’re “physically building out” the business. “We’re pretty far along in construction of our building. It’s still on North Main two buildings down from Comeback. We hope to be in there by March.”
Chef Cole Jeanes brings his Kinfolk restaurant pop-up on weekends and sells fried chicken on cathead biscuits and other items. “Our slogan is ‘Stay Awhile.’ I think we’ve nailed that.” —Michael Donahue
The Xpo shares samples and roasting techniques. (Photo: Jonathan Amado)
Crazy Gander Coffee Company
Crazy Gander welcomes Memphians with their open atmosphere and creative selection of frappes, unique coffee renditions, and delicious pastries.
Enjoy anything from a traditional Americano and hot tea to their cookies-and-cream frappe and a seasonal drip coffee served with a cookie. This quaint storefront is found in the heart of Memphis providing a simple yet aesthetic space filled with immense love and efficiency. With every cup, each staff member and owners Dana Bunke and Kevin Crow strive to connect with the Memphis community.
Abby Sexton, a member of the business development and operations team, states that Crazy Gander’s main mission is to “serve a continuously excellent cup of coffee and be consistent with our product.” Along with consistency and care, Sexton says that Crazy Gander connects with people by treating “every new visitor like a regular.”
As for Bunke and Crow, each are local entrepreneurs working to better the community, raising millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and environmentally safe organizations. And that same love and care go right back into their coffee as a “small neighborhood way of doing things for the community.” But stay tuned: Sexton says to “look for new and exciting things coming your way from Crazy Gander.” — Izzy Wollfarth
Guests watch a pour-over coffee procedure. (Photo: Jonathan Amado)
Memphis Grindhouse Coffee
Ten banks turned down Dwayne Chaffen and Rick Askew’s loan application to jump-start their new coffee shop. “One particular bank asked us if we had a white business partner,” says Chaffen. “It was 2019. We really thought they were joking.”
They weren’t joking, the two friends soon realized, so instead, they invested their own money into the online shop that has become Memphis Grindhouse Coffee. Being online, though, has had one major benefit: reaching a global audience. So far, they have customers in 22 states, plus Canada and Australia.
The coffee is made-to-order in Memphis. “That is the freshest you’re going to get,” Askew says. “Sometimes the bag is still warm when you get it. And we only buy the highest-quality beans you can find. The light roast comes from Peru, the medium roast comes from Ethiopia, and the dark roast comes from Guatemala.”
Plus, with every product sold, the company donates money to ongoing literacy efforts and buys books to give away to kids. They’ll even ship books free of charge to kids in need.
“We’re two inner-city Memphis kids,” Chaffen says. “We love our city, and we understand the unique challenges that many people in our city face, especially the children. We wanted to find a way to give back.”
Still, the two hope to open a brick-and-mortar location to provide a physical space where young students can sharpen their literacy skills. For now, it’s a matter of finding the right place at the right time. —Abigail Morici
Muggin’s Mary and Ken Olds (Photo: Jonathan Amado)
Muggin’ Coffeehouse
Ken and Mary Olds believe that coffee should be accessible to everyone, not just connoisseurs. And when it comes to their coffee, they don’t concern themselves with fancy names. After all, what’s more accessible than a coffee named Zippin Pippin or Flickin’ on Beale?
According to Mary, if you walk into Muggin’ Coffeehouse, located at 1139 Brownlee Road in Whitehaven, asking for “that caramel thing,” they know exactly what you’re talking about. Mary says that coffee connects people, and that there should not be barriers like pronunciation standing in the way of enjoying a fresh cup.
The Olds wanted to take away the “pretentious stigma” surrounding coffee and opened Muggin’ in June of 2020. They also wanted to make sure that coffee is approachable to the people in their community. In fact, according to Mary, 90 percent of Muggin’s employees had no prior background in the coffee industry. The Olds sought to teach their community more about coffee, while also giving back.
The uniqueness of Muggin’ can be pinpointed to a number of things, such as the way Memphis culture is intertwined within the shop and its products (Hard Out Here For A Drip, Looking for the Brewin’). However, Mary believes that being a Black-owned business and demanding a standard of excellence from their staff has played a major role in the success and brand of Muggin’. “We want to make sure we represent in a great way,” she says. —Kailynn Johnson
Grind City Coffee Xpo takes place Saturday, November 5th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wiseacre HQ, 234 E. Butler Ave. For tickets, visit grindcitycoffee.com. All proceeds go toward Protect Our Aquifer.
