Beer Category: Classic Hits

Inspired by “Bring It On Home” Carla Thomas & Otis Redding

Our German Style Helles is a pale golden, unfiltered lager with a smooth malt character and a crisp finish. A hint of floral freshness from the German noble hops make this an easy drinking beer all year long. Imagine sitting in a beer garden, surrounded by hundred year old chestnut trees while an Oompah band plays in the background, this is the beer you are drinking. Bring It Home Helles has taken years to get just right, as the beer’s small window of interpretation allows brewers to express just how good they are at what they do. This Helles spends a minimum of 6 weeks aging in our special horizontal tanks, just like the best lager breweries in Germany. A tried and true lager beer that is refreshing and best enjoyed with the ones you love. Prost!

“BRING IT ON HOME” Carla Thomas & Otis Redding

Recorded at Stax Studios, 1967

This song originally written by Sam Cooke in 1962, has become a pop standard and covered by numerous artists across genres, and is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Recorded at Stax Studios for Otis Redding and Carla Thomas’ album, KING & QUEEN, this song uses a call and response format between the two singers. If ever there were Memphis royalty, it would be these two; and as such, Carla is often known as the Queen of Memphis Soul. This album would be the last studio album recorded and released before Otis’ untimely death in ’67 and was recorded in 6 days, earlier in the year with Stax’s house band, Booker T. & the MGs, Issac Hayes, and the Memphis Horns. Although, this song was not one of the three chart topping singles released off of the album, it remains one of the best known songs from the Billboard Top 100 album.

Inspired by “Hoochie Coochie Man” Muddy Waters

Our American India Pale Ale is everything you want in an IPA. At first, an alluring dank aroma, then you take your first sip. Our special hop blend gives this beer bewitchingly bold citrus and tropical characteristics reminiscent of your favorite soft, juicy square candy. It will leave your mouth watering for another drink. A wicked bitterness rounds out the finish of this bright and flavorful ale. Hoochie Coochie is the IPA you have been looking for, like gypsies drifting from one town to the next, this beer will make you want to jump and shout and tell the world all about it!

“HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN” Muddy Waters

Recorded at Chess Records, 1954

Muddy Waters grew up near Clarksdale, Mississippi emulating local blues greats: Son House and Robert Johnson; even though he would later be known as the modern father of Chicago blues, his style of playing was often referred to as reigning from the Delta blues. The song was written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Waters; it makes references to several hoodoo folk magic elements and the term ‘hoochie choochie’ has been used in many different contexts such as: a provocative dance, a practitioner of hoodoo or an attractive person. A key feature of the song is the use of stop time, or pauses in the music, during the first half of the progression. This musical device is commonly heard in New Orleans jazz, when the instrumentation briefly stops, allowing for a short instrumental solo before resuming. However, Waters’ use of stop time serves to heighten the tension through repetition, followed by a vocal rather than an instrument fill. In 1984, the song was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and in 1988, it was honored a Grammy Hall of Fame Award; it is one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll; a selection in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time; and in 2004, was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

Inspired by “Smokestack Lightnin’” Howlin’ Wolf

Our Smoked Dark Lager is brewed to be the Taste of Memphis in a glass! Smoke Stack’s unique aroma and flavor comes from the malt used in the brewing process. We feature Tennessee grown barley and have that malt smoked over a blend of hardwoods, just like your favorite pit masters. As you near the end of your glass, the smokiness will dull and mellow, honeyed stone fruit and caramel flavors will start to shine through. Our lager finishes dry-think freshly baked southern biscuits. Do your taste buds a favor and try this beer today and you might just transport yourself to the backyard BBQ without the work and clean up!

“SMOKE STACK LIGHTNING” Howlin’ Wolf

Recorded at Chess Records, 1956

“Smoke Stack Lightning” is the perfect distillation of what made Howlin’ Wolf such a powerfully unique artist. Built on a driving, hypnotic, one-chord vamp that subtly accelerates like a steam locomotive, Howlin’ Wolf sings an intense field holler vocal, interspersed with falsetto howls and blasts of raw country blues harmonica. Lyrically the song is a collection of short, clipped verses around the general themes of romantic betrayal and the need to catch a train and leave his mistreatment behind. Undoubtedly reminding him of his own mistreatment as a child and his flight to a better life. A giant of a man who stood over six feet tall and weighed nearly three hundred pounds, Wolf was an amazingly physical performer who would prowl the stage like a caged beast, or crawl about on his hands and knees, or roll on his back like a man overcome with some paroxysm of emotion, all the while howling and moaning his blues as if his life depended on it. Howlin’ Wolf did not just sing the blues; he embodied them. He was a howling wolf!

