We already started out this week on Bites with a roundup of beer news, but there’s even more to share. So pull yourself a pint and follow along!
First up is a new collaboration between the local heroes at Yazoo and a New Mexico-based brewery called Bow & Arrow. I first encountered Bow & Arrow a few years ago when I was moderating a panel at Yazoo’s annual Funkfest, their celebration of wild fermented and funky beers. Shyla Sheppard and Missy Begay are the founders of the first Native woman-owned brewery, and are just generally two remarkable women.
Both Stanford grads, Sheppard and Begay are dedicated to creating a welcoming space in their own taproom that is inclusive of all people, including Indigenous folks and the LGBTQ community. Sheppard left her job in marketing to concentrate on taking on the CEO duties at Bow & Arrow, and Begay is still a practicing physician as well as a co-owner of the brewery.
At Funkfest, Sheppard and Begay bonded with Yazoo’s packaging manager Justin Miller over their interest in the values of Native people. Miller is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribe, while Sheppard is member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation) and Begay grew up on the Navajo (Diné) Nation.
The trio knew that they wanted to collaborate on some project, and the result is the new Native Land 4.7 percent ABV hazy IPA which is now on sale in 16-ounce cans around the market and at Yazoo’s taproom. The citrusy IPA is crafted with three different types of hops and both malted barley and malted oats.
“When Shyla reached out to me to see if Yazoo would be interested in joining the nearly 50 breweries collaborating on the Native Land initiative we immediately were on board,” Miller said. According to Bow & Arrow Brewing, the goal of the initiative is “to further the visibility of Native people and help support Native organizations whose work focuses on ecological stewardship and strengthening Native communities.”
The label acknowledges that the beer was brewed on the ancestral lands of the Cherokee, Shawnee and Yuchi tribes. Yazoo will be donating the proceeds to the Middle Tennessee-based non-profit organization The Red Road as well as the First Nations Development Institute.
I’ve already shared some info about the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild’s Farm to Tap initiative to spotlight Tennessee brewers that source products from the state to craft their beers, and the group is bringing its traveling road show to Nashville. The first Farm to Tap Festival comes to town on Saturday, March 12, from noon to 4 p.m. at TailGate Brewery at 7300 Charlotte Pike.
This is the second of three planned stops on a tour of the state, and the festival will showcase more than 30 Tennessee breweries that are using local crops and products in their beers. The festival — a rain or shine event — will also feature food trucks, vendors, and entertainment.
Craft brewers signed up so far include your host brewery, TailGate Brewery, Alliance Brewing Company, Asgard Brewing Company, Bad Idea Brewing, Bearded Iris, Brewing & Distilling Center, BS Brew Works, Common John Brewing Co., Copperhill Brewery, Crosstown Brewing Company, East Nashville Beer Works, Evill Nash Brewing Co., Half Batch Brewing, Harding House Brewing Co., Jackalope Brewing Company, Johnson City Brewing Company, Kings Bluff Brewery, Living Waters Brewing, Mayday Brewery, Memphis Made Brewing Co., New Heights, Next Level Brewing Company, Soul and Spirits Brewery, Southern Grist Brewing, Tennessee Brew Works, Tennessee Valley Brewing Company, The Black Abbey Brewing Company, Wanderlinger Brewing Company, Wiseacre Brewing, Yazoo Brewing Company and Yee-Haw Brewing Company.
Event tickets are $50. This entry fee provides festival participants the chance to interact with brewers and Pick Tennessee Products partners, purchase food and drink from food trucks and vendors. For tickets, visit the event’s website.
Finally, it’s time to say goodbye to an old friend as Black Abbey Brewing Co. will host their final Beer & Hymns event at its favorite home, Mercy Lounge. While there will certainly be future Beer & Hymns events, this will be the final one at Mercy, a spot that has become so special to the event through the joy of group singing.
In addition to singalongs of century-old hymns, the assembled crowd will also run through some popular Irish tunes for St. Patrick's Day as well as modern mashups of whatever comes to mind that evening.
Tickets are $20 and are available at the event website. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the singing beginning at 7. Completed COVID-19 vaccine card or negative PCR or rapid test result required for entry. See here for additional info: https://www.mercylounge.com/covid-19-policy-faqs/