Beer drinkers rejoice: the Wiseacre craft beer empire continues to grow. Earlier today, the brewery announced plans to extend its distribution to the states of Indiana and Missouri, making its beer now available in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
Five of Wiseacre’s year-round beers — Ananda, Bow Echo, Gotta Get Up to Get Down, Puffel, and Tiny Bomb — will be sold in the new states, along with seasonal and specialty releases.
“My brother Davin and I also have a very personal connection to St. Louis, in particular, because that’s where our father is from,” said Wiseacre co-founder Kellan Bartosch. “We grew up going to St. Louis for Blues hockey games in the winter and Cardinals games in the summer. Hitting up Ted Drewes Frozen Custard and places on the hill like Rigazzi’s for toasted raviolis was an important part of our childhood. It’s thrilling to think that you could have authentic t-ravs and a fresh-from-the-tap Wiseacre beer at the same time!”
Wiseacre had already built up a following in the two states after brewmaster and co-founder Davin Bartosch had produced collaborative beers with St. Louis-based Perennial Artisan Ales, 2nd Shift Brewing, and Rockwell Beer company, as well as Indianapolis-based Sun King Brewery.
“When I was living in Chicago brewing beer for Rock Bottom, there was a ton of connectivity with Indiana breweries which led to great relationships and travel to visit friends’ breweries,” added Davin. “The state is full of world-class breweries that have created an amazing beer culture alongside bars, restaurants, and smart consumers. It is an honor for us to begin distribution there this month.”
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
Wiseacre Brewing Co. has a new year-round beer, a new variety pack, and it will soon expand into five new states — Kentucky and New Jersey in February, and Colorado, North Carolina, and South Carolina in March.
The Memphis brewery announced the plans Tuesday. The expansion comes after the completion of the company’s new 40,000-square-foot facility in Downtown Memphis late last year.
Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Bow Echo is the new year-round beer from Wiseacre. The hazy IPA joins Tiny Bomb, Ananda, and Gotta Get Up to Get Down in Wiseacre’s full-year lineup. The company describes the beer as having “notes of citrus and tropical fruit and a fluffy texture derived from oats.” Davin Bartosch, Wiseacre co-founder and brewmaster, said the beer is a “child of MemFresh, the rotating series of small-batch IPAs we’ve worked on for a few years.”
“There were a lot of happy IPA fans when we launched the series, and we’ve learned a ton about ingredients and processes on hazy IPAs over those years,” Bartosch said in a statement. ”So, we decided we’d better pump up the volume — literally — and make it available year-round. And, thanks to our new brewery, we have the capacity to get Bow Echo to fans in Memphis and beyond.”
Can’t decide on just one Wiseacre flavor? With a new variety pack coming soon, you won’t have to choose. Look to store shelves soon for a pack that includes Ananda, Gotta Get Up to Get Down, Tiny Bomb, and a rotating seasonal beer. Sun Bump Belgian Wit will be the first of the rotating seasonals.
Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Wiseacre will soon be available in 14 states total, after the expansion into the five new states. The company’s beers are now sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
“In light of COVID, we’ll hold off having events at bars and restaurants for now so we can continue to follow safe business practices for our staff, distributors, retailers, and customers,” said Kellan Bartosch, Wiseacre co-founder. “And while this launch will look very different from those in the past, we are no less excited for it!
Wiseacre Brewing Co.
“We will start shipping beer to new places with the promise that there will be a true on-premise launch down the road when it’s safe. That may be in the summer or it may be well after, but we are committed to bringing the excitement of a market launch when the time is right.
“In the meantime, it is thrilling that, even in these times, we have distributor partners, retailers, and customers in far away places who can’t wait to drink Tiny Bomb and the rest of the Wiseacre family of beers!”
Wooooo boy, ain’t we in the throes of it now? Feels like it was just last week when my assignment was simply to go to a bar and let y’all know that service is good and drinks are delicious. Well, shit’s changed, and frankly, it’s our duty to change with it. So let’s go to a bar, virtual-style.
I’ve not been able to go to an actual bar (because quarantine is the responsible thing to do, son!), so I’ve explored many options, including delivery, curbside service, and controlled irresponsibility, which is a thing you do with Clorox wipes, growlers, and general intelligence.
Unless you have written it off because your best friend from high school is an anti-vaxxer or your in-laws are trying to friend you, Facebook has been an astoundingly solid resource for restaurants and bars doing some cool stuff. Most any restaurant that you call is willing to make you drinks to-go, offer wines at a discount, or at least try to offload their selection of beer. They mostly let their deals be known on Facebook, so ignore the friend request from your mother-in-law and check out a menu.
