Memphis highlights American Craft Beer Week

Memphis Flyer used American Craft Beer Week to make a local case for beer tourism in Memphis. A feature published on May 13 said the city has no shortage of locally brewed options and framed Memphis as a place where drinkers can move between neighborhood breweries and bars during the national promotion week. (memphisflyer.com) American Craft Beer Week runs from May 11 through May 17, according to the Brewers Association. The Flyer article focused on American-style lagers and other regional craft choices available around the city. ### What did Memphis Flyer publish on May 13? Memphis Flyer published “Beer is America” on May 13 as a food-and-drink feature tied to American Craft Beer Week. (brewersassociation.org) The article said “there’s no shortage of locally brewed cold ones” in Memphis and described a city with a “slew of local breweries” offering readers multiple stops for a beer-week outing. The publication’s framing was straightforward: use the national beer-week calendar as a reason to visit Memphis taprooms and bars. The Brewers Association says American Craft Beer Week is meant to build support for small and independent U.S. breweries. (memphisflyer.com) ### Why was the story timed for this week? American Craft Beer Week began on May 11 and runs through May 17, 2026. The Brewers Association describes it as a nationwide push to support small and independent breweries, and Memphis Flyer’s May 13 publication date placed the story near the middle of that seven-day run. (memphisflyer.com) That timing matters because the article functioned as a guide as much as a feature. Memphis Flyer pointed readers toward places to visit during the week rather than looking back at a single event or release. (memphisflyer.com) ### What picture of Memphis beer did the article draw? Memphis Flyer described a city with a “deep bench” of beer options in practical terms: local breweries, American-style lagers and regional craft pours available across multiple venues. The article’s emphasis was not on one flagship brewer but on a broader local ecosystem. Earlier Memphis Flyer beer coverage has used similar language about the local market. (brewersassociation.org) A spring beer guide published May 6 said Memphis still offered “plenty of great Memphis brews” even as the broader craft industry faced pressure. (memphisflyer.com) The city also has recent national hardware to point to. Memphis Flyer reported in a 2025 article that Wiseacre’s Sky Dog won a gold medal in the American Light Lager category at the Great American Beer Festival. ### Was this about one brewery or a broader bar-and-brewery circuit? The May 13 feature was built as a circuit. Memphis Flyer said readers could choose among local lagers and regional craft beers and singled out venues worth visiting during the week, rather than centering the story on a single release, brewer or tap takeover. (memphisflyer.com) That approach fits the publication’s recent beer coverage. (memphisflyer.com) Its May 6 spring guide also presented Memphis beer as a citywide scene shaped by multiple brewers and drinking spots. ### Where can readers look next if they want to follow the week? (memphisflyer.com) American Craft Beer Week continues through May 17, according to the Brewers Association’s event calendar. Memphis Flyer’s food-and-drink coverage and events listings remain the clearest local places to track related beer-week stops and Memphis brewery coverage through the rest of the week. (brewersassociation.org) (memphisflyer.com 1) (memphisflyer.com 2)