Meddlesome Brewing Company: Never Settle! Always Meddle!
May 16, 2023
Meddlesome Brewing Company:
Never Settle! Always Meddle!
Malteurop Celebrates Craft Breweries During American Craft Beer Week
American Craft Beer Week, May 15-21, 2023, celebrates craft breweries across the nation. Malteurop (MMC) is proud to highlight just a few of these remarkable breweries. So, grab a glass and raise it high in recognition of the thousands of craft breweries that work relentlessly to craft the beer that we all love to gather around!
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Sitting down with Richie EsQuivel and Ben Pugh, founders and owners of Meddlesome Brewing Company, we knew right away that these two know how to celebrate. Funny thing, though, is that it was just another day in the life of brewery operations – no special celebrations in hand.
Unless you count the Dirty ‘Dova, their double IPA, in hand. And that is exactly what Meddlesome Brewing stands for, celebrating the everyday in style. And not just any style, Memphis style.
About Meddlesome Brewing Co
Built out of a love for beer and community, as so many breweries often are, Meddlesome is no different. Both partners came together while homebrewing. During one of their homebrewing sessions, the two had a casual conversation about growing up.
“We were just talking about growing up and we were very like minded and liked taking things apart and meddling with things. We both have been accused of being meddlesome little sh*ts. Like from the characters in Scooby Doo. The villain that always said, ‘If it weren’t for those meddlesome teenagers.’” (Richie)
Because of that conversation and their combined love for beer, they knew they had a business idea brewing (pun intended, of course). And as adults, they continue to meddle.
That’s what makes Meddlesome Brewing different.
“Our pitch has always been that we’ve never been afraid to meddle with convention in search of a better product. Our call sign is, ‘Never settle, always meddle.’ We’re always trying to find better ways to do things, better ingredients, better processes, and we like to stir the pot. It’s just who we are.” (Ben)
It’s that meddlesome character that helped to create the brewery and the community housed within. The two of them worked together to install their copper covered bar, installed the brewery equipment themselves, and had their hand in almost everything that created their space.
“We are definitely a DIY ‘til we die type of place.” (Richie)
The Passion Behind the Beer
With Ben previously selling brewery equipment, along with a mechanical background, and the two of them building a love for beer and friendship early on through homebrewing, it was as though their fates were sealed.
Ben started in the industry on a professional level in 2014 when he had a chance to help open a brewery in an established pizza joint in Jackson, Tennessee. Meanwhile, Richie was working hard in sales and customer service until his homebrewing roots began calling him back. Taking a job in 2016 as a brewer at Bosco’s Brewing Company in Memphis, it was only a matter of moments until the two of them began meddling professionally.
It was bound to happen. Even when they were homebrewing, they were entering competitions, always trying to create something better.
“We used to homebrew together all the time and we did competitions together as a team and independently. One time, I gave [Richie] one of my recipes. We both made the same beer at the same competition, and he beat me on it. It was a good time.” (Ben)
In 2017, the two began meddling together professionally when they opened Meddlesome Brewing Company in Cordova, a suburb of Memphis. Located near Shelby Farms dog park, one of the largest urban parks in the county, these two not only wanted to bring craft beer to the neighborhood, they wanted to change the vibe, bringing the Memphis style to Cordova.
Often referred to as “Dirty Dova” for its lack of anything cool, the neighborhood is slowly transitioning into its own, hopefully leaving the Dirty Dova nickname to the beer name only.
The Memphis Spirit and Meddlesome
When asked to further define Memphis spirit, we couldn’t help but start with a joke.
“If you put a brewer from Memphis and a brewer from Nashville in the same room what happens?”
Ben’s answer?
“We’re all cool. We all like spicy fried chicken and craft beer, but we’re not gonna agree on what style of beer we wanna drink.”
Ok, maybe not the greatest joke, but it helps to bring about the community that is Tennessee, with the understanding that each place has unique characteristics.
Richie goes on further to state that Memphis spirit is about being scrappy.
“It’s scrappy. There’s an attitude that comes with people that live in Memphis. But it’s also about the hustle. Memphis is hardworking and has a big spirit. People from Memphis state, ‘I live in Memphis not Tennessee.’ The rest of Tennessee is beautiful, but it’s not Memphis. It’s a hardworking scrappy town.’”
And that’s also how the two of them define Meddlesome – a scrappy, hardworking community of people.
“We’re definitely not your run of the mill soft brewery. We have kind of a hard edge name.”
Going along with that hard edge and the Memphis style, Meddlesome once brewed a beer highlighting Jerry Lawler, a Memphis wrestling icon. They wanted to use his name because he embodied that Memphis spirit alongside Ben and Richie’s meddlesome personas.
Lawler thought it was quite entertaining and couldn’t understand why someone would name a beer after him. Ben and Richie agreed. You see, Jerry Lawler never drinks.
“We thought it was the funniest thing we could think of. It definitely goes back to the meddlesome spirit. It was funny to us; it was ironic.” (Richie)
Speaking of beers, while Meddlesome is known for not falling into gimmicks and they have won several awards, Ben and Richie like to joke that their names from their beers come from throwing darts at a wall.
“We put all these really bad ideas on the wall and then we throw darts at them until we get one that’s not that bad.” (Ben)
But in all seriousness, their style, along with their beer names, match their belief system of crafting beers that their community wants to drink while honoring that same community.
Those styles often consist of Classic German lagers and West Coast IPAs. They still brew other styles, such as hazy IPAs, sour ales, and a small batch series, but they don’t consider themselves a gimmicky brewery.
