MPACT organizes lots of events for its members to experience all aspects of Memphis. And yesterday, I went on a specially organized tour of Ghost River Brewery with this group. I am a big fan of brewery tours, particularly micro-breweries, so I have been really looking forward to it… and it did not disappoint!
The Ghost River Brewery dock, Wolf River Conservatory information, and the barrels lined up.
We all gathered in the main warehouse space, where they start the tour…with a beer! They first gave a background of the brand and what it means. More information can be found on their website, but the Ghost River is a part of the Wolf River. Because of the sand beds, the water is naturally filtered. Ghost River Brewing supports the Wolf River Conservancy by donating a portion of the proceeds of every barrel sold. Ghost River and Boscos are the same company, just two different brand names.
Everyone lines up for their first beer of the tour. Then we all enjoy it!
We moved into the brewing space, where the beer making process is described. They passed around various barley and hops so we could see and smell the differences. Oh yeah…we also got to taste more beer!
The tour guides moved through the various machinery, explaining what each did, and what state each beer was in. Oh yeah… we also got to taste more beer! Altogether, we tasted 5 varieties – Ghost River Golden, Glacial Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Hefeweizen, and the not-yet-released Home Run Red.
The tour guide explains the beer making process, passes around barley to smell, then talks about the machinery.
The guys that worked there were very knowledgeable and patiently answered all of our questions. They were even nice enough to let me taste some unfiltered, not-yet-ready beer for comparison. I will say, the beer goes through many different tastes before it is ready for public consumption – although all stages are tasty!
Brian and I taste beer #2 (Glacial Pale Ale), Kitty and I taste beer #3 (Brown Ale), I get to taste the unfiltered versions.
We were some of the first ones to get to taste the Home Run Red, Josh and I enjoy it as beer #4, Michael and I taste beer #5 (Hefeweizen).
Thanks to Kitty Taylor and Susie Bjorklund for organizing a great MPACT afternoon. And a HUGE thanks to Ghost River Brewery for the accommodating tour!
There are free public tours every Saturday at 1 pm. Just call for a reservation. They also sell growlers and kegs from the dock! You can find their beers in over 50 restaurants and bars in the area. Check them out! http://www.ghostriverbrewing.com/home.php
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