Crosstown Brewing Co. and Flyway Brewing Co. have teamed up on a new hazy IPA called “The Witching Hour,” an 8.2%-ABV collaboration beer set to debut Saturday, Oct. 25.
The collaboration grew naturally out of a year of cooperation between the two breweries — in particular head brewers Shane Ramsey of Crosstown and Teddy Pepper of Flyway.
Ever since Pepper arrived in Memphis in 2024 to help launch Flyway in the former High Cotton Brewing space, Pepper and Ramsey have often lended ingredients to one another when needed.
“If we’re short, we go there. If he’s short, he comes to us,” Ramsey told Memphis Beer Blog. “We started mentioning the ides of doing a collab, especially since I think Teddy’s been really good at being involved in the Memphis beer scene since he moved here.”
Those casual conversations soon turned into a concrete plan.
“We talked about it,” Ramsey said, “and then within the next week, we were designing the recipe.”
About The Witching Hour
The beer itself leans into the juicy, fruit-forward character both brewers love, featuring Citra Cryo, Amarillo, and Belma hops.
Ramsey described The Witching Hour as “a very juicy IPA with notes of ripe orange, peach, and strawberry from the Belma hops, with a citrusy finish that hides the 8.2% ABV pretty well.”
Added Pepper: “It’s got a really nice, punchy, fruity nose, low bitterness, and almost finishes with a tinge of sweetness. For the higher gravity, it really works well for this beer.”
While Crosstown handled the brew day on its equipment, Pepper and his entire Flyway crew came out to join in.
“It was just a blast. They were great hosts,” Pepper said.
“I’ve gotten to know them over the last year, and I’m just really fond of everyone over there. Getting to work with them — and having my whole team over on brew day — was just really exciting.”
Pepper said the end product was “a true collaboration, with both parties really having a lot of input.”
A Halloween-inspired release
Inspired by a ’60s and ’70s DC comic series called “The Witching Hour,” the beer’s name and label tie neatly into its Halloween timing. Ramsey said the spooky theme — and even a nod to the metal band Venom — helped shape the concept.
There will be a release party for The Witching Hour at Crosstown, 1264 Concourse Ave., on Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m.
The beer will be available on draft at both the Crosstown and Flyway taprooms. In addition, four-packs of 16-ounce cans will be sold at Crosstown, with some limited local distribution planned.
For Ramsey, the release represents more than just a seasonal one-off.
“I really want to keep doing collabs. It’s a really cool thing that Memphis needs more of,” Ramsey said.
“Hopefully this becomes an annual thing for us and Flyway — to put this beer out, change it up every year with different hops and profiles, and have a little fun with it.”