After a youth ball game, Maggie Emerson and her husband often wanted to grab a beer and a bite, but Collierville didn’t have a business that mirrored the East Memphis establishments they previously frequented.

So Emerson decided to open the town’s only brewpub on Poplar Avenue, occupying the former C-Town Meat and Seafood shop. The Collierville Beer Board approved her business on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

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“Collierville is ripe for that,” she said, noting the community is growing and filled with families. “There was no nice family hangout spot.”

For the last year, she and her husband have crunched numbers and prepared their business plan, and she hopes to open Maroon Brew Co. in the spring of 2024. The name is an ode to the Collierville High’s school colors. 

Collierville’s beer regulations require that 50% of a business’ revenue must come from food. The town updated its ordinances in 2020 to clarify food can’t be prepackaged like chips or prepared offsite. 

Emerson plans to sell gourmet hot dogs and sharable appetizer-type foods. However, she’s still finalizing the menu details. The conversion of the new space isn’t too difficult, she said, since they already had a commercial kitchen.

The beer machines were ordered from New Orleans-based Craft Kettle Brewing Equipment. The brewing will have to start before they can open in spring — part of the reason she already obtained the permit.

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Although Maroon Brew Co. will not be a distribution brewery, Emerson hopes to have “some of everything.”

“We can brew all kinds of stuff,” she said. “We want to play with recipes.”

She plans for an IPA, plus pale, golden and amber ales. They also will offer sours, hard seltzers and non-alcoholic sodas for customers looking for options other than beer. 

She wants to create a family-friendly atmosphere. There will be a play area specifically for toddlers to run around and play with toys. Additionally, she hopes to have a large board game selection so older kids have activities, too.

Emerson’s background was in software and marketing. However, she has some experience in the brewing industry. She formerly worked at Hook Point Brewing Co. just south of Town Square in Collierville. She was a brewer’s assistant but worked her way to become the head of production.

Although Hook Point brews and sells beer, they don’t have a kitchen space, so they don’t fit Collierville’s requirements to sell beer for on-premise consumption.

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