More than 60 years after Booker T. Jones helped turn “Green Onions” into a Memphis soul classic, Wiseacre Brewing Co. is raising a glass to the legendary musician.
The Memphis craft brewery has created Booker-Loo’s Melting Pot, a “Boot-Leg Lager” that will be part of the Shell’s 90th anniversary celebration this week.
The small-batch beer will be sold at the Shell during Jones’ ticketed Shell Yeah! benefit show on Thursday, Sept. 10, and will be available at Wiseacre’s two taprooms, as well.
“When we were presented with the opportunity, we were, of course, thrilled,” Wiseacre co-founder Kellan Bartosch told Memphis Beer Blog.
“Booker T. & the M.G.’s are one of my dad’s all-time favorite bands — he still gets goosebumps when listening to them. I’ve always considered them the ultimate pre-party band, where they can set the right atmosphere.”
More about Booker-Loo’s Melting Pot
When Wiseacre talked with Jones’ daughter about what kind of beer to make, she suggested something light and easy.
The result is a 4.2%-ABV light lager brewed with two-row malt and corn — about half the corn that normally goes into Wiseacre’s Sky Dog Lager.
Davin Bartosch, Wiseacre co-founder and brewmaster, said a German hop called Huell Melon was used, adding subtle cantaloupe-like fruit notes to the beer.
He described Booker-Loo’s Melting Pot as a crisp, chuggable beer with very light fruity notes.
“I’m excited to make a beer with the Shell and celebrate their 90th anniversary,” Davin Bartosch said. “Booker T. is such a Memphis icon, so it’s really cool to be able to do that.”
A beer inspired by Booker T. & the M.G.’s
The beer’s name, Booker-Loo’s Melting Pot Boot-Leg Lager, is a mash-up of three song titles from the M.G.’s catalog: “Booker-Loo,” “Melting Pot” and “Boot-Leg.”
The references continue on the label, where Wiseacre’s principal artist Rachel Briggs used colors inspired by the cover of the band’s 1968 album Doin’ Our Thing.
“Rachel Briggs has a history of doing work like this for Chuck Berry’s final album, as well as other similar projects for musicians,” Kellan Bartosch said.
“She created something special here, aligning the colors for the label with their Doin’ Our Thing album and including the Overton Park Shell’s 90th anniversary logo.”
Wiseacre and the Overton Park Shell
Booker-Loo’s Melting Pot is the most recent chapter in a partnership between Wiseacre and the Overton Park Shell.
Wiseacre became the Shell’s official craft beer at the beginning of the spring season, selling Tiny Bomb, Sky Dog, Ananda and HopZip Water at the Midtown outdoor venue.
The brewery has also hosted Shell on Wheels, the Overton Park Shell’s mobile stage, twice this year, with another event scheduled for Oct. 30.
The relationship stretches back even further, for example, when the mobile Shell stage came to Wiseacre’s original Broad Avenue taproom in 2023 for a performance by Memphis rock band Lucero.
That partnership will be on full display Thursday, when Wiseacre’s new beer makes its debut alongside Jones’ performance.
“Wiseacre beer and Booker T. is a match made in heaven,” Overton Park Shell Executive Director Natalie Wilson said.
“Having this special signature beer for our big 90th Shellebration weekend is icing on the cake!”
