So I toured yet another brewery over the weekend, my 1000th. Well, maybe it's just about 20 but I'm not really sure. When I win the lottery I'm going to tour every brewery in the country, this I vow. But anyway, this one was in Memphis and it's sort of new. I say sort of, because, well... it's not new.It's called Ghost River Brewing and actually it's the gang at Boscos Brewery. Boscos is a restaurant and brewery chain with locations in Memphis, Nashville, Little Rock and Franklin, TN. They started selling some of their kegs at other places and needless to say, many restaurants were a bit reluctant to have a product with the name of another restaurant on it served to their customers. Understandably so. Now they've got a "brother from the same mother" so to speak in Ghost River Brewing. The recipes are tweaked a bit and the names will be different, but it's made in a brewery where some Boscos brew is also made (although most of Boscos beers are made on site at their restaurants... Little Rock for example). Personally I love the name and logo and think it's all a great move.
Here's a bit from their website:
In 1885, Memphis first tapped the now famous Memphis Sands Aquifer. Recharged by the Ghost River's fragile wetlands, the aquifer has supplied Memphis with a steady and consistent supply of excellent drinking water ever since.
Ghost River Brewing knows that "great water makes great beer." And some of the greatest drinking water on earth is available right here in Memphis, TN. Brewing locally guarantees that every handcrafted, full-flavored Ghost River Ale is the freshest beer available . . . and when it comes to flavor, freshness means everything!
Ghost River Brewing supports the Wolf River Conservancy by donating a portion of the proceeds of every barrel sold. Help Ghost River Brewing and the Wolf River Conservancy protect our local, natural resources and the quality of our famous drinking water.
The tour was about an hour long and very informative. It's well worth the time if you're in the area and love beer. We got a sample of each beer they had at the moment; Stout, Glacial Pale Ale, Golden and Brown Ale. Personally I found the stout the tastiest of the bunch but I love stouts so that's no shocker. None of the 4 were bad by any means and all were solid session beers I could drink regularly with no problem. They also are going to rotate I seasonal I believe I heard him say and they'd just finished off a Wee Heavy (replaced by the stout).
I noticed the beers all around Beale Street as we ran around, so it seems like they're off to a pretty good start. I think they said they'd been in operation on it since July 2008 or so. No plans to bottle yet as it's just too expensive for them at this point and they don't have the room. Who knows what the future holds. For now it's easy to find in Memphis though, and you know my rule about "When in Rome..." and their motto is "Think Global, Drink Local", so give 'em a chance when you're in the Memphis area.
