The leaves are green. The bugs are back. Mowers whine at all hours. That can only mean one thing: It’s time to change what kind of beer you’re drinking.
Not hyperbole here: There has never been a better time to drink beer in Memphis than now. Taprooms and store aisles are flooded with more beers from more breweries producing more styles than ever before. You like rosé? We got you. Pickles? Dern tootin’. Milkshake? You betcha. Beer-flavored beer? Let’s get started.
To survey the Memphis beer selection this spring, I invited the Flyer newsroom homies to my house. Shopped for nacho bar fixin’s. Then, I embarked on an epic beer run.
I was a little surprised to see I was not the first customer at Buster’s Liquors & Wines when it first opened Thursday. I asked the very nice lady in “the pit” (that’s what they call the big cash register situation by the doors), and she directed me to Alton Ford.
Ford’s job title? “Beer expert.” After shopping with him for 10 minutes, I knew he’d earned that. He said Memphians love to drink local and the palate trends toward IPAs and sours. But just like most places, Memphis changes its beers with the weather.
“Drinking seasonally just fits with the temperature outside,” Ford said. “You’re going to get those darker beers in the winter and they’re going to get heavy, and you’re not going to be able to drink many of them. [Now] you want something that you can be out in the heat with.”
At Joe’s Wines & Liquor, the always-great Sisco Larson pointed me to a panoply of new craft singles from Memphis breweries. He said, “Everybody drinks seasonally.” While there are some who drink Tiny Bomb as their go-to, “people love variety.” There has never been such an abundance of variety in Memphis as now, he said.
“We’ve got better here — both brewed here and available here — than we ever have,” Larson said.
My last stop was the also always great South Point Grocery. No beer folks were on hand to help me through my selection, but I barely needed them. Their shelves are always full of the best and newest beers — sporting a big, old, rocket-shaped neon sign with the word “beer” on it to guide you home. They have a great selection of locals but they’re often one of the first to get new beers that have just entered the Memphis market.
Here’s how we make this guide: I get a bunch of seasonal beers. (We try to sample as many local breweries as we can but it’s impossible to cover them all.) We taste them. We write down what we think about them. We’re not beer experts. But we drink beer and support local beer. Our opinions aren’t technical, and beer folk may scoff. But we are a sample of the Memphis market. I say all of this to temper expectations here. So instead of saying “high-gravity,” we’d probably say, “This’ll get you fucked up.” Flyer-style.
For these tasting events, I enlist a guide. The best brewers in Memphis have sat around with the Flyer crew over the years explaining things like, “What’s the difference between a sour and a gose?” and “Is this supposed to taste like bananas?”
This year, Bryan Berretta, a founder and brewer at Memphis Filling Station (MFS), plied us through the sometimes murky waters of beer styles and flavors. MFS has been around since 2013 and opened its taproom doors this year. I asked Berretta if Memphis was developing as a beer town. “Yes, and it gets better every year,” Berretta said, “the diversity of the breweries and the camaraderie between the breweries, as well.” — Toby Sells
Meddlesome Brewing Company
Dad Jeans German Pilsner
Crisp. Super dry. Dad Jeans remains a perfect pilsner, and perfect for spring.
— TS
This was my favorite beer to return to as a palate cleanser after all the fruity, gimmicky beers. — Alex Greene
When people talk about a beer that’s good to have after a hot day spent mowing the yard, this what they’re talking about. The German pilsner has a crisp, clean taste with just a hint of a bitter finish. It’ll bring a little flavor to your sweaty Saturday. — Chris McCoy
It’s like sneaking the last sip of your grandpa’s beer while he piddles around in the backyard to get away from your grandma. You can’t tell if it’s just a bit of water from the garden hose or a dribble of grandpa sweat or condensation from the bottle, but you can stomach it, just with a bit of disappointment. — Abigail Morici
Hampline Brewing Company
Memphis Natch Lager
Another beer perfect for spring. It’s a bit maltier than Dad Jeans. But good as hell when the beer is cold as hell.— TS
It’s only 4.6 percent alcohol. I like that. It comes across light at first, but then reveals a deeper body as it lingers. — AG
This lager is probably my favorite Hampline product. It’s got a bit thicker mouthfeel than your average summer patio drink, and a fine, rich flavor. It’s a sturdy, balanced brew. — CM
Creature Comforts
Spring (Belgian-style white ale)
Spring (the beer) shows the continued excellence of this Athens-based brewery. Tons of oranges on the can. Perfect amount of orange in the beer. — TS
Citrusy, floral, and fresh, but it’s not tart like the Lemon Radler NA. It’s a different kind of citrusy. It’s a nice dry, basic beer. Very quaffable. — AG
I’ll be frank. This beer doesn’t have much flavor. The mouthfeel is minimal. But you know what? I could see myself drinking way too many of these at a spring or summer music festival. — CM
I kept wanting to drink this, not because I liked it necessarily, but because with every sip came a sort of fizz that tingled on my tongue in such an anticlimactic way that had me asking: Is that it? — AM
Athletic Brewing Company
Ripe Pursuit Lemon Radler (non-alcoholic)
It’s good. It feels like a beer in your mouth, not beer-flavored water. — TS
Nobody does NA beer better than Athletic, and this is no exception. It’s got a subtle citrus flavor that sets it apart. Yummy, and very refreshing. — CM
Super tart, sorta sour, and not too sweet. Flavor-wise, this reminds me of a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. A sixer of those while porch swingin’ on a summer day in my 20s was perfection. As a newly old person in my 40s, this hits that nostalgic spot — but without the hangover.
