In 2022, Crosstown Brewing Co. made a beer called Mastodon.
The Double IPA, released in connection with the Memphis Pink Palace Museum, took its name from the mastodon skeleton on display there. It had nothing to do with the Atlanta heavy metal band of the same name, but customers would still come into the taproom and ask if it did.
“We would always say no, but we wish it was,” said Crosstown head brewer Shane Ramsey, a self-described metalhead and Mastodon fan.
Now, four years later, Crosstown has brewed another Mastodon beer — this time for the band
Mastodon is scheduled to perform Oct. 18 at the new Satellite Music Hall, a 1,300-capacity Live Nation venue opening across the street from Crosstown Brewing in Midtown. When Ramsey saw the show announcement, he decided to take a shot, emailing the band’s management to see if Mastodon might be interested in collaborating on a beer.
To his surprise, they wrote back.
The result is Poisonous Weapons, a 7%-ABV Hazy IPA that will be released on draft on Friday, Sept. 4, at Crosstown Brewing, 1264 Concourse Ave. Four-packs of 16-oz. cans will be available later in September.
The beer’s Sept. 4 release date also coincides with the opening night of Satellite Music Hall, which will feature a performance by The Band CAMINO.
A Mastodon beer, for real this time
What began with an unsolicited email eventually grew into a collaboration involving Crosstown, Mastodon’s management team, and Live Nation.
Ramsey worked closely with Olivia Monarch of Pinnacle Entertainment, Mastodon’s booking agency, and Jenna Giorgi, regional marketing manager for Live Nation.
Mastodon’s members left most of the brewing decisions to Ramsey, but they did have one request: Make it a Hazy IPA.
“Mastodon apparently are big Hazy IPA fans,” Ramsey said.
From there, Ramsey developed the recipe for the 20-barrel batch, aiming for what he described as a “tropical explosion.”
Poisonous Weapons uses a grain bill heavy on flaked wheat rather than the oats commonly found in hazy IPAs, along with a New England yeast strain. It features Citra, El Dorado and Emerald Spire hops, along with Mosaic HyperBoost.
The finished beer leans heavily toward peach and mango.
“The aroma is very peach-forward,” Ramsey said. “I think like peach rings, and there’s some slight mango in there.”
The beer pours a light color with plenty of haze — “probably the haziest beer we’ve ever brewed here,” Ramsey said.
Hazies haven’t traditionally been Crosstown’s specialty, so Ramsey reached out to Teddy Pepper, former head brewer at Flyway Memphis who is now at Offset Bier Co. in Utah.
Pepper, who previously collaborated with Ramsey in 2025 on The Witching Hour Hazy IPA, served as a sounding board, reviewing Ramsey’s approach and confirming he was on the right track.
More about Poisonous Weapons
Poisonous Weapons shares its name with Mastodon’s current tour, as well as a song on the band’s new album, Marrow Deep.
The beer’s label, designed by Crosstown graphic designer Tom Martin, is based on the tour poster and includes the Memphis venue, concert date and supporting acts, Deafheaven and Alcest.
It also contains a small tribute to Brent Hinds, Mastodon’s longtime guitarist and co-founder who died in a motorcycle crash in 2025: a guitar pick bearing his initials.
Mastodon is no stranger to craft beer collaborations. The band has previously worked with breweries including Three Taverns, Mikkeller and 3 Floyds.
More recently, Mastodon teamed up with Sceptre Brewing Arts in Georgia on a 4.5%-ABV dry-hopped lager, also called Poisonous Weapons, for the Marrow Deep record release party.
New neighbors — and possibly more beers
Satellite Music Hall, at 1291 Autumn Ave., sits directly across the street from Crosstown Brewing.
The new venue is expected to host about 100 shows a year, bringing a steady stream of concertgoers within steps of Crosstown Brewing.
As part of the Mastodon collaboration, Crosstown plans to give away two tickets to the Oct. 18 show.
Meanwhile, Ramsey hopes Poisonous Weapons could be the first of more collaborations with artists performing at Satellite.
“We’re hoping this turns into quite a few more beers with them,” Ramsey said.
Poisonous Weapons will debut at Crosstown’s taproom on Sept. 4. Local distribution of four-packs of 16-oz. cans will follow at select grocery and liquor stores, likely in late September. The beer will also be sold in 16-oz. cans at the Oct. 18 Mastodon show at Satellite.