Inspired by “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” Issac Hayes

Our Hazy IPA is our nod to the New England Style of hazy, juicy IPAs that have become a fan favorite. Hopperbolic is generously hopped to bring out the best of our hand selected hop blend. Ripe stone fruit and a medley of citrus emanate from your glass, then you take a sip that is bursting with vibrant flavors of mango, tropical sherbet ice cream and candy like sweetness. It ends with a gentle, rounded bitterness and a lush, pillowy mouthfeel. Stop procrastinating and wrap your phalanges around your glass for a cerebral experience!

“HYPERBOLICSYLLABICSESQUEDALYMISTIC” Issac Hayes

Recorded at Ardent Studios, 1969

This ten minute funk number was on Issac Hayes’ groundbreaking Hot Buttered Soul album. He was best known at the time as a songwriter and arranger for Stax Records. Hot Buttered Soul contained just four tracks and was a complete breakaway from the standard three-minute song format. Hayes explained to Rolling Stone in February 1972: “I felt like what I wanted to say, I couldn’t say it in no two minutes and 30 seconds, because I wanted to speak through the arrangement, I wanted to speak through singing, I wanted to speak through actual monologue. I cut that record with all the freedom in the world and it was a beautiful release for me.” The song title is surprisingly frequently misspelled, even on the album cover, the backup singers are clearly singing “-nistic.” The song’s lyrics, by Hayes and Stax Records Executive Al Bell, poke fun at those who use big words unnecessarily, in this instance when re-wooing a lost love through high-minded compliments. The musicians include the Bar-Kays’ bassist James Alexander and drummer Willie Hall (later of The Blues Brothers Band).

Inspired by “In The Midnight Hour” Wilson Pickett

Our Mud Island Ale is a brand new style created by our Master Brewer! This beer was created to be a true Memphis original, and pay homage to the mighty Mississippi River that borders our great city. Where the Wolf River meets the Mississippi a small peninsula was created called Mud Island. Here you will find a museum, parks, amphitheater, and one of the best places to watch the famous Delta sunsets. A dark, hazy IPA inspired ale, that brings forth flavors of rich baker’s chocolate and ripe red berries. The aroma has hints of dank tobacco and floral perfume. Midnight Hour is a magical integration of bitterness from the hops and richness from dark roasted malts. You don’t have to wait until the midnight hour to enjoy this one, but if you wait till the stars come out, you might find your love for this one will begin to shine!

Food Pairings: BBQ Chicken • Sharp Yellow Cheddar • Goo Goo Cluster

Inspired by “Crosscut Saw” by Albert King

Our American Pale Ale, Crosscut, is unfiltered, highly hopped and packs a bigger punch than most pale ales, that normally have a slightly lower ABV. We decided to make this one just a little higher to really give the hops a chance to shine; a bigger, brighter and more flavorful ale that you can find exclusively in our taproom. We highly oat this beer to give a velvety mouthfeel and bring lots of beautiful haze. Super juicy flavors of tangerine, ripe pineapple, and fresh orchard peaches dominate your palette; with an inviting mango and resinous pine aroma, that makes this pale ale an instant classic. A nod to the true American style of highly hopped ales, but with a very balanced bitterness, and an offbeat oated softness. Don’t drag your feet; this one cuts so easily you might just find that one will not be enough!

Food Pairings: Pasta Salad • American Cheddar • Fajitas

Inspired by “Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl” Bessie Smith

Our Berliner Weisse is served just like in Berlin, Germany: you have a choice – drink as-is or add a shot of flavored syrup! We offer plenty of choices to make your Berliner your own, but in Berlin you would typically only be given two choices: red (Raspberry) or green (Woodruff). Woodruff comes from the root of a plant and it has a similar flavor to sour candy. Need A Little Sugar has a pleasant green apple and lemon sourness with notes of malty sourdough bread. This beer is quite enjoyable on its own, but also sings with any syrup added to it!

