I got my first chance to check out Brewery Untapped, the project to turn the old Tennessee Brewery building into a community space for six weeks, last night. The weather was perfect, sunny and about 75. I walked down there about 7:00, taking the long way down Main Street through South Main Trolley Night and then G.E. Patterson over to Tennessee Street.
There are three rooms open in the brewery. This is the main room, with what I guess could be called natural skylight, or to put it another way, there ain’t no roof.
The brewery is open Thursday-Sunday through June 1, and food trucks have a rotating schedule throughout those days. The Stickem truck was a popular destination for dinner last night.
The Truck Stop truck was selling tacos.
Popcorn by Doc Popcorn
A view from the back of the main room where the food trucks are, looking toward the front door and the stage. I wish I’d realized this pic was blurry and re-taken it. Picasa’s Sharpen tool can only do so much.
Standing in the same place as the last photo but looking up.
Live music. The brewery is surrounded by The Lofts condos, the South Bluffs community, and houses overlooking the river on Tennessee Street. In order to be a good neighbor, Untapped books acoustic music only so it won’t get unpleasantly loud in the neighborhood. Music ends by 8, although Untapped stays open until 9 Thursday and Sunday and 11 Friday and Saturday.
There are two rooms off to the left that are covered (and therefore very dark; work your magic, Picasa’s Fill Light filter). This room is the front room which is the beer garden. There local beer is sold. I couldn’t get near the taps because the lines were so long, but I think I counted 10-12 taps, all local and regional beer.
The back interior room is the game room. In this photo we have ping-pong, cornhole, and air hockey. There is also a dart board that I couldn’t fit in the picture. Note that Untapped is kid-friendly. This would be a great place to bring the kids on Saturday or Sunday afternoon and have a local beer while they play.
I bet my buddy Pete, who likes to brag that he is the ping-pong champion of the Mad Earl, will be glad to see the ping-pong table. He will probably also be glad there is not a pool table.
The front of the brewery building. Beer was last brewed here in 1954. There will be talks at 12:30 and 3:30 today about the brewery and the Goldcrest 51 brand.
Front of the brewery, looking up
Untapped’s mascot. I hear he’s available on a T-shirt that will be sold in a pop-up shop in the brewery on some days.
Okay, let’s back up to the beginning of the evening. I started to walk to Untapped a little before 6. Of course, given that Untapped is nearly a mile from where I live, I decided I should take a break at the Flying Saucer before proceeding. I cut through the parking lot on Gayoso to get to the Saucer from Main Street. As I did, I saw a man holding newspapers and talking to everyone walking by. He made eye contact with me from about 30 feet away. “Oh boy,” I thought. “Some bum has grabbed copies out of the Memphis Flyer out of the box and is trying to sell them to tourists.”
However, that was not the case at all. I noticed a badge around his neck. I realized that he was a licensed vendor of The Bridge, a Memphis newspaper featuring stories, articles, and artwork by Memphians who have had experiences with homelessness. Those Memphians can go through a process to get licensed as vendors who sell the newspaper on the street for $1. They get 20 copies of the paper for free to sell, and can buy more at a discounted rate. So the gentleman told me a little about the newspaper and asked if I wanted to buy a copy. I gave him $2 and took my copy in the Saucer and read it. Very well-written and a good introduction to issues the homeless face that you and I might not think about.
If you see a vendor on the streets of Downtown or Midtown selling The Bridge, please consider buying a copy. It’s a good read and you’ll be supporting people who are working to get to a better place in life.
Getting back to Untapped: I was very impressed with what was happening there, but I didn’t stay long because it was so crowded. With perfect weather and Trolley Night going on, I knew that would happen. I will be back soon to try some local beer and food truck grub. It’s a bit of a long walk but I plan on supporting Untapped as much as I can.
I camped out at Max’s Sports Bar until after 9, then walked over to The Warehouse for the Dirty Dozen’s Carnaval de Panama. A $10 donation to two charities that help the homeless got you a bottomless cup and music by DJ Joe Carey.
Bubble machine was in full force
The dance floor. (For those of you who watch WWE – doesn’t this remind you of the Adam Rose Experience?)
Partygoers
A fun party indeed. Dirty Dozen parties, and Warehouse parties, are great because they draw people from all walks of life. It’s fun to look at the photos on the wall and see all the famous musicians that Kris knows.
On to today… the big festival Downtown is Southern Hot Wing Fest at Jefferson Davis Park on Riverside. I’ll lead off at Bardog at 11 then walk over there for a little bit. Grizzlies game on ESPN at 8:30.