If you haven't heard the hype, I don't exactly know where you've been hiding. The current scene at the historic Tennessee Brewery in Downtown Memphis has quickly become the most sought after spot for socializing, drinking Tennessee's finest grains, and joining a movement for the city's future. You can feel the spirit as soon as you enter the arch, filled with an untouched, untapped sense of soul that permeates throughout the buzzing courtyard.
Growing up in Memphis, I am used to running into at least one person I know at any restaurant, coffee shop or event. But besides the motley crew who joined me for the memorable afternoon -- Alex, Ben, Ellory, Jordan, Stephanie, Caroline, Hannah -- I didn't know a soul. And yet, the sense of warmth and community was at an all-time high. The twenty-minute rainstorm didn't kill the atmosphere, but rather created an indoor party with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra quartet strumming in the center. The space relayed a neat juxtaposition of old and new -- classical live melodies, old soul, and aged brick walls (whose tiny gaps revealed mini waterfalls from the rain) against revitalized attitudes and innovative thinkers such as restauranteur-entrepreneur Taylor Berger (below).
In a short paragraph, here's what Tennessee Brewery Untapped is all about. The historic brewery, built in the 1850s, closed one hundred years later and literally sat until this April. A threat to tear down the building prompted a group of masterminds to hold an experiment -- "previtalization," if you will -- which involves six weekends of live music, beer from breweries across Tennessee, food trucks, and a hope for financial and social interest to bring the Brewery back permanently. We now only have one weekend left, and Untapped seems to be working! Heck, there's even a viral letter to Memphian Justin Timberlake begging him to invest and #bringbreweryback.
I absolutely loved enjoying the space; the Truck Stop food truck smelled delicious, even though I was full from an earlier brunch at Café Eclectic. My friends and I took turns signing the wall, which asked what would bring us back to the Brewery...besides the beer. The mass of attendees' ideas is a clear indication of Untapped's impact.
Don't worry. I only double fist for Untapped.
Go, go, go this upcoming weekend -- it's your last chance to join the Untapped movement and "invest in good times," a piece of graffiti art on the exterior entrance and driver of this one-of-a-kind opportunity!