— Shara Clark
Memphis Filling Station
Crescent Wrench Rosé Farmhouse Ale (Saison)
Saisons are another rite of spring and the array of styles are wide. This one nails the rosé flavor. Bryan said if someone comes into MFS and says they don’t like beer, they give them this one. I can see why.
— TS
This is a new way to have fruitiness in a beer, with a profile almost like that of wine. Quite intriguing, but I would probably just have wine if I wanted wine.
— AG
I’ve had beers that were supposedly inspired by wine before, and I’ve never been very impressed. This one is the exception. It brings complex, fruity flavors to the table, but its dry finish means it’s not overpowering. It’s the rare flavored beer that won’t outstay its welcome. — CM
“For people who don’t like beer,” said the drink’s creator. … I like this beverage. What does that say about me? What does that say about my beer reviews? This drink gives people existential crises.
— AM
Flyway Brewing Company
Bluewing Blueberry Wheat
I fell in love with this beer on a rooftop bar in Hot Springs. Now that it’s moved to town … I still love it. I do. We’re just … in a routine now. (Srsly, tho. A tasty choice for that friend who’s not a big beer fan.) — TS
The color is an attractive purple haze. But blueberries and beer do not mix for me. This leans into its fruitiness like a stack of flapjacks and that’s not for me.
— AG
This blueberry beer is … blue. At least as blue as a wheat beer can get without adding food coloring. How does it taste? Not very blue. In fact, it’s kind of watery, with a distant suggestion of blueberries. It’s the LaCroix of beers. — CM
Southern Grist
‘Mosa (mimosa-inspired sour ale)
It smells like orange juice when you pour it. (In a great way.) If you close your eyes and squint while you taste it … I don’t know, dude. It tastes just like a mimosa. (In a great way.) — TS
Okay, 5.8 percent alcohol. Whoa. A definite mimosa flavor. This is hazier than hazy. It’s cloudy, murky with mango.
— AG
Another stunt beer that sticks the landing, this Nashville creation aims to taste like a mimosa and succeeds more completely than I could have imagined. (Did I just compliment something from Nashville? I must be slipping.) Having said that, it seems kind of redundant. If you’re in the mood for a mimosa, why not just have a mimosa? Also, it looks like Tang. — CM
Wellness Brewing Company
Intentional IPA (non-alcoholic)
IPA-flavored water. — TS
Do you drink beer for a buzz or for the taste? Neither, you say? Well, you’re in luck! This NA option is mild for an IPA, with only a light punch to the taste buds and back of the tongue (does this work as another way to say “mouthfeel”?). Typical IPAs are a hops overload for me — like spicy Pine-Sol — so this toned-down version was actually tolerable. — SC
Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Sky Dog Chelada
Sky Dog is the best light beer in America. That’s according to the gold medal Wiseacre took home in the best American Light Lager category at the Great American Beer Festival. Boom! This is the chelada style. I went full michelada with a bottle of Clamato. As if this beer needed any more rizz … but dang! If that’s your kind of thing, this is your kind of thing. — TS
Pretty good for a pre-mixed version of the classic Mexican beer/lime wedge combination. But why? I like squeezing real lime into my favorite Mexican beers. And I avoid the salt. But if you were in a rush to slam back a beverage without pausing to squeeze a lime, I guess this makes sense? — AG
Wiseacre has a genuine hit on their hands with Sky Dog. It’s well-balanced perfection with only 99 calories per can. It guilds the lily with a touch of lime and salt. This was by far my favorite beer from our tasting. — CM
This is like making a salsa that has an overpowering taste of lime and salt and you’re wondering why no one likes it and you’re trying not to let your feelings get hurt but they are and now there’s a beer that tastes just like it so you feel validated because now you know that lime and salt are good flavors but also you’re confused because surely your salsa wasn’t that bad if people are willing to drink a drink that has an overpowering flavor of lime and salt? And then it’s like do you need new friends? Can Sky Dog be your new friend? — AM
Grind City Brewing Company
Krispy Treat
It’s a fun one-off! While the motivation is perplexing, this beer smells and tastes like Rice Krispies Treats. Fun stuff. — TS
Maybe poured over a bowl of ice cream, or you could make a beer float with this. The marshmallow was enough to put me off. But marshmallow plus a hint of sulfur is really a losing combination. — AG
Nope. — CM
Ice cream wastewater that smells like a dog fart so bad that it would wake a dog up from the deepest of slumbers. — AM
Crosstown Brewing Company
Vision Board Mixed Berry Sour
It’s a solid sour. I’ll drink it in the winter for a spring-y pick-me-up as I watch snow fall outside the Young Avenue Deli.
