Drew Barton and Andy Ashby started Memphis Made Brewing Company in 2013 with the idea that fresher is better, especially when it comes to beer.
The two started with six accounts but now sell beer to bars, restaurants, and retail stores throughout all of Tennessee, Missouri, and North Mississippi.
In November 2014, they opened the brewery's taproom in Midtown’s historic Cooper-Young neighborhood, a place they both call home.
Memphis Made cans and kegs three year-round beers: Cat Nap, Fireside, and GonerBrau.
The company also brews dozens of seasonal and limited release beers throughout the year.
They believe in Memphis and have collaborated on beer releases with several local organizations and businesses, including French Truck Coffee, the Pink Palace Family of Museums, the Cooper-Young Community Association, New Ballet Ensemble, and Goner Records.
Drew Barton
President/Head brewer
Born and raised in Memphis, Drew Barton moved to Asheville, N.C. in 2005 to pursue his dream of becoming a brewer. After being hired as a delivery driver at French Broad Brewery, he worked his way up to head brewer. During his time there, he supervised the company’s growth from 1,400 barrels annually to 2,800 barrels a year.
Drew left North Carolina in 2010 to start Memphis Made.
Andy Ashby
Vice president/Sales/Marketing
Andy Ashby got his first real taste of good beer bartending at the Flying Saucer in Downtown Memphis during summers home from college. After college, he tended bar at The Hope, a pub in London. That’s where he fell in love with cask-conditioned ales and the idea that beer made close to home is usually fresher and better tasting.
Back in Memphis, Andy helped found the Cooper-Young Beerfest, a beer festival which features only craft breweries from within a day’s drive of Memphis.
A reformed journalist, Andy worked as a reporter for the Memphis Business Journal, the Memphis Daily News, the DeSoto County Tribune and the Daily Beacon (where he photographed the University of Tennessee’s 1998 National Championship season). He has also done freelance reporting for American Brewer magazine and the Southern Brew News, among other publications.
He left the world of journalism behind in 2013 to help found Memphis Made.