“I don’t have the Facebook!” Neat. You can still navigate to the page and see their specials, you catastrophic moron.
Buster’s Liquors & Wines is doing curbside pick-up from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Place an order by 5:30 p.m. and patiently wait outside, and they’ll bring it to you. This is a great option if you haven’t begun drinking yet but plan to before the sun goes down. Shake up some local vodka and a squeeze from a lime you got from the Blue Monkey walk-in cooler. Log into Google Hangouts and play Jackbox with friends.
Photographs by Justin Fox Burks
Wiseacre Brewing Co. is doing delivery. I recommend ordering a couple six-packs of Ananda between 1 and 6 p.m., tipping the person who drops it off, and pressure-washing your driveway with your roommates. If there’s any left over, wipe it down real nice with some industrial wipes you got from Highbar Trading and offer it to the gentleman walking his dog down the street. Afterward, settle down on the couch and have a Zoom conference with all your friends that don’t have a pressure washer. Rub it in their faces.
Justin Fox Burks
Drinking local with hurricanes in pouches from Bayou Bar & Grill.
It sure is nice outside! Use the weather to your advantage and walk to your neighborhood watering hole. Mine is Bayou Bar & Grill, which is doing take-out from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Things you can get include incredibly cheap growler fill-ups (especially if you’re in their Mug Club) and drinks in pouches. Because it’s spring break, I opted for a couple hurricanes in pouches and a growler of a local IPA, which I then drank in my front yard as I yelled about the nuances of flight patterns during a pandemic.
Not to be outdone, Slider Inn is doing car bombs to-go, which include a pouch of Guinness and a ramekin of Jameson and Irish cream liqueur. This is great if you want to find out what it’s like to drop a plastic ramekin into a plastic pouch and drink it as fast as you can while watching 30 Rock for the millionth time and playing Hearts on the computer with the people living with you. You get extra points if you then order curbside delivery of a locally owned restaurant and tip outlandishly. My selections the past few days? Bari, Tamboli’s, Huey’s, Young Avenue Deli, Restaurant Iris, Casablanca, and Little Italy.
You know the best part about being asked to stay at home and stop the spread of a lethal virus? First off, it’s responsible at-home consumption of booze acquired from local restaurants, but the second-best thing is camaraderie. No, I’m not advising having a damn parade with children and spit-covered instruments marching through a neighborhood (get your shit together, Central Gardens!). I’m talking about all of us being in this together. And together, we can support our local establishments and, of course, safely consume booze off-premises and in the comfort of our meticulously clean living rooms and/or porches, or really anywhere you can pour a tall one. Cheers to staying safe, everyone.
In Ghana, music and community go hand in hand. This is true wherever people gather to
listen to bands, of course, but the communal experience is especially crucial to the music of Africa, where all the players in an ensemble add small pieces to a groove, the sum being greater than its parts.
Which makes it especially apropos that the Obruni Dance Band, Memphis’ own specialists in the highlife music of Ghana, will be leading a celebration of community tomorrow afternoon, in the open air, with glorious fall weather in the forecast. And, dear to this old farmer’s heart, the community Obruni will be celebrating is based on breaking bread and beets. Not just beets, but tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, watermelon, greens and beans. Jamie Harmon
(l-r), Gerald Stephens, Logan Hanna, Adam Holton, Jawaun Crawford, and Victor Sawyer in the Obruni Dance Band
Memphis is famous for its beats, but now its beets are stepping up as well, thanks to the efforts of the Community Table Garden. Started in 2014 in an effort to improve the quality of food available to Memphis’ most vulnerable neighbors, the Community Table Garden promotes people’s right to safe, healthy, clean food.
The garden is located on an empty lot on Madison Avenue owned by Huey’s. Beginning with eight raised beds and three rain barrels, they now have 15 raised beds, two in-ground plots, a greenhouse, and will be installing an irrigation system and a few fruit trees and berry bushes this fall and spring. Managed by Sarah Taylor, they operate solely on community support and volunteer work, with sponsorships from the Memphis Empty Bowls Project and Grace St. Luke’s Church. The gardens supply produce to the pantry at Grace St. Luke’s every week during the growing season.
Community Table Garden on Madison Avenue
Tomorrow’s celebration will raise funds for and awareness of the ongoing project. Chef Brown Burch will be joined by Spencer Coplan from Wok’n Memphis and Zach Nicholson from Lucky Cat Ramen in preparing an exquisite feast, along with more food from FINO’s, City Block Salumeria, and Payne’s BBQ.
