Germans, as well as folks across the world, will be raising mugs in honor of Oktoberfest this month.
So it’s only fitting that us Memphians celebrate the beloved beer as well. Now in it’s 6th year, the annual Cooper-Young Beerfest is this Saturday afternoon.
“We weren’t sure how the beer community in Memphis was going to respond to the festival but we have been embraced with open arms. The festival and the brewery have been amazing to get going,” explains Drew Barton, President and Head Brewer at Memphis Made Brewing and a founding committee member of the Cooper-Young Beerfest.
I think that “embraced” is an understatement. The Memphis brew scene has exploded in the past few years. “We have seen a lot of new products come out to Memphis. I think we have seen over 50 new beers that are from Memphis come out into the market in the last two years and that’s been a great thing.”
At Saturday’s event over 30 breweries will be sharing their beers. Most local … but a few from out of town as well. “All the beers at the festival will be beers that are in a day’s drive. We define that as being able to drive to that place and do something that day.”
Just as with food, the less distance a beer has to travel, the better the taste. “We have seen a big ‘buy local’ movement in food and we are really seeing that come to the Memphis beer community and it really just means you are getting a much fresher, more quality product.”
And what makes Memphis such a great place to brew beer? “We have a great water source hear in Memphis and that allows us to brew a variety of styles which we have seen flourish in the last couple of years as breweries have opened up. And that has given us a much more diverse product selection in Memphis that we didn’t have a decade ago.”
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Cheers!
