Biergartenopolis: Two (and a half) From Wiseacre Brew

For the second installment of Biergartenopolis, I am proud to turn an eye a few miles down the road to a Memphis brewery, Wiseacre Brewing. As they are a Memphis original, you'll have to forgive me as I laud them and pour my affections over them and their product.

Wiseacre is a newer craft brewery in Memphis, not open long but years in the making. Run by brothers Davin and Kellan Bartosch, two beer knowing em effers. Davin, the brew master, is, in fact a brew master proper- trained all over the world, damn near top of his class at the World Brewing Academy, runs a frikkin brewery, etc. Kellan is a published beer expert, a level 2 certified Cicerone, and has also worked with a bunch of folks in the industry, including good ol' Sierra Nevada. Both guys are also frequent featured speakers at various beer events and push beer education. There are links on their site to some of articles from Kellan- read 'em and start down the rabbit hole, good stuff there.

die Biere

I had originally wanted to make it down to their tap room as my first Wiseacre experience, but the fates had plotted differently and I discovered that the Superlo Foods near my house stocked their cans (for more on why cans, get the four one one here). Check out them thar nifty cans and their holders. The holders are cool, but not exactly user friendly. Once you get the hang of using them, they are a snap (pun intended), but there is a learning curve there- they require some downward force and a little torque to free the can from them, most easily achieved with two hands. Not a big deal as I am a man, so science says I possess manly strength. Mmmmmmmmmmmm... man strength. The strength to free cans of beer from their politely colored plastic shackles and provide said cans of beer to my woman. Mmmmmmmmmmm... woman. 

But I digress. 

Sooooooooooooooo... On to the beers. I will start by saying that I am VERY happy with these beers.

die Tiny Bomb

First up, the aptly named Tiny Bomb, a pilsner. Been a while since I've had a really good pilsner and having read about it before I tried it, I was excited to get my mitts on it. Pilsners often get a bad rap because of the various shitty mass produced options out there. This one should help change your mind on them if you are either on the fence or averse because of said shitty factory production line brewed products. 

I deride the factory big name beers, but some of those big names are actually quite remarkable from a manufacturing standpoint- consistently made, adhering to exacting standards without faltering, and able to be made so in large scales. They should be lauded for that.

But again, I digress.

The Tiny Bomb is a little hoppier than I expect a pilsner to be (which is awesome), it is much milder than an IPA and crisp as expected from a pilsner. It has an herbaceous aroma with a bright start. Almost creamy in the middle. Brighter than your average kolsch, though, and with a similar weight, but still a very easy drinker.

Fuck your mass market swill. This would be a bad ass regular drinker or summer by the grill beer. Take it to parties and share it. I did.

Yum.

Next...

Behold the Ananda.

The Ananda. Oh, how I heart the Ananda. The Sanskrit word for "bliss", the Ananda is an excellent IPA. It's a smooth one- not as heavy as some IPAs, but enough body to remind you that it is awesome. That IPA hoppy bitterness is up front but refined and not overly sharp, well tempered by the malt but with no real sweetness from it. There's an ever so slightly fruity middle with a hint of citrus, and a little bit of a dry finish. Not overly dry, but enough to clean the pallet and leave you ready for your next draw. It's got a nice punch without beating you over the head. 

You'll note that there are some "soft" adjectives in that description, but that is not to say that this one is pussy footing about. All of that should go to say that this is a very well balanced IPA and you can tell that blood, sweat, and tears have been shed in its development. I'm definitely more of an IPA guy of late than anything in my beer preferences, and this one is up there. I would have to have this one next to the Valhalla I briefly reviewed here to firmly establish which of the two wears the mantle of my favorite IPA, but it might very well be this one.  

All of that said, I had the opportunity to go grab a few growlers from their taproom this past weekend to take to some friends' house for a potluck. Should have gotten more pictures while I was there, but...

Da brewery and taproom off of Broad. Memphis, yo.

They have a cool set up going. Tap room with dining/reception room, rentable space, etc. No food served there, but there has been a food truck parked out in the lot the last few times I have gone. 

The taproom, pic from their site.

The couple of times I have been in, the above space and quite a bit of the patio outside was pretty much full. 

 Merches. Scads of shirts, maybe some hats, glasses, growlers.

Busy at the counter.

The ever busy taproom is fed by a steady stream of Ananda and Tiny Bomb in constant rotation with their "seasonals" and experimentals backing them up. I had the chance to meet brother Kellan and speak with him briefly about beer, their operations and aspirations, and get a little beer geekery going. The man described himself as a beer snob, of which I have no doubt, but he was nothing but friendly and gracious. 

The gang there had an event earlier that day, and brought back with them one of their special brews, a coffee milk stout dubbed "Gotta Get Up to Get Down". I sipped on a taster of it while talking to Kellan and it was... marvelous. Brewed with a Columbian coffee from Chicago's Metropolis Coffee, served by Tamp and Tap and with whom the Bartosch gents are pals, it's one of the smoother yet more flavorful stouts I've ever had. Striking a near perfect balance betwixt the coffee and the stout with a creamy finish (but surprisingly little head- the beer itself did all the talking), it's one of the few beers I have had I can honestly say I wouldn't mind having over a plate of eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns.

Vurry good stuff.

So at any rate, I gathered up my growlers, remembered I need a few pint glasses... 

And drove off into the sunset, to share the bounties of Wiseacre with friends over dinner.