Barrique Brewing and Blending — which ranks among Nashville’s most specialized craft beer breweries — is now operating in the space last home to Little Harpeth Brewing.
Joel Stickrod, Barrique's founder, says the new space will allow the microbrewery to grow much more effectively than would have been the case had it remained at the previous space at 1821 Air Lane Drive in Donelson. A late-spring opening is planned for the 10,000-square-foot facility’s taproom.
The new space, with an address of 30 Oldham St. and on the East Bank of the Cumberland River, became available after R.S. Lipman Brewing acquired Little Harpeth and relocated the latter to the Lipman facility in The Nations (read more here).
For the expansion, Stickrod has partnered with long-time friend Austen Webber, who will serve the business as COO. Webber previously worked at Madison, Alabama-based Rocket Republic Brewing as brewmaster and operations manager. Stickrod will focus on production.
In addition, Barrique has hired its first employee, Spencer Longhurst (previously with Little Harpeth). The company is working with locally based social media and brand development company Beer Marketeers.
Stickrod launched Barrique — which specializes in oak fermentations and oak-aged beers, specifically wild and sour beers — in early 2018 and released his first product in January 2019. He expanded two times following that opening and before the move to the East Bank. He is not disclosing the cost of the relocation and the purchase of the Little Harpeth brewing equipment or the terms of the lease.
“This move is very exciting for Barrique to expand as a company and grow in creativity, but more exciting to offer a home for the Nashville community to enjoy and gather," says Stickrod, a former assistant brewer at then-Franklin-based Mantra Artisan Ales (now located in Murfreesboro).
Barrique — a common name for a French oak wine barrel — emphasizes local agriculture, including Tennessee-grown grain and fruit from the Southeast. The beer is packaged in 500-milliliter cork-and-cage bottles, and no kegs are used.
Stickrod says he started with 50 oak casks of beer the first season, then moved to 100 casks the second season, 300 the third season and now is “working diligently” to reach 600 total casks. The average product age of the beer is 18 months before it is bottled.
Barrique continues to offer direct sales, with new blends released for pickup at the new facility on Thursdays at 10 a.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The direct sales will continue once the taproom opens.
Stickrod, who also works as a touring sound engineer for musician Darius Rucker, says the brewing company oversees limited self-distribution. The bottled beer can be purchased at Homegrown Taproom, both Filling Stations, Main Street Liquor, Craft Brewed, Woodland Wine Merchant, The Pharmacy Burger and Dose's East Nashville location.
A handful of local breweries produce sour beers, which offer an acidic, tart or sour taste and are Belgian in origin.