— TS
It’s a very grown-up mixed berry. It’s subtle, I’ll give it that. But it’s still berry.
— AG
This beer smells like the beloved candy Smarties. It also tastes like Smarties, and I mean that in a good way. — CM
Picture Valentine’s Day from your childhood: candy hearts, Sweetarts, Smarties — all those chalky candies that made your stomach churn with delight. Now imagine that liquified, but also imagine the bitterness you felt when you were the only one in third grade who didn’t get the “You Are Pawsome” card with the holographic puppy from Jessica C. You’ll feel done dirty after this drink. Cue the stomach churning as the sugar rush fueled by resentment (for this drink? for memories of Jessica C.?) ushers in a pounding headache.— AM
Hampline Brewing Company
Cherry Bomb (sour)
“It’s like a sweet-sour cocktail with rock n roll sensibilities,” says Hampeline’s website. Yep. The cherry flavor was juuuuuuusssst right, too. — TS
Of all the fruity beers, I much prefer the cherry because of that sourness. It almost reminds me of the ‘Mosa one; it has that combination of fruity and bubbly that’s like a mimosa. But I prefer the Cherry Bomb because it’s tarter. — AG
I think part of the recent popularity of sours is because of their versatility. If you’re going to add a non-malt, non-hops flavor to your beer, sours provide a good base to work from. The Cherry Bomb proves the rule, with a tastefully applied hint of cherry at the end. I liked it, and I generally don’t like cherries. — CM
Hi Wire Brewing Co.
Wickles Hula Pickle Beer
Pickle beers have been a thing for a minute. Never tried one. This one from Hi Wire comes with a magic trick. The pickle smell when you pour it disappears from any pickle flavor in the beer. Wha?
— TS
I like eating pickles with beer, but I don’t need it all together. And the pineapple in this is a deal-breaker for me. This is the beer version of Jumping the Shark. It’s trying too hard. It’s like, “Let’s throw pineapple in there; then everyone will be happy!” But it’s not win-win. It’s lose-lose. Commit to the pickles. — AG
Okay, listen up. This is an intervention. I know we’re out there searching for new flavor combinations, and that’s an admirable frame of mind. We all applaud that. — CM
WHERE IS THE PICKLE? YOU SAY PICKLE; I EXPECT PICKLE. — AM
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Trail Pass IPA (non-alcoholic)
The Sierra Nevada website describes this beer as having a “silky malt body and clean hop bitterness.” I haven’t had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in years, but this NA was distinctly Sierra Nevada. It’s skunky and mouth-puckeringly bitter. Ever thought about dipping an old sock into pine cleaner, letting it dry, then stuffing it in your mouth? Now you’re parched and all you can taste is pine needles. Does that sound enjoyable to you? Does it?! — SC
Soul & Spirits Brewery
Bring It Home (Bavarian helles lager)
“Hell-uss” or “hells”? I got two different answers and figured out it doesn’t matter. Helles lagers are synonymous with spring beer. You should bring this one home.
— TS
This is a generic tasting lager, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But this particular lager doesn’t elevate itself above a traditionally crowded field. It’s another good music festival beer. — CM
Memphis Made Brewing Company
Tan Lines (kolsch brewed with tangerine)
Another great example of a fruit-flavored beer with juuusssst enough fruit. Another great rec for friends who “don’t like beer.”
— TS
You expect the tangerine flavor to bring a wave of sticky sweetness, but that’s not what happens. This 5.1 percent ABV beverage surprises by balancing out the tangerine with a hoppy bitter finish. It’s an intriguing change of pace. — CM
Fry up some wonton strips because this beer is duck sauce in a can. I like duck sauce, and I like it with my wonton crispies. Maybe this is the closest I can get to drinking duck sauce in a socially acceptable way. — AM
Memphis Filling Station
Muffler Belt Milkshake IPA
Just pouring this one I could tell it was gonna be dank af. It’s an orange milkshake in a can with alcohol. Even the vanilla ice cream is there. Pour it in a coconut and add a pineapple slice and one of those little umbrellas. Perfect for the Secret Beach. — TS
Soul & Spirits Brewery
Love Vibration Milkshake Mud Island Ale
It’s smoky and thick. Not my thing. But it does show the incredible variety of beers made in Memphis and the incredible talent of the brewers who make them. — TS
Tastes like a long, uncomfortable, one-sided conversation with your coffee-breathed neighbor as she smokes her cigarette. Mosquitos are biting your ankles, it’s hot, pollen is getting between your toes in your flip-flops, and the combo of the smoke and the coffee is just giving you a headache as the sun sets. You want to make it stop, but you don’t want to be rude. So you keep listening (and you keep drinking). You’ll avoid this one next time. — AM