Food Pairings: Panzanella Salad • Cheesecake & Raspberries • Poached Halibut

Inspired by “Spanish Harlem” Aretha Franklin

Our Amber Lager features Tennessee grown barley and corn brewed like a traditional darker Mexican Style Lager in a nod to our Mexican neighbors, who originally added maize to their brews. Using the corn drys out this beer for a crisp finish. A rich toasted malt brings smooth caramel to the palate. A bouquet of delicate spices, floral aromas and a hint of lime zest from the hops makes this a food friendly beer. A beautiful copper hued lager, Spanish Harlem drinks clean and refreshing!  Fun Fact: Austrian immigrants migrated to the Americas in the 1800s and brought with them their brewing traditions; the Vienna Lager was one of these styles that has actually died off in Austria, but has been kept alive throughout Mexico and passionate craft brewers here in the states. Salud!

“SPANISH HARLEM” Aretha Franklin

Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, 1971

Originally recorded for Aretha’s album YOUNG, GIFTED & BLACK, it was instead released as a single and added to her 1971 ARETHA’S GREATEST HITS album. First released by Ben E. King in 1960, Aretha’s version went to #1 on the Soul chart for three weeks, #2 on the pop chart for two weeks and she received a gold single for one million in sales. Franklin changed the lyrics slightly to modernize it for the civil rights era from a “red rose in Spanish Harlem” to “a rose in Black and Spanish Harlem.” The song was also recorded with star- studded guest musicians Dr. John on keyboard, Bernard Perdie on drums, Chuck Rainey on bass, Donny Hathaway, Cornell Dupree, and her sisters Carolyn and Erma as background singers. The song was included in the Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Inspired by the Grooves on a Record

Our plain hard seltzer is like nothing you will find elsewhere. Instead of flavoring it ourselves, we let you decide which flavor you want, and by doing so, you have now turned your hard seltzer into a hard soda! If you have not been to our taproom before we make craft sodas for the under 21 drinkers or to please our non-drinkers or designated drivers! We have a total of 9 different syrups – 8 all the time flavors and a rotating monthly seasonal – that you can create your own flavor of soda or hard soda. We named our seltzer, Groove, inspired by the grooves on a record. If you haven’t noticed we love our music here at Soul & Spirits and wanted this one to pay tribute not to a particular song, but to all the records spinning those grooves to play out the tunes we love so much! The only place you can get this flavor your own seltzer is at the taproom, so grab a Groove, sit back and enjoy these specially curated grooves just for you.

Inspired by “Dark End of the Street” James Carr

Our Dry Irish Stout is a style of beer evolved from the London Porter in Ireland, made most famously at St. James’s Gate in Dublin; it’s poured through a Nitro faucet to give you a thick, creamy, and long lasting head. A black opaque color with a shade of garnet: this beer has a pronounced roasted dark chocolate flavor with a hint of coffee and charred lemons. An ale with a very low earthy hop aroma and dry finish. Dark End is extremely smooth and drinkable due to its low carbonation nitrogen pour. You won’t have to go to the “dark end of the street” to find this beer, just the end of North Main.

Food Pairings: Char-grilled Oysters • Irish Cheddar • Chocolate Mousse

Inspired by “Caledonia” Louis Jordan

Our Scottish Ale is poured through a Nitro faucet to give you a thick, creamy and long lasting head. Using a nitrogen faucet mimics the low carbonation and mouthfeel of a pub ale. This beer has a much lower ABV than the typical Scotch Ales. Caledonia reminds one of Scottish shortbread cookies and creamy caramel candies. A nice touch of stone fruit is also prominent in the flavor of this ale. Heather is added which gives this beer a more floral, earthy and black tea like quality, that truly smells like Scotland in a glass. Heather grows wild throughout the country and was often used alongside the malt in brewing traditions of old. The name, Caledonia, was the Latin name given by the Romans to describe the land north of Britannia, which would eventually become Scotland. It is still used as a poetic name for all of Scotland in general. Sláinte!

Food Pairings: Cedar Planked Salmon • Smoked Cheddar • English Toffee

Inspired by “Hound Dog” Big Mama Thornton

Our Hefeweizen is a true Bavarian wheat ale throwback. When the Bavarians enacted the Beer Purity Law in 1516, only royalty controlled the wheat; thus they were the only ones to have beer brewed with wheat. Hound Dog Hefe is the Queen of wheat beers. A very refreshing ale with hints of clove and apricots, with a full body and flavor reminiscent of banana bread. Hound Dog Hefe is wonderful for brunch or early in the afternoon, but you can drink it anytime you like, or try it with one of our syrups added to make a truly unique drinking experience all your own! Our Master Brewer suggests starting with his favorite, a Cola-Weizen. So stop snoopin’ around like a hound dog and grab this beer that will sure to make you holler!

Food Pairings: Bavarian Breakfast Sausage • Mozzarella Cheese • Pad Thai