By Aaron Fleming
Hook Point Brewing Co. made history in January when it became Collierville’s first brewery.
Now, the company is making a second attempt at breaking another record by expanding their brewery operation to include the town’s first full-service taproom.
Hook Point, which sits in an unassuming corner of the suburb just minutes from the Historic Town Square, was founded by Navy veteran Mike Sadler in 2014.
Seeking to create a brand targeted at people with active lifestyles, Sadler started out with just Flat Hat American Ale, the name being a nod to the showboat flying technique by pilots where they fly low to the ground at high speeds. Flat Hat, which was originally brewed in Atlanta, became Hook Point, with the company offering more beers and expanding its reach across Tennessee.
Sadler also enlisted the help of two other veterans, Jay Marchmon and Stephan Emswiler, who were also pilots during their time in the military.
He also brought on board Maggie Emerson, a homebrewer and software industry veteran who moved to Collierville with her family in 2019, to head the company’s marketing operations. Sadler said that the team’s collective military experience them has helped them in the beer business because it taught them to be innovative and solve problems on the fly and helped them develop an eye for detail.
“Brewing is an art but it’s also a science,” he said.
Hook Point currently offers eight beers that include IPAs, a Scottish stout and even an Irish red ale. Most can be found at more than 20 locations in Memphis alone except for the ale and its Dry Dock Brut IPA which are only available at the brewery.
Although successfully opening the taproom would be quite a feat, this isn’t the first time the company has pursued the idea. The company previously had plans to build the taproom but abandoned them last year because of a town ordinance that sets limitations on businesses that serve alcohol.
“There’s just too many restrictions. It’s just not going to be financially feasible for us right now,” Sadler told the Commercial Appeal last January.
The ordinance requires businesses that serve alcohol to derive 50 percent of their sales from food. The food also has to be prepared in a kitchen, as opposed to a food truck, and has to be eaten on site.
Although opening a taproom would likely attract even more business, Sadler did say that opening the brewery along with offering retail hours has helped grow sales.
Customers can’t enjoy an extended stay, but the brewery is open in short windows on Fridays and Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Four and six-packs of Hook Point’s offerings can be purchased or if they wish, customers can fill growlers up to 64 ounces with their beer of choice as well. As for the company’s newbies, sample sizes of anything on tap are available to try.
Hook Point also has t-shirts and other items for sale.
Because the same hurdle with the ordinance still exists, Sadler said that Hook Point plans to build a kitchen in the brewery so that it can offer food and comply with the ordinance.
He said that he has already been in touch with chefs that he believes will be a good fit to cook there. Like their beers, the menu will feature military-themed items as well as ones that pay homage to the bluff city.
Sadler hopes to have the taproom ready by the middle of next year.
• About the owner:
Sadler is a product of 1960s California. However, he has lived most of his life in the southeast and calls Statesboro, Ga. his hometown.
After high school, he attended Georgia Southern College where some of the highlights included his time as Chapter President of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, an electrical engineering project that resulted in a piece of equipment being launched through the classroom ceiling (not on purpose) and an audience with the College Dean (not in a good way).
Upon graduating, a case of the “Statesboro Blues” drove him to seek the adventure and excitement offered by the U.S. Navy. As he backed out of his parents driveway headed for the Navy’s famed Aviation Officer Candidate School his father turned to his mom and said, “he’ll never make it.” Fourteen weeks later, Sadler graduated as an AOCS Battalion Commander, third in his class with recognition for his military bearing and he began a 20-plus year life of military service that he could have only imagined.
Once winged a Naval Aviator, his flying adventures took him from flight instructing in South Texas to combat operations in Iraq and liberty in ports around the world, and despite a few liberty ‘incidents,’ he was – surprisingly – never “put in hack.”
After his active duty commitment, Sadler transferred to the Naval Reserves where he continued to fly the F/A-18 and moved on to a commercial airline career with Federal Express, where he is currently a Captain, Instructor and Line Check Airman on the MD-11.
In 2014, his quest for new adventures led he and his wife Cindy to create the FlatHat brand.
The Navy’s term for “unauthorized low altitude flying” was the inspiration for the active, adventurous spirit represented by this lifestyle brand that has grown into Hook Point Brewing Company.
For Sadler, it’s about getting the most out of everyday and living life full speed.
He brings that zest for life to Hook Point and hopes to be a positive influence on the local Collierville community and the organizations they support.
