SoBro-based Czann's Brewing Co. is slated to relocate to The Nations in March 2020.
The looming move will come approximately seven years after Ken Rebman, Czann's founder and president, opened the quirky nano brewery in early 2013 at 505 Lea Ave.
Rebman — who in April 2014 opened a taproom at the diminutive concrete-block brewery — has signed a lease to take space at 4909 Indiana Ave. in a building that once accommodated a church. Terms of the lease and the cost to get the future brewery operational are not being disclosed.
Rebman, who will operate from about 3,800 square feet, lives close to The Nations and feels the district is emerging as its own brewery district of sorts. Also brewing in the fast-changing mixed-use node are Southern Grist, Fat Bottom, Hap and Harry’s, Harding House, and Turtle Anarchy.
A key at The Nations brewery, he says, will be an outdoor space, which the current Czann’s (pronounced "cons") lacks.
“SoBro has been a great location but I’m looking forward to being close to my neighborhood and part of a booming community in The Nations,” Rebman says. “We will have more space and some outdoor seating.”
Rebman says he hopes the transition from SoBro to The Nations will result in a period of non-brewing of only about three to four weeks while his equipment is moved. He does not intend to acquire new equipment related to the brewing process specifically.
Nashville-based real estate investor and developer Jeff Estepp owns the building. Brightside Bakeshop and women’s med spa Indie Aesthetics are the two other tenants.
“It is major addition to this building and to The Nations,” Estepp says of Czann’s. “To land a highly respected local brewery is noteworthy.”
Rebman began operating from the approximately 3,000-square-foot SoBro building space in March 2013. At the time, Czann's joined Jackalope Brewing Co. and Yazoo Brewing Co.. Tennessee Brew Works later opened, with the four then comprising what some folks started calling the Nashville Brewery District. Since then, New Heights Brewing has opened just outside the fringe of the district and Yazoo has relocated to Madison.
Czann's offers four small-batch craft beers year-round that can be found in about 55 Middle Tennessee bars and restaurants. Rebman uses Best Brands for distribution.
Czann’s brews about 600 barrels of beer per year, Rebman says. The limited volume (most local breweries brew 6,000 or more barrels annually) allow for maximum consistency and quality control, he adds.
