Memphis Filling Station, also known as MFS, a small-batch brewery, is getting closer to signing a lease for its first brick-and-mortar in Midtown.
After several potential spots fell through, owner Bryan Berretta, along with Scott Kley Contini, Heather Reed, Jesse Lara, and Blake Marcum, are negotiating with developers for a space in Midtown, according to the Daily Memphian. If the team can come to an agreement, they will open the company’s first brewery. While the company focuses on big-barrel beers, MFS offers a spectrum of beers ranging from wheat ales to milk stouts. Berretta started with homebrewing before being asked to serve his beer at an event in 2015.
“All I had was homebrew, but I didn’t usually share it because I didn’t think it was worth sharing,” Berretta tells the Daily Memphian. “We poured an insane amount of beer: 20 gallons, bottle by bottle. One of our co-founders, Heather (Reed), and I said to each other, ‘Wow. That’s a lot more fun than growlers.'”
After benefiting the Mid-South chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Berretta realized he wanted to take the operation to the next level. Eventually, Kley-Scontini moved to Memphis in 2021 to help his longtime friend open Memphis Filling Station’s first brewery. Together they agreed to create a small-batch, locally-focused craft beer in an inviting space. While the group continues to make progress on opening its first brick-and-mortar, the company has participated in more than 30 charitable events since its inception. In October, MFS will be part of Ales for Alzheimer’s at The Arcade Restaurant.
“We all work hand-in-hand with each role having overlapping responsibilities. It’s an awesome team with a singular focus in mind: to bring Memphis a unique, community-focused beer experience,” Berretta said. “Almost everything that drives us centers around the question, ‘How can we use this to benefit people and organizations that got us here?'”
