9 MEMPHIS BEERS YOU NEED TO TRY
There has never been a better time to enjoy an ice cold beer in Memphis than now.
Ten craft breweries have popped up across the city in the past 14 years. Each creating original – and award-winning – brews.
The craft beer movement has not only given Memphians better beer drinking options, but these breweries’ taprooms have also created gathering places that bring Memphians together over a cold one.
With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, beer is the topic of conversation for many.
Instead of drinking a green beer to celebrate the holiday, consider drinking a Memphis-made brew. We promise you won’t regret that decision.
To help you decide which ones to enjoy, we asked members of The Commercial Appeal newsroom team to share their favorites.
Here are nine Memphis beers you need to try. Most can be found at stores across the city; all are available at the brewery’s taproom.
Ghost River Gold Golden Ale from Ghost River Brewing Co.
The strength of Ghost River Brewing Co., my favorite Memphis brewery, is the amount of beers there that could be my “go-to” choice. I’m not enough of a seasoned beer expert to name many brews based off taste alone, but with Ghost River, every beer is distinct and full of signature flavor.
Ghost River Gold is a chameleon that can attune itself to any time or place – this light and refreshing beer is always a good choice. The seasonal Riverbank Red and Oktoberfest beers are also highlights for me.
If I had to pick a favorite at Ghost River, I will always stand by Lost Hive. This seasonal beer is available during the summer, and its delicious hint of honey makes it the perfect drink to cool off on a humid back porch in Memphis. I’d drink it year-round, if I could.
– Max Garland, business reporter
Ocansey from Crosstown Brewing Co.
After moving to Memphis in 2019, I’ve wanted to try many Tennessee-made beers. I am more of an IPA fan, and Memphis has some of my favorites. Once narrowing down my choices and rating them, I found my all-time favorite pale ale from the Bluff City is Ocansey by Crosstown Brewing Co.
It’s perfectly hoppy and tastes light enough that it won’t make you feel super full while drinking it with a meal. I will say it’s something I’d crave on a summer day rather than early in the year, but its taste beats the rest. There is a slight bitter aftertaste, although what pale ales don’t have that?
Crosstown Brewing Co. offers some of my other favorites as well, like its blonde ale Siren and its Dog Days Pink Lemonade Shandy. There are many beers I still haven’t tried from brewing companies throughout Memphis – although hopefully that’ll change in the years to come.
– Ray Padilla, digital producer
Rising Hope IPA from Crosstown Brewing Co.
Let’s go ahead and get something out of the way. If you’re one of those folks who believes that drinking an IPA means you’ll automatically sprout a hipster beard, go on and skip this review. Rising Hope IPA does not need your negativity, and neither do the children who will directly benefit from the partnership between Crosstown Brewing Co. and the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation because of this limitedrun brew.
Rising Hope is indeed an IPA. So naturally, the first thing you’ll taste is the bitter smack of hops. But please note, this is a gentle smack and not a pounding, which makes this a solid choice for those just realizing they, at least, are curious about IPAS.
The fruit comes next. Sometimes it’s the blood orange first, other times it’s the raspberry. For a real party, pair this beer with any citrus fruit you have laying around just so you can say, “Yes, the Rising Hope pairs lovely with a firm grapefruit.” (Editor’s note: You may actually sprout a hipster beard if you do this.)
This beer has a light mouthfeel and
clean finish. The last thing you can expect to taste, ever so slightly, is the taste of rose water that lingers in your mouth. Technically, the beer is brewed with Bulgarian Rose, which is an ultra-rare rose that has petals that are crushed and used for extracts. But if you’re someone who can distinguish between breeds of roses in a beer then you’re likely an advanced cicerone who has no need for this review.
But all the same, I’d confidently put this beer in front any critic advanced or otherwise.
– Micaela Watts, breaking news reporter
Tiny Bomb by WISEACRE Brewing Co.
So I’ll be honest. I never really drank beer before moving to Memphis three years ago. I drink more for taste than anything, and beer always was nasty to me. (I’m still more of a cider guy).
Thankfully, a few Memphis beers have changed my mind, and Tiny Bomb from WISAECRE is one of them. It’s got a smooth taste, not too strong and feels like something right on a relaxing day. I’ve even mixed it with lemonade to make a nice shandy when summer arrives.
I may not be the best expert but I definitely recommend a good Tiny Bomb once in a while, especially when the weather starts warming up.
– Evan Barnes, sports reporter
Starless Schwarzbier from WISEACRE Brewing Co.
