Saturday’s second-annual Cooper-Young Regional Beerfest drew a sold-out crowd of 600 to a small parking lot in Midtown that was transformed into an oasis of craft beer and homebrew. The selection of regional beer, combined with a picture-perfect 78-degree day, combined for Memphis’ best beer festival in the past year. We’re already looking forward to next year.
Boscos Squared’s new brewer, Adam, who just moved to town from Nashville, pours a sample. To his left is Boscos founding partner Chuck Skypeck.
Memphis’ Ghost River Brewing, which started bottling its Golden Ale this week, had its new bottlecaps on display.
Louisiana-based Bayou Teche Brewing was a new addition to the festival. The Grenade and Boucanèe were particularly good.
Atlanta’s Red Brick Brewing, which is now distributing in Memphis, was also a new addition to the festival.
Red Brick’s Laughing Skull Amber Ale was among the beers served.
Justin mans the Yazoo Brewing Company table. As usual, the Nashville brewery’s Hop Project was excellent.
Yazoo Brewmaster Ivan Chester discusses keg beer versus cask beer at the “Beer Tent Revival,” the festival’s beer education tent.
Justin poured samples of Yazoo pale from a keg, then a cask, so festival-goers could compare the two in terms of taste and carbonation.
A deejay from Cooper Young’s Goner Records spun tunes.
Mike Lee, owner of Midsouth Malts, sold homebrew kits and supplies and poured samples of homebrew, as well.
Memphis’ homebrew club, the Bluff City Brewers & Connoisseurs, had 11 homebrewers at the festival, including the three of us who blog here at FuzzyBrew. The homebrew table always had a line, and the beer went fast.
The free FuzzyBrew bottlecap magnets were a hit.
The “B” shift of the Bluff City Brewers had these beers. Peter’s Purple Rain and Grant’s Apricot Pale Ale were the first kegs to float.
The FuzzyBrew crew — Grant, Mike and Jeff – in action. All of our kegs floated in under 90 minutes.