Memphis’ history of local breweries may date back to the 1800s, but new on the scene this month are tours of Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. is now offering tours of its new Edge District brewery at 16 S. Lauderdale St., and I was able to join the brewery’s inaugural event earlier this month.

Andy Ashby, who founded Memphis Made with Drew Barton, met the group at the brewery’s entrance and began the tour with a history lesson on Memphis breweries, yes, dating back to the 1800s.

Heather Weileman of Baton Rouge, La., looks at her husband Michael's Memphis Made Brewing Co. pale ale in the Tap Room after the tour. Andy Ashby, co-owner, started tours for the brewery Feb. 8. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

The rest of the 20-minute tour includes a discussion of beer’s four main ingredients (malt, hops, water and yeast), a detailed explanation of the brewing processes and equipment and a look at Memphis Made’s state-of-the-art canning machine.

But here’s the best part: The tour ends in the taproom where attendees are treated to a complimentary beer and a souvenir glass to take home.

During my tour, Ashby welcomed questions and stayed afterward to continue talking with attendees, and he said it’s something of a return for him. 

When Ashby and Barton started Memphis Made in Cooper-Young in 2013, people said Memphis wasn’t a good beer city. 

“One of the reasons we started Memphis Made was to change that perception,” Ashby said. “We spent a lot of time educating people about beer, one at a time. Now that we’ve settled into our new brewery, we figured it’d be a good time to get back to our roots of talking about beer while drinking beer.”

Memphis’ history of local breweries may date back to the 1800s, but new on the scene this month are tours of Memphis Made Brewing Co. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Memphis Made is offering tours the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Tickets, which cost $10, can be found at memphismadebrewing.com/tours.

And one last thing before we get to this week’s news: We want to hear from you. Please take our Daily Memphian Reader Survey today. 

We want to hear more about you and which stories you like the most. Is it the latest restaurant openings and closings? My “What to Order” column with menu recommendations? The “Sound Bites” podcast? Our weekly “$10 Deal?” Or something not food-related at all? 

We want to make sure we are giving you the news you are hungry for.

This Week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

Soup Sunday is set for Sunday, Feb. 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Kent Downtown. Now in its 36th year, Soup Sunday is all about gathering for good food, fun times and helping local youths thrive. In addition to exclusive tasting opportunities from dozens of Memphis’ best restaurants and caterers, attendees will get free beverages and live entertainment.

Funds raised from Soup Sunday provide support for the Youth Villages LifeSet program. Tickets are $85 and can be purchased here.

Andy Ashby, right, shows Heather Weileman and her husband Michael Weileman hops that are an ingrediant in brewing beer. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

At Owen Brennan’s, the next generation is taking over management of the restaurant from father Jim Baker. Austin Baker, Lawson Bae and Becky Baker Crucifixio shared their plans for continuing the East Memphis Creole restaurant’s legacy.

Hard Times Deli opened officially Tuesday, and I sat down with the owners Harrison Downing, Cole Jeanes and Schuyler O’Brien last week to talk about their much-anticipated deli.

Christin Yates told us about the new Korean barbecue festival that will happen Downtown in April. 

In Bartlett, entrepreneur Matthew Hopson saw a need for a printing business with a side of coffeehouse — or vice versa. In his previous life as a professor, Hopson said he spent a lot of time in coffee shops but would often have to leave to go print something. His answer: Espresso Print Coffee Shop.

And there must be something in Bartlett’s water because Michael Waddell also reported on another new coffee shop there from the owners of the Side Porch Steakhouse. The Pharmacy Coffeehouse will be on Stage Road right next door to the Side Porch.

Brett Ammons tastes the barley before it is ground into the malt for an ingrediant for the brewing process at Memphis Made Brewing Co. Ammons toured the brewery Feb. 8. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

In Food Files, Sophia Surrett reported Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken will move its new location Friday, Feb. 28, at the former Wendy’s at 1725 Winchester Road. She also reported that Kura House Asian Cuisine is now open in the former Bhan Thai restaurant in Midtown at 1324 Peabody Ave.

The owner of 17 Berkshire, Nuha Abuduhair, joined Holly Whitfield on last week’s “Sound Bites.” The two talked about the Overton Square bakery and its recent James Beard Awards nomination as a semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery.

Joshua Carlucci wrote about his recent visit to new Crosstown restaurant Bao Toan. “Bao Toan is not the usual Vietnamese pho and banh mi joint, and that’s by design. The team behind Mochi & Mi — Margaret Tong, her mother Karina Pham, and her sister Chloe Tong — wanted to do something sleeker, moodier, a place where Vietnamese cuisine could share a table with elegance,” Carlucci wrote in the intro to his review.

Lastly, Carlucci’s $10 Deal this past week comes from La Salvadoreña, a food truck that serves both Salvadoran and Mexican classics. He recommends the pastelitos de pollo and mulitas.

Thanks for joining me for this week’s Table Talk. Be sure to look for this column weekly for all the latest food news in Memphis. And don’t forget to take our reader survey and give us your feedback.

.....