“We’re not a gimmick brewery. We’re gonna push back. We’re meddlesome. We just really do a lot of classic styles. What’s more meddlesome than brewing classic beers in an environment where people are throwing everything under the sun, as far as flavors are concerned, in their beer? We kind of push back against that a little bit.” (Richie)
While their flagship beer is well-loved and well known, their 201 Hoplar West Coast IPA, their meddlesome personas take over every once in a while to create a bit of chaos. Take their recently released pepper beer, for example. We’ll let them explain it to you in their own words.
“We had you sign a waiver to try this beer called F**k Around and Find Out. If that doesn’t embody what meddlesome is, I don’t really know what does. It burns your throat, it’s frickin hot! It was a premade pepper mash: ghost pepper, habanero, cayenne, and jalapeno. About a gallon per barrel. It’s fun watching people drink it and just come undone at the bar.”
But in the end it’s all about brewing beer that beer drinkers like.
“Real beer drinkers like our beer. I am pretty proud of that.” (Richie)
Moving Forward with Support
Yes, the pandemic started three years ago, yet breweries, like many businesses, are still dealing with the effects from it. And Meddlesome is no different. And like other breweries, they relied on the industry and the brewing community to get them through. The thing, though, is that it wasn’t the pandemic that started this community. In the brewing industry, that is a staple – the community. It was here long before the pandemic and will remain long after.
So on that note, yes Meddlesome had to adapt when the pandemic came along, like everyone else, but moving forward with support is nothing new for them. Being able to work both in and on their business of brewing and community, they’ve really grown over the last few years, in fact, even more so this past year.
“We’re growing more in this last year than the entire existence of the business all thanks to the crew in the back.” (Richie)
Both Ben and Richie agree that any sort of moving forward is all about the people. The people in the back, in the front, and always, in the taproom.
“Walking in and seeing a taproom full of people. Those people chose to be here.” (Ben)
“You can read Untappd reviews all day, but seeing that actually come together in real life is amazing.” (Richie)
Future of Craft Beer
Just like Meddlesome Brewing Company, Ben and Richie can both agree that craft beer isn’t going anywhere – meaning it’s not leaving us anytime soon. Sure, you’ll continue to see trends, and a few breweries closing. It may even be an oversaturated market, but it’s not going to disappear.
This all also depends on location. Memphis, for example, is 15-20 years behind the rest of the country as far as the number of breweries. Richie sees a lot of regional changes coming to Memphis, perhaps following suit with the rest of the nation. He sees a shift to non-alcoholic beers, which requires more money and more resources.
But they both see that Memphis has recently hit a good number of breweries for the number of people that drink beer there. Staying in business means a constant shifting of gears every day. And that requires creating what the market wants.
“We make a lot of seltzer because we have a big gluten-free audience that wants it. We don’t really like gluten-free beers. We did it because we saw a need in our market for it, so we did it. But we still want to be happy with the final product.” (Richie)
Getting Personal with Beer
Speaking of being happy with the final product, it’s always fun to get a bit personal with beer. So we had to find out what Ben and Richie have in their refrigerator to make them happy.
Richie’s answer is quite classic, and anyone who entertains at any point in their life can relate.
“It’s my own beer. But also somebody left a 12-pack of Natty Light. So, now that’s just for profiling purposes in case somebody comes by.”
Smart guy, saving the good stuff for himself.
Ben jokingly wasn’t too keen on sharing, stating as he was laughing, “I don’t wanna talk about it.” But he did go on to say that his fridge contained Miller LIte, Meddlesome’s Memphis Style, and seltzer.
Redemption followed. On canning days at Meddlesome, there’s a cooler full of beers brought in by different people.
“Typically, on canning days, we’ll share a whole bunch of different stuff and we’ll taste them, and break them down.” (Richie)
Maybe the Natty Light is the perfect end to a long day of analyzing beers.
Behind the beer are people. We asked Richie and Ben to describe themselves outside of beer. Because, yes, there is life outside of beer.
And for Richie, it’s all about family, gaming, music, comic books, and the science behind the beer.
“I’m a nerd, man. I like to play Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering, and I like sci-fi. I like to read. All of those things brought me to beer. When I started brewing it was a weird nerdy thing. I loved it because there was so much science and engineering in it.”
For Ben, it’s about family, as well, but also about staying active and productive.
“I always have to be going. I always have projects. Sitting down wears on me pretty quick. I have a wife and two kids and we’re always running around.”
Malteurop Malts Behind the Beer
Getting to know the malts behind the beer may not be quite as important as getting to know the people behind the beer. But here at Malteurop, we can’t help but think that the malts have something to do with the good beer we all love at Meddlesome.
Ben and Richie think so, too. Using MMC for many years, they recognize that crafting great malts, like crafting great beer, takes a team. And the team at MMC has been fantastic to them over the years.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a malt supplier that is as easy to use as Malteurop. We love their Munich and other malts, but we use the base malt mostly. That’s not a slight. You have to have a good base to have a beer that tastes good.” (Richie)
Thank You!
Malteurop recognizes the effort that breweries put forth every day to craft the beer we all love. That is why MMC’s Craft Sales Managers – managers like Rick Barney – want to highlight a few of these breweries.
And why not do so during American Craft Beer Week.
Because in the end, it’s not just about the beer, but about the community that gathers around the beer.
“The beer has always been the reward. Nothing compares to the feeling of creating something from raw ingredients and the joy of sharing it with friends and family. There are few industries as fun, passionate, and caring as the brewing industry. There’s a sense of family and community, even among competitors, that is palpable.“ (The Fine Folks at Meddlesome Brewing Co)
Connect with Meddlesome Brewing Co
7750 Trinity Rd. #114
Cordova, TN 38018
For more stories with Meddlesome Brewing Co, be sure to listen to their full interview on the Craft Beer Travel and Adventure Podcast with Living a Stout Life.