The Produce Tribe, Whitton Farms, Tubby Creek Farms, and Rosecreek Farms are all supplying produce as well, and, last but not least, Mempops will supply its unique sweet delectables. Wiseacre Brewing Company, a favorite venue of the Obruni crew, is hosting, serving both beer and Long Road Cider.
Community Table Fall Garden Party, Wiseacre Brewing Co., Sunday, November 17, 1:00-4:00 pm. Get tickets here.
Last week, Richard Murff, who shares this column space with me, bemoaned the pumpkin-flavored beer trend. I’m right there with him. I also urge him to step back into the beer cooler and reach for a can or a growler of Wiseacre’s Holy Candy. It’s flavored with figs, not pumpkins — 400 pounds of figs in fact, according to Wiseacre brewmaster Davin Bartosch, a native Memphian who runs the Broad Avenue brewery with his brother Kellan.
“When I was brewing in Chicago,” Bartosch says of his time at Rock Bottom Brewery, “I made a beer called Drunken Angel, which was a Belgian dubbel made with raisins.”
Belgian dubbel refers to a rich, malty style of beer that tastes mild with slight hints of spice and caramel flavors. The brew originally hails from a Trappist monastery in Antwerp, Belgium, where it gained fame in the 1850s. After World War II, the dubbel gained international fame. It skyrocketed in the 1980s with the introduction of Chimay Première (Red), a Trappist brand that’s still brewed by monks at the Notre-Dame de Scourmont Abbey.
The Belgian dubbel is a fantastic addition to the fall palate — despite the current heat wave. I’ve drunk it with a few seasonal menu items, including sausages and stinky cheese. Holy Candy goes down superbly well with fall greens like Swiss chard, or with rich, aged cheeses like a triple-cream Brillat-Savarin, which comes from Normandy, just down the coast from Antwerp. Or, if you’re counting calories but still want to enjoy a beer, try pairing a glass with a kale, cranberry, and pecan salad. Drunken Angel netted a bronze medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, yet after returning to Memphis in early 2013, Bartosch decided to retool the recipe. “The raisins,” he says, “made the beer taste iron-y — not that it had irony, but that it had a metallic flavor.” Figs mellowed the taste, and in fall 2013, Holy Candy was born.
Traditionally, Belgian dubbels are made with dark candy sugar, which is slightly burnt. Using figs adds flavor, according to Bartosch, without making the beer itself taste overtly sweet.
“What I try to tell people who get kind of freaked out thinking it’s a sweet beer is that it smells sweet, but it’s actually a very dry beer,” he says. “As part of the brewing process, we always measure the sugar content of the liquid, and this one finishes with less sugar than most of the beers we make.”
Bartosch describes the brewing process for Holy Candy as “remarkably simple.”
“First,” he says, “we make the beer: Once the beer is in the tank with the yeast, we just dump a bunch of fruit in the tank, and the yeast eats those sugars, as well. Yeast needs nutrition from the grain, so we start there and add the fruit later.”
As anyone who has cooked with figs before knows, the sticky fruit can leave behind a mess. Yet in the brewing tanks, the beer rises to the top, leaving the solids at the bottom. “When we’re done, we pressurize the whole tank and blow everything out of the bottom that is solid,” Bartosch explains. “The figs end up getting fed to cows, which are fed just about every oddball agricultural project we have, with the exception being coffee we’ve used to brew our coffee beer.”
In August, Wiseacre put out a call for local figs in exchange for coupons for the finished beer. Bartosch estimates that at least a dozen people brought in a pound to five pounds apiece; most were of the Calimyrna variety. A few hundred pounds of Black Mission figs were shipped in from California to fulfill the recipe. This year’s batch of Holy Candy was brewed in September and hit the streets in mid-October. Bartosch expects that growlers and cans will be available until the end of the year. Holy Candy is hardly the only fruit- or vegetable-flavored beer brewed at Wiseacre. Bartosch has also “messed around” with passionfruit, berries, and fresh corn. Holy Candy is also not the only fig-flavored beer on the market: Other craft varieties which occasionally show up in Memphis coolers include the Fig Lebowski, a “winter warmer” brewed by Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, Michigan.
Wiseacre Brewing Co. 
Wiseacre Brewing Co. 
Wiseacre Brewing Co. 
Wiseacre Brewing Co. 
Photographs by Justin Fox Burks 
Justin Fox Burks 
Jamie Harmon 
Jamie Harmon 