My sentimental favorite Memphismade beer comes from none other than Memphis Made Brewing Co., after – on my very first visit to Memphis – a helpful bartender at the Blues City Café Band Box started pouring me vast quantities of their Rockbone IPA to wash down a Sunday catfish dinner and put me in a partying mood for the Freeworld show I did not know I was about to see.
However, it doesn’t appear Memphis
Made makes Rockbone anymore and that’s no help to you, dear reader.
So, allow me to sing the praises of WISEACRE’S schwarzbier, Starless.
This sturdy black lager packages the roasty, malty satisfaction of a heavier porter in a brew that’s as clean and easy-drinking as any pilsner. It favorably reminds me of dark Czech beers like those from Krušovice or Kozel. It’s a great beer to re-acquaint yourself with a traditional European style in a world awash with fruit-bomb IPAS that are more smoothie bar than Reinheitsgebot. Starless is a winter seasonal, so stock up now to get you through until the Oktoberfest offerings hit the shelves.
– Spencer Elliott, planning editor
Scottish Ale by High Cotton Brewing Co.
A friend of mine, Ged Walls, is from Scotland and I’m pretty sure if he came to Memphis, he would enjoy cozying up to a bar with a pint of Scottish Ale from High Cotton.
While I don’t usually drink ales as they tend to be overly hoppy, Scottish Ale is an exception as the hops are muted, making this beer smooth to drink with an almost sweet finish.
In the glass, it has a darker brown – almost Scottish red – color with a taste that reminds me of Killian’s Irish Red or Honey Brown from Dundee Brewing in New York where I grew up.
If you want a beer that’s more substantial than a lager or pilsner, but want to stay lighter than a porter or stout, give Scottish Ale a try. You’ll enjoy it.
– Dann Miller, senior consumer experience director
Junt from Memphis Made Brewing Co.
Some days, a nice, hoppy IPA is not so nice without a chalky heartburn tablet handy. It’s easy to love sipping a milkysweet stout when you don’t mind ruining your appetite for dinner. There’s plenty of fruity, chocolatey or even peanut-buttery beers to sample and share but for a delicious easy-drinking local brew, consider Junt by Memphis Made Brewing Co.
The mini-fridge in my Midtown garage
is often stocked with at least a few of the colorful cans of Junt, which the brewer describes as a delicately-hopped cream ale with a “healthy dose of flaked maize” which might account for the beer’s drier finish.
At 4.5% alcohol by volume, Junt is one of four year-round offerings from Memphis Made, along with pale ale Cat Nap, amber ale Fireside and a hard seltzer named FUN. The brewer also makes a plethora of limited and seasonal options – malty, Scottish, citrusy and oatmealy, if you like.
Junt proclaims its local bona fides on every can. The term “junt” was popularized by iconic Memphis hip-hop act Three 6 Mafia and means, well, whatever you want it to mean. For me, it means an easy drinker that’s here all year but always just in time for spring.
– Jess Rollins, content strategist
Viva Las Lager by Grind City Brewing Co.
I probably drink beer two or three times a year, always on the Fourth of
July. And I am usually specific about trying flavored beers. So I picked up a six pack of Grind City Brewing Co.’s Viva Las Lager in the colorful packaging.
It’s a honey lager, and the notes on the can say it boasts an “exclusive blend of honey, molasses and noble hops we dare you to find anywhere else.”
Well, you can definitely taste the honey and the lager has a clean, refreshing finish.
This is a beer you could pair with most any food items, including pizza, burgers, seafood or even a good steak or grilled eggplant.
But, ultimately, it is a combination of marketing and packaging that set this beer apart. At $9.99 for a six pack of cans, the beer is at the mid price point for locally produced beers. As the logo of can says it all, Grind City is “taking care of beerness.”
– Mark Russell, executive editor
528 hz of Love & Hoppiness from Beale Street Brewing Co.
When it comes to beer, I am a total girl. I love fruity, easy drinking beers. I think the first shandy was made with someone like me in mind.
When I first saw a can of Beale Street Brewing Co.’s 528hz of Love & Hoppiness, I knew I needed to give it a try. First, I just loved the name. Totally hooked me in. Who doesn’t want to enjoy a drink that gives you love and happiness?
Then, I read the beer’s description – a rosé ale. I have been on a big rosé kick this year, and the idea of a rosé-inspired beer totally intrigued me.
Let’s just say I am glad I gave it a try. This easy drinking ale is as bright and colorful in flavor as it is in color. The flavors of hibiscus and red fruits like cranberry, passion fruit and strawberry come shining through.
It’s a beer that I know I will be enjoying all spring – bet you will too!
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.