Memphis Made Brewing Co. celebrates 10 years with a block party and a new brewery

It’s been 10 years since Andy Ashby and Drew Barton launched Memphis Made Brewing Co.

When the two made the decision to start Memphis Made, there was only one brewery in Memphis.

“We thought the market was underserved and that Memphis could support much more," Ashby said. "We jumped in the same year as two other breweries and now there are 12 breweries in the area, so it turns out we were right."

Over the past decade, Memphis Made has made more than 100 beers at its Cooper-Young brewery.

2023 has especially been a big year for this craft brewery.

A new brewing facility has opened with a second taproom coming later this year, distribution has expanded across Tennessee and its Memphis airport bar and restaurant is among 10 spots vying for Best Airport Bar in USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

And now, a celebration in honor of its 10th anniversary: From 4-10 p.m. Saturday, Memphis Made will host a block party at its original taproom, 768 S. Cooper, that includes live music, food trucks and lots of beer.

Here are six things to know about this popular Memphis craft brewery.

What’s on Tap at Memphis Made?

Ashby: We currently have four year-round offerings (Cat Nap, Fireside, GonerBrau, Fruit Snacks), two seasonals (currently - Dockside and Aye Aye Captain), and Surrounded By Light, a one-off they created for the Overton Park Shell.

Barton: Our first brew was South Cooper Saison, a dark copper saison named after the street our brewery is located on. It was a new brew system, so a darker saison gave us some wiggle room to calibrate later brews.

The story behind the name 'Memphis Made'

Ashby: We picked Memphis Made because we’re proud of our hometown. We think Memphis had a large part in making us who we are today, so we want to represent it well.

Barton: Andy actually came up with Memphis Made as a branding idea, like a stamp of authenticity. I woke up at 3 a.m. and realized that wasn't our “branding” that's our “brand.”

Memphis Made’s most popular brew

Ashby: Fireside is our bestselling beer. I think people like it because it’s really accessible and not everyone wants a light beer or a hoppy beer. It’s a nice, easy-drinking malty beer that lots of different types of beer drinkers seem to enjoy.

We started out as a seasonal-only brewery, producing two different beers each season. The brewers loved it because they got to mix it up every three months or so. It was a little tougher in sales because it meant constant re-education at bars, restaurants and stores.

That changed when we made Fireside. It was originally a fall seasonal and people really pushed back when we took it away. Then we extended it into the winter months and again we got a lot of pushback. Drew and I finally decided to make it our first year-round beer, and then it really took off. It’s one of the best-selling beers in Shelby County, and we’re really proud of it.

It used to be called Fireside Ninja, but the word ninja was being used by another brewery, so we dropped it. A joke around the brewery is that it’s still called Fireside Ninja but the ninja is silent.

A new Memphis Made brewery and taproom

Barton: Our Cooper location is about 4,000-square-foot total, with the 900-square-foot production space crammed in the corner. At our peak we were able squeeze about 3,000 barrels per year out of our original location.

Our Ravine location consists of a 7,500-square-feet production space and another 10,000 square feet of office, storage and taproom. Our current capacity at our new location is about 7,500 barrels per year.

We're brewing the bulk of our products at the Ravine location. We continue to brew at our Cooper location, but it is limited to one-off releases. Most of those releases will only be available in the taprooms.

Our Cooper location has always been the downlow Cooper-Young Community Center, kids running around, a place to meet up with neighbors. The Ravine location has been dubbed our World Domination Station. It will be just that, more beer, more shenanigans, more events, more space.

Memphis Made makes its mark outside Memphis

Ashby: We started in 2013 as just a production space and added the taproom in November 2014. When we first started, we self-distributed and had 12 accounts. Drew and I were the only employees when we opened in 2013. Drew would brew the beer, and I would sell it and deliver it.

We’re looking to expand organically.

We added North Mississippi in 2020 but had to get our Downtown production facility running in order to expand beyond that. We launched across Tennessee this year and are focusing on that in the short term. We plan on adding a few more states next year.

Which beers are your favorites?

Ashby: I would say selfishly that my favorite Memphis Made beer is Andy’s Mint. It’s named after those upscale chocolate mints with the green wrapping. When I was growing up, my Aunt Inge would get me those every year for Christmas and I loved them. One of our brewers heard that story and developed a recipe. It turned out to be a really tasty beer and they brew it every year around Christmas, which is a great time to enjoy stouts.

Barton: Soulful Ginger is my favorite beer we've brewed. It's simple, I love ginger.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining Reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at [email protected] and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Made Brewing Co. at 10: What's next for craft brewery?