
Wiseacre Brewing Company will cut the ribbon on its new brewery Wednesday at 2783 Broad Avenue in the heart of Memphis’ Broad Avenue Arts District, with a ceremony featuring Mayor A C Wharton.
The brewery, founded by brothers Davin and Kellan Bartosch, will then open its tap room and patio on Friday, marking the debut of Wiseacre beer in the Memphis market.
The Bartosch brothers are putting the finishing touches on the tap room and brewery, but gave FuzzyBrew a sneak peek inside on Tuesday.
The brewery features a 20-barrel brewhouse, with 200 barrels of fermentation space.
Wiseacre’s 20-barrel brewing system.
Fermenters at Wiseacre.
The brothers have been brewing on the system since August 10 and have a limited amount of beer — 40 barrels, or 80 kegs — to start with for the next week and a half.
They’ve been brewing their first two year-round beers — Tiny Bomb American Pilsner and Ananda IPA — as well as a brown ale that will be a special release.
“We’ll alternate through styles,” said Kellan, adding that the special releases will include Oktoberfests, Belgians, IPAs, porters and stouts, often depending on the season or what its brewmaster, Davin, might be craving.
“It’s stuff I want to drink,” Davin added.
Kellan, left, and Davin Bartosch, inside the Wiseacre brewery.
Davin Bartosch is Wiseacre’s brewmaster.
The taproom will be open this week on Friday, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 1 to 8 p.m. After this weekend, the regular tap room schedule will be Thursdays and Fridays, 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 1 to 8 p.m.
There will be food trucks with food for sale outside, and beer inside, including tasters, pints and growlers. The tasting room is less a bar and more a place to get to know the beers and the brewery, Kellan said.
“We don’t view it as a huge business opportunity but as a place for people to learn about beer.”
The tap room, still under construction.
Wiseacre taps, with an acorn on top.
Wiseacre will start distributing its draft beers locally through Budweiser of Memphis in the next few weeks, but don’t expect to see it everywhere, all at once.
They’ll be starting small and growing as they go. “We’re being safe because we don’t want people to run out and get frustrated,” Kellan explained.
And, yes, Wiseacre’s canning line will be installed soon, and Tiny Bomb American Pilsner and Ananda IPA will be available for purchase before year’s end.
But the brothers are taking things one step at a time.
“Quality,” Davin said, “is the most important thing to me.
Wiseacre’s patio, opening Friday.